The organiser of the Good Vibes Festival, Future Sound Asia (FSA) has filed a lawsuit against the British pop rock band The 1975 and all its members individually in the United Kingdom (UK) High Court following the controversy sparked by its vocalist, Matty Healy, last year.
As reported by Variety, FSA is seeking RM11.25 million in compensation after the festival was forced to shut down following Healy’s stunt despite the band being fully aware of the regulations concerning live performances in Malaysia.
They also stated that the band had agreed to all regulations which included bans on kissing, kissing members of the audience, or carrying out such actions among themselves. It was reported that the band had been paid more than RM1.6 million for their participation in the festival.
The festival was supposed to take place between 21 to 23 July last year at the Sepang International Circuit, but was forced to be cancelled after Healy criticised Malaysia’s laws regarding the LGBTQ community, subsequently kissing a male member of his band on stage.
Healy was also seen performing while holding a bottle of alcohol, spat at the audience and damaged a drone that was supposed to be recording the performance.
Last year, the band received a seven-day notice of compensation amounting to RM12.2 million for breach of contract after the Malaysian government canceled the festival. The complaint stated that the group in question was charged with violating the guidelines set by the Committee for Applications for Film Shoots and Performances by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL).
PUSPAL initially rejected The 1975’s performance application following previous articles about Healy’s drug addiction, but approved it after the group promised to comply with all local guidelines and regulations.
