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Future Sound Asia, the organisers behind Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival, is suing British band The 1975 for breach of contract and damages.
The band featured as a headliner at the event last year, which was cut short after frontman Matty Healy made an expletive-filled speech denouncing the country’s LGBT laws and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. Homosexual acts are illegal in Malaysia.
Future Sound Asia cancelled the remainder of the event following Healy’s antics. The company has previously threatened legal action, but is now seeking £1.9m (€2.3m/$2.4m) in compensation in the UK’s High Court over a violation of performance rules.
According to the BBC, festival organisers did not allow talking about politics and religion, swearing, smoking, or drinking alcohol on stage.
The court filing said the band and their management team were aware of the rules, as they had previously performed at the festival in 2016. Future Sound Asia said that the band were given a number of reminders of the rules ahead of their 2023 performance.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the band decided to “act in a way that was intended to breach guidelines”, noting Healy’s speech and “long pretend passionate embrace” with MacDonald.
Future Sound Asia also referenced the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes, which bans “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves”.
The BBC added that the band have been previously sued in a separate class action by a number of musicians and vendors that said they have suffered a loss of earning due to the cancellation of the rest of the festival.
This year’s Good Vibes Festival was cancelled out of respect for the Coronation Ceremony of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim on July 20 and 21.
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