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English pop-rock band The 1975 has come under fire following its ban from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for making remarks against the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws on Friday, July 21.
The band recently performed at the Good Vibes festival held in the capital city, where they abruptly ended their show after their frontman Matty Healy expressed his opinion against Malaysia’s stances on LGBTQIA+ rights. Matty told the crowd that it was not fair on the concertgoers since they are not representatives of their government.
After his speech on Malaysia’s ordinances, he went on to challenge the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws even further by kissing his fellow bandmate and bassist, Ross McDonald, midway through the performance of their 2018 track, I Like America and America Likes Me.
The kiss went on for an extended period of time, after which their set came to an end half an hour early. Before leaving the stage, Matty Healy told the audience:
“Alright, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.”
Internet criticizes The 1975 for how they acted at the Kuala Lumpur concert
Netizens were not happy about the actions of Matty Healy and his bandmate. Some mentioned that the country already has strict rules and practices against the queer community, and Matty's remarks might infuriate them even more, leading them to set stricter rules.
A few also said that the British band made it more difficult for the country to host international concerts in the future. Malaysians took to Twitter to explain how much adverse effect the pop-rock band's little act will have on them from a political and cultural perspective.
Matty Healy's speech at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur
Parts of Matty Healy’s rant about the Malaysian government and its strict laws for queer people have been circulating on social media. The 34-year-old singer from The 1975 was heard telling the crowd:
“Because you are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. So, I pulled the show yesterday, I pulled the show yesterday, and we had a conversation and we said, ‘You know what, we can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government.’ But, I’ve done this before. I’ve gone to a country where it’s — I don’t know what it f***ing is. Ridiculous. F***ing ridiculous to tell people what they can do with that and that.”
The 34-year-old singer also wielded a bottle of wine and addressed the audience, telling them that they will not get to hear a lot of uplifting songs from the band because he was “f****ing furious”. He added:
“And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. You are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive.”
The band did not go through with their other hits, Somebody Else, I’m In Love With You, and Robbers, which were in their setlist for the night. Following Ross and Matty’s kiss, the band only performed one more song, I Couldn’t Be More In Love, before leaving the stage.
According to OutRight International, a non-governmental organization for LGBTIQ human rights, same-sex relationships are not legalized in Malaysia. The non-governmental organization also stated on its website that due to these laws, queer people in Malaysia are subjected to arbitrary assault, extortion, arrest, and privacy violations by public officials and police.
