The kiss sparked a massive $2.4 million lawsuit following the festival’s cancellation
The 1975 have been hit with a huge $2.4 million dollar lawsuit by the organisers behind the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia, following an onstage gay kiss between the bandmates in August of last year.
Whilst performing at the festival, lead singer and Tumblr heartthrob, Matty Healy, reportedly pulled bassist Ross MacDonald in for a passionate onstage kiss in a protest against the countries harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Following the performance, the band was reportedly ordered to pay the fine in August of last year to avoid legal action, and it seems the festival organisers have followed through on their promise.
The lawsuit, variety reports, claims the band was in breach of strict guidelines issued by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL).
These included swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes and talking about politics or religion.
The guidelines also included a specific ban on kissing, as “kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves” was strictly prohibited.
Essentially, the lawsuit claims the 1975 broke just about every guideline they could.
The 1975 Sued by Malaysian Festival After Matty Healy Kissed Ross MacDonald on stage.#The1975 pic.twitter.com/AM1ZwK9ezB
— The 1975 TH (@the1975_thteam) July 30, 2024
Calling out Healy specifically, the lawsuit claims the singer breached guidelines by drinking and smoking on stage, delivering a “profanity-laden speech”, and of-course, kissing his male bandmate.
The band also reportedly performed “a completely different setlist” than initially agreed upon in protest of the festival’s rules.
Since everyone wants to be all homophobic and morally outraged siding with a government that doesn’t care for your rights at all here’s matty’s speech about the Malaysian incident pic.twitter.com/x18k4IMBMM
— esra (@1989healy) July 30, 2024
The day after the incident, the festivals license was reportedly revoked, and the remaining two days of the festival cancelled.
The cancellation has reportedly “had repercussions on local Malaysian artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihoods.”
The 1975 have yet to file a defence to the lawsuit and have declined to comment on the issue.
