British pop rock band The 1975 announced yesterday t was canceling its shows in Jakarta and Taipei after the Malaysian government cut short a music festival in the wake of the band’s lead singer slamming the country’s anti-gay laws and kissing a male bandmate during their performance.
The 1975 was scheduled to have a performance at We The Fest, Indonesia’s annual summer music festival, in Jakarta last night, part of their 2023 Asia tour.
“The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the group said in a statement posted on We The Fest’s social media platforms yesterday.
They added that the decision was not made lightly “but unfortunately due to the current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the current shows.”
Matt Healey, the lead vocal of The 1975, used profanity in his speech criticizing the government’s stance against homosexuality, before kissing bass player Ross MacDonald. Footage of the incident was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in predominantly Muslim Malaysia.
