UPDATE 7/22 at 11:17 a.m. — The Good Vibes Festival confirmed on Saturday, July 22, that the remainder of the concert had been canceled “following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy.”
The festival noted in an Instagram statement that the decision adheres to “the immediate cancelation directive issued by the Ministry of Communications and Digital,” which clarified its “unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian law.”
Original story below:
Matty Healy allegedly got his band, The 1975, booted from a festival after taking a stand against the Malaysian government mid-show.
“Alright, we got to go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur,” Healy, 34, told concertgoers at the Good Vibes Festival on Friday, July 21, via a fan video shared on social media. “See ya later.”
The 1975 proceeded to grab their instruments and leave the stage after seemingly being kicked out of the venue. The sudden end to their set came moments after Healy went on a rant about the Malaysian government’s discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m f—king furious,” Healy told the crowd per Far Out magazine. “That’s not fair on you because you aren’t representative of your government. It’s f—king ridiculous to tell people what they can do.”
The musician revealed that the band almost backed out of the festival over its disagreement with the politics in Malaysia. “I pulled the show yesterday, and we had a conversation, and we said, ‘We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government,’” Healy explained.
He continued to slam the country’s leaders, saying, “If you wanna bring me here, then f—k off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Healy capped off his speech by sharing a passionate kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald, which received a loud cheer from the crowd. The…
Read the full article here
