Band 1975 Kicked out of Asia : cancelled after singer attacks local anti-LGBT law
 

[Matty Healy: Malaysia festival cancelled after
The 1975 singer attacks anti-LGBT law.]

He must have planned this.



[A festival in Malaysia has been cancelled
after British singer Matty Healy attacked
the country's anti-LGBT laws.

During the performance by his band The 1975
at the Good Vibes Festival,
Healy addressed the audience in a
profanity-laden speech before kissing bass player
Ross MacDonald.
The band then ended their set, claiming
officials ordered them off stage.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and
punishable by 20 years in prison.
The band were headlining the
Good Vibes Festival in the
capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
On Saturday the festival's organisers
said the remaining schedule for the festival
had been cancelled following the controversy.

A statement said the decision came after
an "immediate cancellation directive"
from Malaysia's Ministry of
Communications and Digital, as part of its
"unwavering stance against
any parties that challenge,
ridicule or contravene Malaysian laws."

In footage shared online,
Healy could be seen telling the crowd
that the band's decision to appear
in Malaysia had been a "mistake". ]


Getting Political like that
is a big step.

But other performers were at that Festival
they do not get paid, as their shows
ALSO cancelled


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66275913

it would have been a story if he had been put in jail for 20 years

Yes he is lucky, he is a Visitor
not a local person

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...getty.jpg.webp

Also Cancelled Gigs
in Taiwan & Indonesia

virtue signalling alert

I would be Very Angry
if I was in one of the other bands
in that Good Vibes Festival,
as that UK band 1975
took away their Pay

[On Saturday the festival's organisers
said the remaining schedule for the festival
had been cancelled following the controversy.]

Which has cost them thousands of pounds. :facepalm:

I wonder if the cancellations were due to threats on their life.

i would doubt that, they were breaking the law, simple

I don't know why bands go to such Countries with such backward and wrong prejudices anyhow.
The best protest is never to even entertain thinking about going there never mind actually doing so..

No, they offended the Government
who asked them to leave their happy nation.


The Band
are Fools to go there
if they hate their LEGAL LAWS

Management
booked the Top Gigs

As their Music
Online, 24bitCD, or LP
and now Cassette
Are Selling

Large image
not mine



24bitCD

and

Cassette

If you’re really an ‘ally’ and hate these archaic anti-lgbt laws some countries have, you just wouldn’t go to said countries, performative allyship is just that, performative.

I couldn't care who booked it.
There's really no point in going if issues like this could arise.
They're just awful places, in my view still even uncivilised.
Accepting going and then going only helps support their disgraceful prejudices.
Even just seeking to go does.

Look
the Good Vibes Festival,
Has bands from all over the World

That doesn't matter in the slightest in my view.

Anyone against the backward and disgraceful prejudiced laws in a Country should avoid it like the plague.
Plus say why they are avoiding them too.

Many Music Bands are on
their first World tour since Covid -19.
They do not have time to go Political


Big money has now been lost
by that one UK band.

the obvious solution is to boycott the event and explain why you are boycotting it. Going to the country and making everyone else suffer isn't the answer

Very True

He says he didn't know the laws, I find that hard to believe?

I agree, its not very fair on the audience to sign up saying you didn't know the laws, then disrespect their laws however archaic and then cancel


mess

do your research Matty, although I find it hard to believe he is that stupid but maybe he is?

Just sing the damn song, couldn't have said it better myself :laugh:

Matt Healy, frontman of the band The 1975, is once again dominating social media with his problematic antics and blasé attitude. Having caused the cancellation of the Malaysian Good Vibes Festival after kissing his male bassist – homosexuality is illegal in the country and punishable by up to 20 years in prison – Healy has since shown little remorse concerning the situation, even though it could have a deep impact on the Malaysian LGBT+ community.

Healy is no stranger to lighting the matches and then running from the blaze. Ever since his band gained traction in 2010, Healy has made controversial comments, which at times have been described as ignorant and even racist. In one incident at the start of this year, he was criticised for an appearance on a podcast in which he and the hosts mocked the ethnicity of rapper Ice Spice. His apology put the onus on those who’d taken offence – if they’d misconstrued his words, then he was sorry.

After so much negativity towards his behaviour, to the point that Taylor Swift fans demanded the singer break up with Healy when rumours circulated they were dating, you’d think Healy would take a break. But no, it seems that his need to be the controversial showman is burning brighter than ever.

On Friday, while The 1975 were headlining the first day of the Good Vibes Festival, Healy greeted the crowds by telling them he’d made a “mistake” by agreeing to the event. “I don’t see the *******ing point, right,” Healy continued, “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”


In Malaysia, homosexuality is still illegal, and is punishable by caning, fines, and incarceration. Consequently, public displays of LGBT+ support are dealt with swiftly, with the rights of the queer community non-existent.

To onlookers without any first-hand experience of homophobia or transphobia, Healy’s actions could be seen as activism – he’s trying to address the intolerance that keeps marginalised communities in the shadows. But that’s far too simple an analysis of what, for me, is clearly performative activism at best.

This is a straight, white, cisgendered man speaking out about experiences from a privileged position, and then able to leave before the aftermath touches him. Healy was able to make his public display, then jump on a plane and fly out of there, with no other apparent repercussions than the stern backlash of social media.

Yet, for the LGBT+ people of Malaysia, they’re left to face the tangible political fallout that places them, once again, in danger. Malaysian drag queen, Carmen Rose, summarised Healy’s actions perfectly when she spoke with the BBC World Service: “If he was doing it for our community, he would know what consequences we would have to go through.”

Malaysian State Elections are just around the corner, taking place in August, thus Healy’s bravado comes at a time when good intentions can have a damning impact, serving as further ammunition for policymakers.

To add further insult to injury, this isn’t the first time Healy has taken such action in an anti-LGBT+ nation. In 2019, while performing in the United Arab Emirates’ city of Dubai, Healy kissed a male fan, prompting criticism that he could have endangered the fan’s safety.

Back in 2018, The 1975 helped finance a London LGBT+ community centre because “stigma still exists even in London and we still have some way to go”, making what was reported to be a significant donation.

To me, being able to actively campaign on one hand, yet also risk endangering the lives of those you’re campaigning for, speaks of the ignorance Healy operates under. Perhaps characters like Healy are able to compartmentalise, essentially separating their damaging actions from the harm inflicted because they believe they’re saving others less fortunate by doing occasional charity work. It’s the epitome of a white-saviour complex.

Since leaving Malaysia, Healy has poked fun at the festival’s cancellation, asking how he could be expected not to kiss MacDonald, seemingly hinting that his bassist is too attractive to resist. And still, Healy doesn’t acknowledge the damage he’s done. Not even when The 1975 announced the cancellation of its Jakarta and Taipei shows due to “current circumstances” – circumstances Healy created – has he accepted any responsibility. Healy’s ignorance would be awe-inspiring if it wasn’t so dangerous to those left behind.

The Independent