Malaysian celebrities recently took to social media to condemn the action of British band 1975 that led to their ban in Malaysia.
Composer Edry Abdul Halim, now living in the UK, posted about the said incident that occurred at the Good Vibes Festival that had since been cancelled because of the band vocalist’s Matt Healy’s shenanigans, writing, “What angers me is the lack of manners of a foreign band who got drunk and being disrespectful of the law. No respect to the culture and morals of Malaysians.”
“I hope that the organiser will research a band’s background before inviting them and see if they have a bad track record. Even here in the UK, people knew of their bad behaviour,” he added.
Sheila Majid, who is a staple of many music festivals, expressed, “1975, so many people have lost their income – from the organisers to the promoters, production crew, musicians, performers etc. due to your selfish and reckless act at the Good Vibes festival. Don’t you have any idea how much money is spent and how many months it takes to organise an event of this magnitude? Not to mention those who have bought tix to watch the other bands? Being famous does not give you the right to behave disrespectfully in public. Whatever your opinion or gender preference is, we are not interested to know. You were supposed to play music!”
Others took to the band’s Instagram account to express their frustrations, including Qi Razali, who wrote, “You have put shame to your country and the whole music scene. People listen to you not because of your ideology, but because of the music. Your opinion and lack of respect shows how immature and low you are.”
The Good Vibes Festival, which was originally set for three days, was cut short after a slew of rude behaviours by the band 1975, from destroying the festival’s drone, spitting and drinking on stage, insulting the Malaysian government, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald on stage. The band left the stage after their seventh song, claiming they “just got banned from Kuala Lumpur”.
(Photo Source: 1975 IG, Edry Abdul Halim IG)