The band’s recent set at a Malaysian music festival was cut short after lead singer Matty Healy called out the Malaysian government’s LGBTQ+ policies.
“I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it,” Healy told the crowd Friday at the Good Vibes Festival hosted in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. “I don’t see the f— point, right, I do not see the point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.
“I’m sorry if that offends you, and you’re religious,” he said, adding that he believes the Malaysian government is in the wrong. “I don’t care anymore. If you push, I’m gonna push back. I’m not in the f— mood.”
Malaysia has a “federal statute criminalizing same-sex relations,” according to Humans Rights Watch. State laws in the country often cite religion as a basis for targeting LGBTQ+ people.
The “She’s American” singer would go on to tell the audience that, due to his frustration, the group would not perform “uplifting” songs.
Healy added that the English band decided it didn’t seem “fair” for him to punish attendees, since they aren’t representative of their government’s agenda.
“You are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive,” he proclaimed. “I pulled this show yesterday, and [the band] had a conversation. We said, ‘You know what? We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government’ … If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f— off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Immediately after the vocalist finished addressing the crowd, bassist Ross MacDonald approached Healy and kissed him on the lips as the audience cheered.
After performing only seven songs in their headlining set, the “Somebody Else” musicians left the stage, claiming their show had been terminated early.
“All right, we gotta go,” Healy said. “We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. I’ll see you later.”
The Good Vibes Festival later released a statement saying the performance “had to be cut short due to non-compliance with local performance guidelines.”
“Good Vibes Festival has always been dedicated to providing enjoyable music experiences, and we sincerely appreciate your continued support,” the statement continued.
Organizers clarified that those who bought single-day Friday passes for the festival will be able to redeem their tickets for one of the event’s two remaining days.
This isn’t the first time Healy has been vocal onstage about a country’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights. In 2019, he kissed a male fan while performing in Dubai, which criminalizes same-sex couples and sexual acts.
“Thank you Dubai you were so amazing,” Healy tweeted in 2019 after the incident. “I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again.”