In July of 2023, while The 1975 were performing at Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival, Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald on the mouth to protest the country’s severe anti-LGBTQ laws. The organizers of the festival, Future Sound Asia, has now filed a lawsuit against the 1975 and all its individual members, seeking £1.9 million ($2.4 million) in damages since the band’s actions resulted in the entire festival shutting down. Court documents claim that the 1975 and their management team were aware of the prohibitions the band had to abide by in order to perform, including swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes, and talking about politics or religion.
Further guidelines included a ban on “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves.” The band agreed to abide by these rules in order to play at the festival, and were paid $350,000 to perform. The 1975 have not filed a defense to the lawsuit, and a representative for the group declined to comment. (Variety)
