Organizers of the Malaysian music festival are seeking 12.3 million ringgit ($2.7 million) in damages from British band The 1975. lead singer protests The company’s lawyers said on Friday that the country’s anti-gay laws prompted authorities to close the festival.
FSA lawyer David Dinesh Mathew said Future Sound Asia sent a letter to the band on Monday seeking damages for breach of contract.
At the July 21 show, Matty Healy criticized the Malaysian government’s stance against homosexuality, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald during his opening act at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Video of the performance was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in the Muslim-dominated country.
Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and caning.
The government lashed out at Healy’s actions, blacklisting the band from the country and cutting short the three-day festival. Some in the LGBTQ+ community also criticized the band on social media, saying Healey disrupted the work of activists pushing for change and endangered the community.
Matthew said in the letter that the band had made a written commitment before the performance that it would abide by all local guidelines and regulations. Instead, Healy’s “use of abusive language, damage to equipment and indecent stage conduct” caused financial damage to the FSA.
“Unfortunately, this assurance was ignored,” Matthew said in a written statement to The Associated Press on Friday. “Their actions have an impact on local artists and small businesses who depend on festivals for creative opportunities and livelihoods.”
Therefore, he said, the FSA required The 1975 to admit its responsibility and pay RM12.3 million in compensation for the damages caused.
On its website, the FSA said it was fulfilling all refund requests.
If the band fails to respond by Monday, a week after the letter of legal claim, the FSA will take legal action in an English court, the lawyer said.
band Canceled shows in Taiwan and Jakarta, IndonesiaAfter a crushing defeat in the Malaysian capital. This isn’t the first time Healy has made such a provocative performance on stage in the name of LGBTQ+ rights: In 2019, he kissed a male fan at a concert in the United Arab Emirates, a country that bans gays sexual behavior.
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