Matty Healy makes excuses for controversial comments during The 1975 Finsbury Park show
Matty Healy, the controversial frontman of pop-rock outfit The 1975, has responded to the backlash he received earlier this year after making racist and sexist comments on a podcast.
During the band’s performance at Finsbury Park on Sunday, July 2nd, Healy took the time to address the abhorrent and ignorant statements he has made lately. When appearing on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, Healy laughed about watching racially-charged porn called Ghetto Gaggers, which involves white men dominating and humiliating black women.
On the same episode, he joked about American rapper Ice Spice, wrongly labelling her as Hawaiian Inuit and Chinese before performing offensive accents. Healy could also be heard joining the hosts as they joked about the idea of Japanese people working in concentration camps – not without mocking the accent.
While many have called for Healy to be cancelled, his band still garnered a massive crowd at Finsbury Park, suggesting that the singer possesses the power and influence to brush such disgraceful comments under the rug.
Attempting to excuse his comments, Healy, who goes out of his way to stir up controversy, explained, “I was always trying stuff. And some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong.”
He said: “I’m not someone who takes things for granted. The 1975 isn’t a dry band. There’s a lot of irony in it. Like, ‘Love Me’, for example – it doesn’t make sense unless I’m taking the piss out of myself.”
“But, do you know what? There’s a lot of things I’ve said, jokes that I’ve made, there’s probably a couple of fucking songs I’d take back if I had the chance,” Healy added.
Healy then equated bigotry with humour, stating, “What I mean is that I really am only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good. That’s what my favourite art does and that’s what I’m trying to do. I get a bit excited.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.