Resolution “in progress” between The 1975 and Malaysian festival
The 1975 are currently making “progress” on a resolution after they were asked to pay a £2million following their protest at Malaysia’s Good Vibes festival last month.
Homosexuality is illegal in the Asian country, and in the middle of the performance, frontman Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. Before the act, he told the crowd: “When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the fucking point, right? I do not see the point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
As a result, their set was cut short, and the rest of the festival was cancelled. Artists such as The Strokes and The Kid Laroi were scheduled to play. Following the event, Future Sound Asia, the company behind the Good Vibes festival, began legal action against the group and sent a Letter Of Claim to the Cheshire band.
In the document, The 1975 were asked to accept liability and pay damages to Future Sound Asia. If they don’t oblige, they plan to take the case to the Courts of England. It reads: “FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the Band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF2023.”
It continues: “In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour not only flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival.”
The figure they are seeking in damages is over £2million and in a statement provided to the PA news agency David Matthew, legal counsel for Future Sound Asia, confirmed a resolution was “now in progress”.
Matthew continued: “We are able to confirm that our lawyers have received communication from the band’s solicitors and we are continuing to pursue the matter, as per our earlier statement.
“The dispute resolution process is now in progress and on advice of legal counsel, we have no further comment at present,” he added.
Following the show in Malaysia, The 1975 cancelled planned performances across Asia in Taiwan and Vietnam. Explaining their decision, they said in a statement: “The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.”
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