A day after the lead singer of the British pop rock band The 1975 kissed a male bandmate onstage and denounced the nation’s anti-LGBT policies, the Malaysian government on Saturday cancelled a music festival in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.
“There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws,” Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a Twitter post after meeting the organisers of the Good Vibes Festival, a three-day event set to run until Sunday.
According to a government group that monitors foreigners’ filming and performances, The 1975 have also been forbidden from performing in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, homosexuality is illegal. Lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender rights organizations have warned of a rise in hostility toward these communities.
Healy was captured on camera hugging bassist Ross MacDonald late on Friday after criticizing Malaysia’s anti-homosexuality laws in a profanity-filled address to the festival crowd.
“I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it,” he said. “I don’t see the fucking point … of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
Healy later cut short the set, telling the crowd: “All right, we’ve got to go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I’ll see you later.”
The band could not immediately be reached for comment. In an Instagram story, Healy appeared to joke about the incident, posting the festival’s cancellation notice along with a caption: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks”.
At a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which similarly forbids homosexual conduct, Healy received criticism for kissing a male fan, according to media reports.
Healy’s “controversial conduct and remarks” led to the show’s cancellation, which festival organizer Future Sound Asia (FSA) apologized for. The band’s management was alleged to have made a commitment to upholding performance regulations.
“Regrettably, Healy did not honour these assurances,” it said in a statement.
Over the course of the three-day weekend, 43 performances by national and international artists were to be included at the festival. The 1975 were the featured performer on Friday, while The Kid Laroi from Australia and The Strokes from the United States were the featured performers on Saturday and Sunday. Both days’ performances were canceled.
FSA expressed concern that the incident could “erode the confidence of music promoters and various stakeholders … and threaten the stability of our burgeoning live arts scene”.
According to reports in the media, the government in March imposed harsher regulations, including ones on behaviour and dress code, for international performers visiting Malaysia, claiming the need to safeguard sensitive issues.
The incident on Friday caused a stir on Malaysian social media, notably among some LGBT individuals who accused Healy of “performative activism” and warned that his move might subject the group to more stigma and prejudice.
