British band The 1975 is BANNED in Malaysia and entire music festival is cancelled after singer Matt Healy kissed male bandmate on stage

• Homosexuality is illegal in the country and is punishable by imprisonment 
• He previously kissed a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates

Malaysia cancelled a music festival on Saturday after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald live on stage in protest at the country’s anti-gay laws. 

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and laws criminalising sodomy are punishable by imprisonment. LGBTQ people in the country also face regular discrimination by authorities.

British rockers The 1975 cut their Friday show at the Good Vibes music festival short after lead singer Matty Healy slammed Malaysia’s anti-gay laws in a profanity-filled speech, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald on stage.

Healy, 34, who recently made headlines for his whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift, told fans the band had thought of pulling out of the event, saying: ‘I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.’

He added: ‘I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it.’ 

Malaysia cancelled a music festival on Saturday after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald live on stage

Matty Healy slammed Malaysia’s anti-gay laws in a profanity-filled speech before the controversial kiss

He later abruptly ended the set, saying: ‘All right, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur.’

The 1975 have also been banned from performing in Malaysia, according to a government committee that oversees performances from foreigners.  

The on-stage protest was not a first for Healy, who kissed a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has tough anti-LGBTQ laws.

Vowing swift action early Saturday, Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil posted a news report about the kiss and called it a ‘very rude act’.

He later ordered the ‘immediate cancellation’ of the three-day festival after meeting with organisers.

‘Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the manners and values of the local culture,’ he said in a subsequent tweet.

In a statement also posted to Twitter, the festival confirmed the cancellation had been at the direction of the communications ministry ‘following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy’.

‘The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws,’ the statement added.

Matty Healy recently embarked on a whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift (pictured together in May) following her split from British actor Joe Alwyn

Claims: The American superstar was thought to have reconnected with The 1975 star Matty while both continue working their way through respective world tours 

The Good Vibes festival was scheduled to run through the weekend, with US band The Strokes set to headline on Sunday.

The episode comes two months after authorities seized over a hundred rainbow-coloured, Pride-themed watches from Swiss watchmaker Swatch.

The company has since sued the government, seeking damages while demanding a return of the watches.

The romance between Healy and Swift was first revealed in May following her split from British actor Joe Alwyn. 

The pair have known each other for years following their first meeting in 2014 and have appeared on stage together multiple times. 

The pair was last seen together on May 25 in New York but in June a friend close to the singer confirmed that she was single again. 

A source told  People: ‘She had fun with him, but it was always casual. They are no longer romantically involved.’

Matty had been seen publicly supporting the singer on her The Eras Tour, shooting the star loving glances as he attended her Nashville concerts with stars including supermodel Gigi Hadid. 

Past love: Swift was previously in a six-year romance with actor Joe Alwyn (pictured 2020)

Friday’s incident sparked uproar on Malaysian social media, including among some members of the LGBT community, who accused Healy of ‘performative activism’ and said his action was likely to expose the community to more stigma and discrimination.

‘Matt Healy undoubtedly just made it worse for queer Malaysians who actually live here, and have to face the consequences because we all know our politicians are gonna use this to further their agenda,’ Carmen Rose, a Malaysian drag queen and performer, said on Twitter.

The 1975 are on Sunday due to play at a festival in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, where a recent LGBT event was cancelled amid security threats.

The Jakarta festival’s organisers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the band would play.

The uproar comes at a politically sensitive time in multi-ethnic Malaysia where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s progressive coalition government will face its first major test of public support in August, when six states hold elections.

An alliance of opposition parties, largely representing the majority ethnic Malay community, has accused the government of not doing enough to protect the rights of Muslims.

The premier has said his government would uphold principles of Islam and will not recognise LGBT rights.

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