The 1975 are being sued by Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival for $2.4 million (£1.9 million) because Matty Healy kissed another man.
The 35-year-old frontman sparked controversy in the Islamic country in July 2023 when he slammed local LGBTQ+ laws and then kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald.
The stunt led to the band’s performance being cut short – with Matty later claiming he and the rest of the 1975 were briefly jailed over the incident.
Now the organisers of the Good Vibes Festival are gunning for financial repercussions and have launched a lawsuit against the If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know) singers in the UK.
Variety reported on Tuesday, “Future Sound Asia … claim that the 1975 and their management team were aware of the numerous prohibitions the band had to abide by in order to perform.
“The band previously performed at the festival in 2016 and were told of the prohibitions then and were reminded multiple times again ahead of the performance last summer.”
Court documents reportedly state it was clear to the band that, “swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes and talking about politics or religion” would not be tolerated.
While the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) is also listed as making it clear that kissing on stage or during the performance was also prohibited.
It is stated that the band’s fee of $350,000 (£272,000) to perform was made under the assumption the rules would be adhered to.
There are no protective laws for the LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia – and those found to have engaged in same-sex sexual acts could face up to 20 years in jail and the risk of being whipped.
