In response to the actions of The 1975’s Matty Healy during their performance at the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia, the Malaysian government has implemented a new rule for future events. During the performance, the band’s bassist Russell MacDonald approached Healy before they kissed on stage in protest against Malaysia’s criminalisation of same-sex sexual activity and gender expression of trans people. This led to the cancellation of the festival and Healy’s on-stage rant about the country’s stance on LGBTQIA+ communities resulted in the government seeking ways of managing future events when it comes to hosting international artists.
To prevent future incidents like this, the Communications and Digital Ministry has stated that all organisers of events will need to create a “kill switch” that will cut off all power supply if any unwanted on-stage incidents are to occur again in the future. The Deputy Minister, Teo Nie Ching, hopes that with stricter guidelines, performances by foreign artists can adhere to the culture in Malaysia. The Royal Malaysian Police will also be aiding in background checks for all foreign artists.
Several departments will be supervising on-site during events featuring international acts such as the police force, immigration, and Central Agency for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) and other local authorities. The 1975 incident that happened some time ago still has ripple effects on the Malaysian events industry. Good Vibes Festival’s organisers, Future Sound Asia, are suing The 1975 for breaking their contract terms and are seeking around USD 2.5 million, which is still ongoing.
Matty Healy was seen addressing the incident in a 10-minute rant on stage during a recent event in Dallas. Mixmag Asia has reached out to events industry and LGBTQIA+ figures for further insight on the situation. The article mentions the lawsuit against The 1975 and ends with the author’s profile and a link to the original article
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