By now, most Malaysians would know what the band did and the really bad vibes it created. But here’s a quick recap for those who are still in the dark: The 10th anniversary edition of the three-day music festival in Sepang International Circuit started on July 21 and The 1975 was the closing act on the first night.
After they performed their fifth song, frontman Matt Healy uttered profanities and insults against the government’s LGBT laws. He then mouth-to-mouth kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. Their show came to an abrupt halt.
The incident of course went viral, and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil quickly called up the festival organiser, Future Sound Asia, and ordered the cancellation of the remaining festival.
Fahmi stated on his Instagram page: “There will be no compromise with any party that challenges, belittles, or violates Malaysian laws. Therefore, I have directed for the immediate cancellation of the festival, which was supposed to continue until tomorrow.”
Five days on, the dust still hasn’t settled because the incident has serious repercussions on how Malaysia is perceived as a venue for international concerts and performances. Frankly, the perception isn’t great.
The debate rages on as to who should be held responsible and punished. I lean on the side of those who believe Healy and MacDonald are the ones mostly responsible, followed by the organiser, Future Sound Asia (FSA).
The reason is obvious: the band members committed the offensive act, but I also feel the organiser must bear some blame for inviting them in the first place.
Like I said, I knew nothing of them until the incident, so I Googled them. Formed in 2002, they have chalked up an impressive record, having received several awards and nominations including four Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, two nominations for the Mercury Prize and Grammy Awards and were awarded “Band of the Decade” at the 2020 NME Awards, according to wikipedia.
But Google further and this August 2020 article pops up: “5 Times Matty Healy Acted As A Political Ally” with the sub-heading, “Healy unapologetically speaks up against suppressive laws and governments across the world to create a safe space for his fanbase”, on unitedbypop.com.
The article, written by Lauren Garrett, goes on to say: “Healy makes his opinions very clear, and one of the most popular beliefs he discusses on stage and in his music is his support towards the LGBTQ community.”
It adds that during the band’s Moscow 2019 show, a city where homophobia is very prominent, Healy introduced their song Loving Someone with a political speech: “Before we came here, everyone’s like ‘You can’t go play in Russia, Russia’s, like, really homophobic’.”
Garrett writes: “He continues by saying he knows the crowd are allies and aren’t a reflection of their government. He isn’t afraid to speak up on unpopular beliefs in the cities he travels to, which is why many fans are attracted to the band – they feel heard by someone who isn’t afraid to receive backlash.
“From Loving Someone live production to holding pride flags where homophobia is prominent, Healy carelessly stands up for those suppressed.”
Carelessly indeed. It’s all very well that Healy thinks he can say and do what he likes but doesn’t care how others have to face the consequences of his actions. That’s downright callous.
FSA obviously knew of Healy’s tendency to make political statements on stage but naively thought all would be well because the band’s management had promised they would obey performance guidelines.
One would think that Healy’s daring behaviour in Russia was a clear red flag. Perhaps FSA thought they scored a coup in bringing in this award-winning band. I am further inclined to think The 1975 knew of Malaysia’s conservative stand on LGBT rights, and deliberately came with the intention to “shame” the government in the name of speaking up for the oppressed minority, like the way they did in Moscow, and get away with it.
It’s not hard to assume Healy was antagonistic towards our government, considering the wide international publicity over the Home Ministry’s raids on Swatch shops and the confiscation of 164 watches from the Pride Collection on May 13 and 14 because they “bore LGBT connotations.”
As others have noted, Healy and Co will suffer little from this episode since they vamoosed right after their stunt and merely got blacklisted. But that’s not the case for the genuine victims of the band’s shenanigan. These are fans who travelled from afar for the festival and the many vendors who paid good money to take up places to sell food and merchandise. The fans may get ticket refunds but not the vendors who have since aired their grievances.
The way Fahmi responded to the grievances seems to indicate he might have had an “oops moment” since he then quickly said his ministry was looking for ways to help the food vendors who had lost two days’ worth of business.
Hmmm, help how? Food is perishable, so how will his ministry make good their losses? Find them another place to set up stalls? Reimburse them with taxpayers’ money?
With hindsight, Fahmi should have hauled up the organiser and charged them as provided by law but allowed the festival to continue. Why throw a sledgehammer that hurt everyone else except the real culprits?
Cancelling the festival reinforces the notion that Malaysia is a dicey place for international acts to perform. What if something like that happened during the recent Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak or the ongoing George Town Festival in Penang?
Perhaps these events are “safe” from federal interference since they are run by the state governments. Sabah cheekily invited FSA to hold the festival in the state next year.
We can only watch with frustration and disappointment at how many foreign acts coming to South-East Asia are bypassing us and choosing Bangkok, Manila and Singapore to perform in.
I may be a baby boomer with a conservative upbringing, typical of my generation, but I have come to accept the fact that the LGBT community exists and deserves rights and protection.
What I do not care for is the overwrought woke culture emanating from the West, and the increasingly aggressive tactics of the transgender rights movement.
But let’s face it, there are LGBT people in all segments of society. In some countries, there are leaders who are openly gay.
Even ultra-conservative nations like Saudi Arabia, long seen as one of the strictest places on earth, has been softening its image to attract foreign tourists and investors. International artists like Justin Bieber, BTS and Blackpink, which PAS objected to performing here, can hold concerts there.
In our multiracial society, some communities are more liberal than others, but as a whole we clearly share the same values of decency and decorum.
That’s what our government and leaders should remember and apply. Be measured and thoughtful, instead of being heavy-handed and reactionary. In our extensively and deeply connected world where a single shot can ricochet around the world, we don’t need to be mistaken for an Afghanistan wannabe, do we?
The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
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