PETALING JAYA, July 31 — The organisers of Good Vibes Festival (GVF) have filed a lawsuit against English band The 1975 and all its members individually following frontman Matty Healy's expletive-riddled tirade against Malaysia’s anti-LGBT laws, followed by an onstage kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald that led to the event being shut down.
Court documents filed by organisers Future Sound Asia (FSA) in the UK High Court claim that The 1975 and their management were aware of the numerous prohibitions the band had to abide by in order to perform.
They pointed out the band had previously performed at the festival in 2016 and were and reminded multiple times again ahead of the controversial performance in July last year.
The festival is seeking £1.9 million (RM11.26 million) after the band’s antics resulted in the festival being shut down, reported Variety.
The lawsuit stated that PUSPAL initially rejected the band’s application to perform due to a 2018 article about Matty Healy’s drug addiction and subsequent recovery, application was later granted after the band appealed, promising Healy would adhere to “all local guidelines and regulations.”
It also stated that the night before the festival, The 1975 decided they “should not perform at the music festival” and discussed what action to take before changing their mind and agreeing to go ahead with the performance.
Reportedly in protest, they decided to play “a completely different setlist” and “act in way that were intended to breach the Guidelines” including Healy making a “provocative speech” and taking part in a “long pretend passionate embrace” between Healy and bassist Ross MacDonald “with the intention of causing offence and breaching the regulations and the terms of the agreement”.
The band also planned to smuggle a bottle of wine onto the stage next to the main drum kit so Healy “could have easy access.”
FSA's suit accuses Healy of drinking alcohol, acting “in a drunken way,” smoking cigarettes “appear[ing] to vomit on the stage and/or grunt and spit excessively including towards the audience,” delivering a “profanity-laden speech” and deliberatively damaging a video drone hired by the organisers.
When PUSPAL officers ordered the band to stop their performance, Healy was “very aggressive” towards them, the lawsuit alleges, “swearing at them and others” to the point that he had to be restrained by his managers.
Immediately after leaving the festival, the band and its management were said to have “rushed to their hotels” to collect their luggage so they could leave the country the first thing the following morning as quickly as possible as they were aware the performance had breached Malaysian law.
Healy has since claimed he was “briefly imprisoned” by Malaysian authorities following his on-stage protest.
The band have not yet filed a defence to the lawsuit. Variety also reported that a rep for the 1975 declined to comment.
