The 1975 Cancels Its Shows In Jakarta And Taipei After Band’s Same-Sex Kiss Controversy In Malaysia

Indonesia’s JAKARTA — The 1975’s Following the Malaysian government’s decision to halt a music festival after the band’s lead singer attacked the nation’s anti-gay legislation and kissed a male bandmate during their performance, the British pop rock band 1975 announced on Sunday that it was postponing its performances in Jakarta and Taipei.

As part of its 2023 Asia tour, 1975 was due to perform in Jakarta at We The Fest, Indonesia’s largest summer music event.

The 1975 released a statement on Sunday that was shared on We The Fest’s social media channels. “The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the band announced. They said it was not taken lightly, “but unfortunately due to the current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the current shows.”

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, does not forbid LGBTQ rights outside of the traditional Aceh province.

As part of its 2023 Asia tour, 1975 was due to perform in Jakarta at We The Fest, Indonesia’s largest summer music event.

Before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald, lead singer Matt Healey of 1975 used foul language in his speech to criticize the government’s stance against homosexuality. Social media users released a video of the incident, which led to a reaction in Malaysia, which has a majority Muslim population.

Matty Healy’s behavior was criticized late Friday by Malaysia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil, who also claimed in a Facebook post that homosexuality is a felony there and is subject to up to 20 years in prison and caning.

Healy had previously stood on stage to support homosexual and lesbian rights. He reportedly kissed a male fan at a concert in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, a country that forbids homosexual behavior.

SOURCE – (AP)