PUBLISHED ONJuly 24, 2023 3:56 AMByDrima ChakrabortyIt was supposed to be a joyous weekend for music fans in Malaysia, but the cancellation of The Good Vibes Festival after day one left many heartbroken.
The 1975's lead singer Matty Healy went on a profanity-laden tirade on stage about Malaysia being a country that tells people "who we can have sex with" and shared a kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald on July 21.
Their set was cut short and organisers later announced that days two and three of the festival were a no-go.
"This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issues at 1.20pm, July 22, 2023, by the MInistry of Communications and Digital," they wrote on Instagram.
"The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws."
One artiste who was affected by the decision was Australian rapper The Kid Laroi, who was set to headline day two of The Good Vibes Festival.
"Touched down and found the festival is cancelled," the 19-year-old wrote on his Instagram Story, sharing a photo of him and his entourage looking forlorn at the airport.
"I love you Malaysia, I'm sorry."
Nevertheless, the young star took matters into his own hands on July 22.
He shared a group photo with fans at a Malaysian hotel on his Instagram Story, writing, "Met some new friends, what's up" before announcing: "Might sing some songs in the hotel bar, fk it."
Laroi performed at the bar of the hotel he was staying at, telling his small audience: "Two things before I start, I'm very drunk, number one.
"Ever since they cancelled the show, I had no other option but to go right to the bar. So here I am."
He added that he figured "since everything got cancelled and I'm here anyway, I may as well come and do a couple of songs".
"Thanks to the hotel for letting me do this," he said, before starting off his set with his song Thousand Miles.
#KidLaroi speaks about the canceled event #goodvibesfestival and decided to play a few songs for fans pic.twitter.com/62Yke7gj76
— misaki has DPRession 🌙💜 (@DPRBABY_) July 22, 2023
"Today went from receiving news that Good Vibes Festival is cancelled to Kid Laroi singing beside us," wrote a fan on TikTok, sharing a video of the rapper's performance.
"A literal 'wow' moment."
@strugirl a literal wow moment 😮 #thekidlaroi #goodvibes ♬ original sound - najlaa
During his rant, Matty told festival-goers that he had "made a mistake" booking a show in Malaysia and had considered cancelling, but decided against it to avoid disappointing fans.
"Unfortunately, you don't get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I'm f***ing furious," the British singer said. "And that's not fair on you, because you're not representative of your government. You are young people, and I'm sure a lot of you are gay and progressive."
Addressing the organisers, he added: "If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f*** off."
While Matty has only publicly dated women, he has previously stated that he would kiss "beautiful men" but doesn't want to "f*** them".
The 1975 has also cancelled upcoming shows in Indonesia and Taiwan.
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Many netizens did not take Matty's actions to be in support of the LGBTQ community, deeming them selfish instead.
"I think you suffer from a colonial hangover and disguise it as activism for the LGBTQ+ community," one comment on The 1975's latest Instagram post read.
"You agreed to perform at a concert in Malaysia and somehow, you blame the organisers for inviting you? That is some British white dude privilege right there."
Others lambasted the 34-year-old for being drunk, disorderly and even kicking the festival drone during his set.
"None of that s*** was standing up for LGBT rights, you were just plain rude and unprofessional," another comment read. "People thinking that he fought for LGBT rights should grow up."
Even fellow musician Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, who were set to headline on July 23, took a dig at Matty and his fans on Instagram.
When a fan wrote that "Matty Healy did what was right" on a post, the 44-year-old responded: "Ninety-nine per cent you gotta be a British person."
The Strokes will perform in Singapore on Aug 2.
Malaysian singer Talitha Tan made a furious post on Instagram, accusing The 1975 of "reckless ignorance, selfishness and the inability to adjust or respect different cultures", which she deemed was "white saviour complex".
She added that The Good Vibes Festival would have been her first performance after her mother's death, and was irate that the set she would have dedicated to her late mum was now cancelled.
"Mummy, I am so, so sorry," she wrote, before telling The 1975: "And now you can go back to your country thinking you did an 'amazing' thing for Malaysia's 'young people'."
She added in an Instagram Story: "Matty Healy, you've been a disappointment."
Matty doubled down on his actions, writing in an Instagram Story: "Okay well, why don't you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years? Not as easy as it looks."
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drimac@asiaone.com
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