The organizers behind Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival have filed a lawsuit against The 1975 and all its members. In July of 2023, frontman Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald onstage in an attempt to criticize the country’s severe anti-LGBTQ laws.
Following the display, the remainder of the fest was fully canceled. In the initial months following the controversy, conversations about legal consequences began, and many members of Malaysia’s queer community pushed back at the attempt at solidarity, citing concerns that the incident would do more harm than good. Homosexuality is outlawed in the Southeast Asian country and carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. Following Healy and MacDonald’s onstage embrace, the festival’s license was revoked and the remaining two days of music were unable to take place.
Per Variety, the lawsuit focuses on breach of contract, noting that The 1975 performed at the festival in 2016 and were well aware of the restrictions involved with taking the stage. During their 2023 appearance, Healy said the band “made a mistake” by agreeing to return. Guidelines from the festival expanded far beyond awareness of the nation’s attitude toward the LGBTQ community, with notes touching on swearing, removing clothing, smoking or drinking onstage, and discussing politics. Muse, for example, removed a song from their setlist to comply.
While Healy chose to specifically focus his speech on the anti-LGBTQ legislation in place, the festival also noted that the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) included a general ban on “kissing, kissing a member of the audience, or carrying out such actions among themselves.” (All of these actions are fairly common at The 1975 shows.)
Furthermore, despite Healy’s onstage claim that he “wasn’t looking into it” when The 1975 agreed to play the fest for $350,000, reps for Good Vibes initially denied the band’s slot on the lineup. The team around The 1975 appealed, and their appearance at the event was contingent upon adherence to “all local guidelines and regulations.”
According to the lawsuit, the band members began to have a change of heart the night before their set was scheduled to take place. The documents describe Healy’s onstage speech and kiss with MacDonald as planned protests, alongside further breach of contract complaints connected to the bottle of wine he snuck onstage. Healy claimed that he was “briefly imprisoned” by Malaysian authorities, and the band left the country first thing in the morning.
The band members have not yet filed a defense or issued a statement addressing the lawsuit.
