Current:Home > MyThe 1975 faces $2.7M demand by music festival organizer after same-sex kiss controversy-InfoLens
The 1975 faces $2.7M demand by music festival organizer after same-sex kiss controversy
View Date:2024-12-23 16:50:35
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — 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 the country's anti-gay laws prompted authorities to shut down the festival, the company's lawyer said Friday.
Future Sound Asia sent a letter to the band on Monday demanding compensation over a breach of contract, said FSA lawyer David Dinesh Mathew.
During the July 21 performance, Matty Healy used profanities in his speech criticizing the Malaysian government's stance against homosexuality, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald during the opening show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Footage of the performance was posted on social media and sparked backlash in the predominantly Muslim country.
In Malaysia, homosexuality is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and caning.
The government slammed Healy's conduct, blacklist the band from the country and cut short the three-day festival. Some in the LGBTQ+ community also took to social media to criticize the band, saying Healy had disrupted the work of activists pushing for change and also endangered the community.
In the letter, Mathew said the band had given a written pledge before the show that it would adhere to all local guidelines and regulations. Instead, Healy's "use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour" caused financial losses to FSA.
"Unfortunately, the assurance was ignored," Mathew said Friday in a written statement to The Associated Press. "Their actions have had repercussions on local artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihoods."
As such, he said FSA demanded that The 1975 acknowledge their liability and pay 12.3 million ringgit in compensation for damages incurred.
On its website, FSA said it is in the midst of accommodating all refund requests.
The lawyer said FSA will take legal action in the courts of England if the band fails to respond by Monday, a week after the legal letter of claim was sent.
The band canceled its shows in Taiwan and Jakarta, Indonesia, after the fiasco in the Malaysian capital. It wasn't the first such provocative onstage display by Healy in the name of LGBTQ+ rights: In 2019, he kissed a male fan during a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which outlaws same-sex sexual activity.
Background:The 1975 cancels Asian concerts after singer Matty Healy's same-sex kiss controversy in Malaysia
More:Matty Healy, Morgan Wallen and when your favorite artist shares racist, hateful views
veryGood! (35658)
Related
- Jessica Simpson’s Sister Ashlee Simpson Addresses Eric Johnson Breakup Speculation
- What are seed oils? What you need to know about the food group deemed the 'hateful eight'
- Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's 24 years ago. Now it's exiting the ice cream business.
- Man falls to his death from hot-air balloon in Australia, leaving pilot and passengers traumatized
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- Bill and Lisa Ford to raise $10M for Detroit youth nonprofit endowments
- As electric vehicle sales slow, US relaxes plans for stricter auto emissions standards for a while
- March Madness expert picks: Our bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA women's tournament
- Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
- Judges limit North Carolina child support law requirement in IVF case involving same-sex couple
Ranking
- Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
- FTC to send nearly $100 million in refunds to customers of Benefytt's fake health plans
- Lollapalooza lineup 2024: SZA, Blink-182, The Killers among headliners
- Kenny Pickett sees Eagles trade as 'reset,' 'confident' in leaving Steelers on good terms
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- Watch Orlando Bloom Push Himself to the Limit in Thrilling To The Edge Trailer
- Paris Olympics lifts intimacy ban for athletes and is stocking up on 300,000 condoms
- March Madness expert picks: Our bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA men's tournament
Recommendation
-
'This dude is cool': 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge brings realism to literary detective
-
Boeing's woes could mean higher airfares for U.S. travelers
-
Hope for Israel-Hamas war truce tempered by growing rift between Netanyahu and his U.S. and European allies
-
University of Maryland lifts Greek life ban, hazing investigation into five chapters continues
-
Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney dies in car accident
-
Free Rita's: Get complimentary Italian ice in honor of the first day of spring 2024
-
Princess Kate's photograph of Queen Elizabeth flagged as 'digitally enhanced' by Getty
-
Sports Illustrated to live on, now with new publisher in tow