UPDATE 7/22 at 11:17 a.m. — The Good Vibes Festival confirmed on Saturday, July 22, that the remainder of the concert had been canceled “following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy.”
The festival noted in an Instagram statement that the decision adheres to “the immediate cancelation directive issued by the Ministry of Communications and Digital,” which clarified its “unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian law.”
Original story below:
Matty Healy allegedly got his band, The 1975, booted from a festival after taking a stand against the Malaysian government mid-show.
“Alright, we got to go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur,” Healy, 34, told concertgoers at the Good Vibes Festival on Friday, July 21, via a fan video shared on social media. “See ya later.”
The 1975 proceeded to grab their instruments and leave the stage after seemingly being kicked out of the venue. The sudden end to their set came moments after Healy went on a rant about the Malaysian government’s discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m f—king furious,” Healy told the crowd per Far Out magazine. “That’s not fair on you because you aren’t representative of your government. It’s f—king ridiculous to tell people what they can do.”
The musician revealed that the band almost backed out of the festival over its disagreement with the politics in Malaysia. “I pulled the show yesterday, and we had a conversation, and we said, ‘We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government,’” Healy explained.
He continued to slam the country’s leaders, saying, “If you wanna bring me here, then f—k off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Healy capped off his speech by sharing a passionate kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald, which received a loud cheer from the crowd. The group played one more track, “I Couldn’t Be More In Love,” before claiming they were no longer welcome at the event.
The Good Vibes Festival isn’t the only time Healy has turned heads with his comments. In February, Healy came under fire for mocking Ice Spice during an appearance on “The Adam Friedland Show.”
“I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you,” he said on stage later that month. “Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d—k. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.” (Ice Spice, 23, has not publicly commented on Healy’s statements.)
Healy — who also made headlines in May for his brief romance with Taylor Swift that came to an end the next month — got real about his past controversies during a London concert in July.
“I was always, like, trying stuff and some stuff I got right and some stuff I got wrong,” he said during the July 2 show, per Metro.co.uk. “But, do you know what? There’s a lot of things I’ve said, jokes that I’ve made, you know what, there’s probably a couple of f—king songs I’d take back if I had the chance.”
He confessed: “What I mean is that I really am only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good. That’s what my favorite art does and that’s what I’m trying to do. I get a bit excited. And, you know what, I’m f—king proud of myself.”
