Matty Healy and his pop-rock band, The 1975 were sued for $2.4 million by Future Sound Asia. The lawsuit against the band was filed because Matty criticised Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ+ law on stage at the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia. The incident occurred during the music festival in July 2023 which was followed by a shutdown.

$2.4 million lawsuit against The 1975

The organiser, Future Good Asia, sued each member of the pop-rock band individually for violation of the code of behaviour and staging a protest against the country’s anti-LBTQ+ laws. The organisers of the festival now seek $2.4 million from the band for their behaviour on stage last year. The lawsuit documents filed in the UK court stated that the band members were aware of several rules and regulations they were required to follow during their performance on stage, as reported by The Guardian.

These rules included no drinking or smoking, taking off clothes or talking about religion or politics on stage. The Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists (Puspal) implements a strict ban on kissing or any kind of kissing with members or audience on stage.

Puspal denied the band’s request to play last summer initially following Healy’s drug addiction article in 2018. However, when the band agreed to adhere to all the guidelines mentioned, the organisation permitted the band’s performance.

Despite being educated about the guidelines, Healy kissed his member Ross McDonald and broke the law which resulted in the government revoking the festival’s license and its complete shutdown.

The 2023 incident

The lawsuit claimed that the band deviated from their approved setlist and acted in ways intended to breach guidelines, including frontman Healy giving a provocative speech and engaging in an exaggerated, offensive embrace with bassist Ross MacDonald. It also accuses Healy of drinking alcohol on stage, behaving drunkenly, smoking cigarettes, vomiting or making other unpleasant gestures, using foul language, and deliberately damaging a drone camera.

The band later rushed to pack their belongings as they were aware they had broken Malaysian law and left the country as soon as possible. Healy later said, “Me kissing Ross was not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government. It was an ongoing part of the 1975 stage show, which had been performed many times prior. The idea that it’s incumbent upon artists to cater to the local cultural sensitivities of wherever they’ve been invited to perform sets a very dangerous precedent.”

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