2023 The 1975 Kuala Lumpur Incident
# 2023 The 1975 Kuala Lumpur Incident

On 22 July 2023, a performance by English pop rock band The 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was halted midway through due to the band's frontman Matty Healy kissing a fellow band member of the same sex onstage, and criticizing Malaysia's same sex laws. The set was halted by the Malaysian government to the disappointment of fans, and the anger of the band.

## Incident

On Friday, 22 July 2023, The 1975 were performing in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Good Vibes Festival in the city. During the set, the lead singer of the group Matty Healy, made a strongly worded speech against the condition of LGBTQ+ rights in the country, stating “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.”

Healy followed his speech by kissing fellow band member Ross MacDonald on stage. The band were then ordered off state by Malaysian officials. Healy briefly returned to the stage to say "All right, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later.”, before walking offstage altogether.

Following the incident, the band cancelled their upcoming performances in Taiwan and Indonesia. The organisers of the Good Vibes Festival then cancelled the remainder of the weekend altogether.

## Reactions

Within the Malaysian government, Minister for Communications Fahmi Fadzil called the bands performance "very disrespectful". He went on to tweet that he would engage with local authorities and the festival organisers for an explanation.

Denise Welch, mother of Healy, tweeted in support of her son, saying "He’s my son [rainbow]" in response to a video of Healy's speech.

