The British band The 1975 have cancelled planned shows in Taiwan and Indonesia, calling it “impossible to proceed” with the Asia tour dates a day after being banned from performing in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s government called the band “extremely rude” after frontman Matt Healy kissed a male bandmate on stage and criticised the country’s anti-LGBT+ laws, under which homosexual acts are illegal.
“Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows,” the pop-rock group said in a statement.
The 1975 were among the international headline acts at a three-day music festival in Kuala Lumpur, but their performance was cut short on Friday, and the entire festival was later cancelled.
A Malaysian government committee said that the band would never again be permitted to perform in the country, where homosexuality is a crime.
“I have called the organisers of Good Vibes Festival 2023, which is Future Sound Asia, following the very rude actions and statements displayed by UK artist ‘The 1975’ in Sepang last night,” Malaysia’s communications minister Fahmi Fadzil tweeted on Saturday.
Screengrab of the moment Matt Healy kissed a male bandmate during the concert in Malaysia— (Instagram)
The band has now announced that they will cancel their performance at the We the Fest event in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, as well as a show in Taiwan.
“The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the band said on Sunday in a statement on the We the Fest Instagram page.
“The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but, unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows,” it said.
Friday’s events sparked an uproar among Malaysians, including members of the country’s LGBT+ community, who said Healy’s actions could end up exposing them to more stigma in the Muslim-majority country.
Unlike in Malaysia where homosexuality is a crime, Indonesia’s national laws do not view it as a criminal offence, although local laws discriminate against LGBT+ individuals.
But there have been other LGBT+-related events cancelled in Indonesia in recent months due to objections from Islamic groups, such as a planned visit last December by a US LGBT+ special envoy.
It remains unclear why the band also cancelled their Taiwan show, as the island has a proud reputation as a bastion of LGBT+ rights and liberalism in east Asia.
