Matty Healy makes out with The 1975 bandmate onstage, slams Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws
The 1975’s Malaysia show was cut short after Matty Healy made out with his bandmate and slammed the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws onstage. The band’s frontman also said they “have been banned from Kuala Lumpur.”
According to a Billboard report, Healy told the crowd during their concert: “I’m f–ing furious, and that’s not fair on you because you’re not representative of your government. Because you are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.”
“So, I pulled the show yesterday, I pulled the show yesterday, and we had a conversation and we said, ‘You know what, we can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government.’ But, I’ve done this before. I’ve gone to a country where it’s—I don’t know what it f—ing is.”
“Ridiculous. F—ing ridiculous to tell people what they can do with that and that. If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f— off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before and it doesn’t feel good, and I’m f—ed off,” he said.
Protesting Malaysia’s stances on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, The 1975 vocalist went on to make out with bassist Ross Macdonald and performed their hit song I Like America and America Likes Me.
After entertaining the crowd with another song, Healy announced onstage that they had to conclude their set and leave.
“Alright, we gotta go,” he told the audience. “We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. I’ll see you later.”
The 1975 has been banned from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after Matty Healy and bandmate Ross MacDonald kissed on-stage during their set at Good Vibes Festival.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 21, 2023
Before the kiss, Healy gave a speech on his disappointment in the country’s discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. pic.twitter.com/XcHuPHiYr5
The Good Vibes Festival in a statement explained that the band’s performance “had to be cut short due to non-compliance with local performance guidelines.”
It’s illegal to be in a same-sex relationship in Malaysia. According to Human Rights Watch, the country also has “codes in place that typically criminalize same-sex activity as well as gender nonconformity via laws that prohibit ‘a man posing as a woman.’” The HRW also reported that the government has funded retreats “that aim to ‘rehabilitate’ or change LGBT people.”