UK band The 1975 sued by organiser of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival for singer Matty Healy’s onstage same-sex kiss

The organiser of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival has filed a lawsuit against UK band The 1975 and all its members individually in the UK High Court, reported US publication Variety.

This is in response to lead singer Matty Healy kissing his male bandmate Ross MacDonald during the band’s performance on the first night of the festival held at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor in July 2023. The act caused the festival to be shut down.

Festival organiser Future Sound Asia is seeking £1.9 million (US$2.4 million) as they claim the band and their management had been made aware of the rules they had to follow in order to perform at the festival.

Organisers said the band had performed at the 2016 festival and had been told the rules then as well – including no swearing, smoking, taking off their clothes or talking about religion – and they were also repeatedly reminded before last year’s show.

The Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) also bans “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves” on stage.

Variety reported that according to the lawsuit, PUSPAL had initially rejected the band’s application due to a 2018 article about Healy’s drug addiction and subsequent recovery. However, the application was granted after the band appealed and promised to adhere to the guidelines.

The lawsuit also stated that the band had decided not to perform the night before the show, but changed their minds and instead decided to stage a protest of the guidelines.

The suit further stated that the band decided to “play a different setlist” and “act in a way that were intended to breach the guidelines” in protest, which included Healy taking part in a "long pretend passionate embrace” with bassist Ross MacDonald.

The lawsuit also accused the lead singer of drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and delivering “a profanity-laden speech”.

PUSPAL representatives ordered the band to stop their performance after the kiss and Healy was said to be “very aggressive” towards the officials.

The festival’s licence was revoked the next day and the final two days of the event were cancelled. Headline acts for the cancelled days include The Kid Laroi and The Strokes. The latter added a second show in Singapore to accommodate fans affected by the festival’s cancellation.

The 1975 cancelled their shows in Jakarta and Taipei after the incident.

While performing in Fort Worth, Texas, in October last year, Healy made the claim that he was “briefly imprisoned” after the performance in Malaysia.

He said during the show that the kiss “was not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government”.

He added: “It was an ongoing part of the 1975 stage show, which had been performed many times prior."