The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas shares his thoughts on The 1975’s Malaysia LGBTQ controversy

The 1975 is being sued.

Thania Garcia The organizer of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival is seeking over $2 million in damages from the 1975 after frontman Matty Healy’s on-stage protest against the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws resulted in authorities canceling the event. The shutdown resulted in numerous bands and small businesses on the bill — including local artists and global acts such as the Strokes — kicked to the curb. A legal counsel for Future Sound Asia, the agency behind Good Vibes Festival, issued a letter addressing a “breach of contract” on behalf of the 1975 that requests the band provide compensation for the agency’s losses after the cancellation of the annual, three-day event.

The organizer of a Malaysian music festival is seeking 12.3 million ringgit ($2.7 million) in losses from British band The 1975, after its lead singer’s onstage protest of of the country’s anti-gay laws prompted authorities to shut down the festival, the company’s lawyer said Friday.

Future Sound Asia, organizer of the Good Vibes festival, has asked The 1975 to pay £2 million ($2.5 million USD) to its organizers, Rolling Stone reports. The Malaysian event was canceled after The 1975's performance, which was cut short after frontman Matty Healy blasted the country's anti-LGBTQ laws and kissed bass player Ross McDonald.

The 1975 have been ordered to pay a Malaysian festival organiser over £2million in damages within seven days or face legal action in the UK.Future Sound Asia (FSA), the organiser of Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival (GVF), has confirmed that it has issued a seven-day Letter of Claim to the UK band requesting for RM12.3million (£2,099,154.54) in damages following the cancellation of the festival last month.The Letter of Claim was previously announced on August 7, though further details were unknown at the time.In a new statement to the Malay Mail, the festival’s organiser’s legal counsel David Mathew from Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership said that the seven-day notice is dated August 7, meaning the band have until August 14 to pay the damages before legal action is taken against them.“In the letter, FSA has demanded that The 1975 admit their liability and also pay the sum of £2,099,154.54 (RM12,347,967.91) within seven (7) days,” David Mathew told Malay Mail. “The Letter of Claim is written in accordance with the provisions of the English Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct and Protocol which are part of the English Civil Procedure Rules.”According to Mathew, a large component of FSA’s Letter of Claim is attributed towards frontman Matty Healy’s breach of contract.

Matty Healy has revealed that he thought he might be sent to prison after sharing an onstage kiss with bandmate Ross MacDonald during a gig in Malaysia, where homosexuality is illegal. The kiss occurred during the Good Vibes Festival, when during The 1975's set, Matty announced: "I don’t see the f**king point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.

Future Sounds Asia, the organizers of the Good Vibes music festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are preparing to take legal action against the 1975, Rolling Stone reports. During their set last month, Matty Healy called out the country's discriminatory anti-LGBTQ+ laws and kissed bassist Ross McDonald.

The 1975‘s Matty Healy has addressed the band’s ongoing controversies in Malaysia after they were banned from the country last month.While performing in Hawaii on August 6, Healy addressed the crowd before the band dove into ’28’. “All I’ll say is that I don’t give a fuck about any white saviour complex bullshit.

The 1975, following the band using their set to criticise Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws.The moment took place during the band’s headlining set on July 21 – the first day of the three-day festival – when frontman Matty Healy, drinking on stage, smashed a festival-operated drone and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald in front of the crowd.The set was cut short and the next day, the remainder of the three-day festival was later cancelled by the authorities and both Healy and the band were banned from performing in the country.Now, it has been confirmed that the organisers behind the festival – Future Sound Asia – are pursuing legal action against them, and have sent a Letter Of Claim to the British indie band.According to the press release, the claim demands that The 1975 acknowledge their liability and compensate Future Sound Asia (FSA) for the damages incurred. It also states that if the band fail to do so, the organisers will pursue legal proceedings in the Courts of England.“FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the Band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF2023,” it reads.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy seemed to poke fun at the band’s current Malaysian controversy during their headlining set at Lollapalooza 2023.During the intro to their song, ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You’, the band have a gag where Healy goes to say something controversial and then the band cut him off with the beginning riff of the song.While performing the song during their set at this year’s edition of the music festival, Healy said: “You want my travel tip? Don’t go to…” before getting cut off by the start of the track.A post shared by Rolling Stone (@rollingstone)Last month, while performing at Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Healy criticised the Malaysian government and its anti-LGBTQ laws onstage and then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald during their headlining set. The set was cut short and the next day, the remainder of the three-day festival was ordered cancelled by the authorities and the band was banned from performing in the country.The band are potentially facing a class action lawsuit which is being readied by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip.

The Strokes played ‘Fear Of Sleep’ live for the first time at a recent show – check out the footage below.The New York indie band delivered a career-spanning, 17-track set at the Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata Prefecture, Japan last week (July 28).“Here’s a song that we probably last played in Japan 29 years ago,” joked frontman Julian Casablancas early on in the gig. “Kidding… not that long ago.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has joined American filmmaker Caveh Zahedi in his latest episode of Getting Stoned With… – Watch the full episode below.Getting Stoned With… sees Zahedi and Healy light up and discuss their respective approaches to art, spirituality, drugs, what it feels like to be in a band, as well as the navigation of both art and personal relationships.A clip that was used to promote the newest episode with the controversial frontman on social media features a funny interaction between Healy and Zahedi in which the singer learns who the Mountain Goats are while high.A post shared by Caveh Zahedi (@caveh.zahedi)“Have you read John Darnielle’s novels?” Zahedi asked. Healy responded by shaking his head no with the filmmaker saying: “The guy from the Mountain Goats … You don’t know the Mountain Goats?”“I’ve never heard them.

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week, including the debate surrounding comments made by The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy on stage in Malaysia regarding the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and the latest developments in the battle over who will run the Leadmill music venue in Sheffield.

Muse are still set to perform in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this weekend despite the cancellation of the country’s Good Vibes Festival recently over controversies relating to The 1975.Last Friday (July 21), while headlining day one of Good Vibes, The 1975’s Matty Healy had criticised the country’s government for anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Healy – who was drinking onstage – also smashed a festival-owned drone and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage, before announcing just seven songs into their set that they had been banned from Malaysia and had to leave.The following day (July 22), the country’s communications minister announced that he had ordered the rest of the festival cancelled.Now, concert promoter Hello Universe has confirmed that Muse’s concert will go ahead as planned, sharing set times on social media, as well as queueing details.

The 1975 over the cancellation of Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian artists and festival vendors.The British band’s frontman Matty Healy criticised the Malaysian government and its anti-LGBTQ laws onstage and then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald during their headlining set at Good Vibes last Friday (July 21), which was afterwards cut short. The next day, the remainder of the three-day festival was ordered cancelled by the authorities and the band banned from performing in the country.

The 1975 have axed the remaining dates on their Asian tour following a performance in Malaysia in which frontman Matty Healy protested anti-LGBTQ laws in the country, leading to their set being cut short by organizers. The band's performance at Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes festival on Friday, July 21, was brought to an abrupt end after Healy spoke about his conflicted feelings while on stage in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal and those convicted can be imprisoned.

The 1975 have cancelled shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after being banned from Malaysia following a performance there on Friday.While headlining the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, frontman Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. As a result, not only was the band’s set cut short but the Malaysian government also cancelled the remainder of the festival.The event’s promoters said in a statement on Saturday: “We deeply regret to announce that the remaining schedule of Good Vibes Festival 2023, planned for today and tomorrow, has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975”.“This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20pm, 22 Jul 2023, by the Ministry Of Communications And Digital”, it went on.

The 1975 have cancelled two tour dates in Asia after a Malaysian music festival was axed over pro-LGBT+ comments made by the band’s frontman Matty Healy.

Concertgoers in Malaysia have a lot of thoughts about Matty Healy right now!

The 1975 has cancelled upcoming shows in Taiwan and Indonesia after being officially “blacklisted” from Malaysia after frontman Matty Healy openly defied the country’s draconian anti-LGBTQ laws while headlining a musical festival in Kuala Lumpur.