The 1975 sued for £1.9 million over Malaysia Good Vibes Festival performance

The 1975 are facing a £1.9 million lawsuit from the organisers of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival following their controversial performance at the event last July, according to reporting from Variety. Future Sound Asia, the festival’s organisers, have filed court documents in the U.K. High Court against the band and its individual members, including frontman Matty Healy.

The lawsuit stems from the band’s performance at the 2023 festival, following which the the festival was shut down. The performance was considered by many at the time to represent a protest against the countries anti-LGBTQ+ laws. According to the court documents, the band were aware of numerous prohibitions they had to follow in order to perform, including bans on swearing, smoking, drinking on stage, taking off clothes, and discussing politics or religion.

The Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) had also issued guidelines prohibiting “kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves.” The band, who were paid $350,000 for their performance, had allegedly agreed to these terms before performing.

The lawsuit alleges that the night before the festival, the 1975 decided during their performance to “act in way that were intended to breach the Guidelines.” This included Healy making a “provocative speech” and engaging in a “long pretend passionate embrace” with bassist Ross MacDonald.

Following the performance, which allegedly included Healy drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and delivering a “profanity-laden speech,” PUSPAL officers ordered the band to stop. The lawsuit claims Healy became “very aggressive” towards the officers and had to be restrained by his managers.

The festival’s license was subsequently revoked, leading to the cancellation of the remaining two days of the event. The band and their management reportedly left the country quickly the following morning.

Healy has since claimed he was “briefly imprisoned” by Malaysian authorities following the incident. The 1975 have not yet filed a defence to the lawsuit, and a representative for the band declined to comment.