A year after causing a scene at a Malaysian festival, The 1975 are being sued over Matty Healy and Ross MacDonald’s same-sex on-stage kiss.
Good Vibes Festival organisers are reportedly suing the British group for damages of $2,400,000 (£1,900,000) after the Kuala Lumpur event was cancelled in the post-kiss chaos.
Healy, 35, had made a speech about homosexuality, which is illegal in Malaysia, then locked lips with the bassist in protest.
Future Sound Asia (FSA) who organised the festival is now blaming the band for the three-day event, which included headlining set from The Strokes, being cancelled.
In a UK High Court filing, according to reports, it claimed there was ‘a pre-show written assurance’ that the band would adhere to ‘all local regulations’, which they broke with the kiss.
The court documents, obtained by Variety, state that Healy and The 1975 were aware of these regulations.
One specific rule by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists (PUSPAL) apparently bans ‘kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves’.
It has been reported that organisers stated in the documents that since the band first performed in 2016, they have repeatedly reminded them about laws around alcohol, smoking, swearing, removing clothes, and political statements.
The About You singer’s behaviour and previous substance abuse issues had reportedly been a concern for the organisers and the band’s application to play was initially rejected by PUSPAL.
The $350,000 contract is said to have included an agreement to adhere to the rules and regulations.
According to the reports of the legal case, The 1975 almost didn’t play after changing their minds the day before then changing them back and redoing their entire setlist.
The FSA are said to have alleged it was Healy’s ‘abusive language, equipment damage and indecent stage behaviour’ that got the festival cancelled.
Local LGBTQ+ activist and drag performer, Carmen Rose, told at the time that Healy appeared drunk and was acting disorderly before the kiss took place.
She claimed his actions, including alleged damage to a drone, had undone ‘years of progress’ for the LGBTQ+ community in Malaysia.
‘We are living in a very homophobic government and it just gives more ammunition for the really ultra-conservative government to just use it against us,’ she said.
In Malaysia homosexuality is punishable by 20 years in jail – a law that British colonisers introduced in 1871.
Carmen added: ‘He wasn’t actually standing up for us, he went on a rant, he started vandalising drones and spitting on stage while having this wine bottle in his hand.
‘He was visibly intoxicated and he just started cussing at the government – there’s a time and place to do that but his job was to perform and he breached his contract.’
His actions split fans’ opinions with many praising the actions for bringing attention to the anti-LGBTQ laws.
After the uproar, Healy quipped: ‘Ok well why don’t you try and not make out for Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.’
The kiss came at the same time as other erratic stage behaviour which included agreeing with Kanye West and doing a Nazi-like salute.
Denise Welch’s son did apologise for his actions, calling it a ‘stage performance’ that was not spurred on by any malicious intent.
The 1975 has not yet responded publicly to the court documents but had stated at a gig in Hawaii that he and MacDonald ‘nearly shaved [their] heads’ as they ‘thought [they] were going to prison.’
Healy added the f-slur to finish off this speech, again causing controversy.