The 1975 are facing legal action over their criticism of Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws during their headlining set on July 21, the first day of the three-day “Good Vibes festival.”

The incident in which the band frontman Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald in front of the crowd resulted in the show being cut short and the cancellation of the reminder of the three-day festival.

According to reports, the organizers of the festival, Future Sound Asia (FSA), are pursuing legal action against the 1975 and have sent a Letter Of Claim to the British indie band.

A press release says the claim demands that The 1975 acknowledge their liability and compensate FSA for the damages incurred. It also states that the organizers will pursue legal proceedings in the Courts of England, in the event of the band failing to pay the damages.

“FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the Band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF2023,” the press release reads. “In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour not only flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival.”

The Letter of Claim also states that their actions “intentionally contravened the agreement they had with FSA” and directly led to the 2023 instalment of the festival being cancelled, and resulted in “significant financial losses for FSA and negatively impact[ed] local artists and businesses that depended on the festival’s success, affecting the livelihoods of many Malaysians.”

(Photo: Markus Hillgärtner)

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