Back in July 2023, British rock band The 1975 caused an uproar after its lead singer Matt Healy berated the Malaysian government for its anti-LGBTQ laws before kissing the bassist at the Good Vibes Festival (GVF).
Following that, the festival was abruptly cancelled, resulting in massive losses for the organiser Future Sounds Asia (FSA) and hundreds of vendors and performers who participated in the event.
A lawsuit was also filed against the band for breach of contract, where the organiser claimed a loss of £1.9 million (RM10.5 million) was incurred due to the kissing stunt.
Band agreed to rules before GVF
According to FSA’s attorney Andrew Burns, he said the government initially refused to let the band perform in Malaysia due to Healy’s past with drug addiction, reported NST.
After the band promised that they would follow the rules and regulations, only then were they allowed to perform at GVF.
Burns added The 1975 had performed at the same festival back in 2016, where they agreed to stay away from swearing, smoking, drinking, removing their clothes, or discussing religion and politics while on stage.
Court rules The 1975 not responsible for losses
Not long after the lawsuit was filed, The 1975’s lawyer, Edmund Cullen, called it an “illegitimate, artificial, and incoherent” attempt to hold the band members responsible, given the fact that FSA had a contract only with their company The 1975 Productions LLP.
And it seems the judge agrees with the argument too, with Judge William Hansen calling the lawsuit “bad as a matter of law”, adding there was “no good reason” for the case to proceed to trial.
However, he allowed the lawsuit against The 1975’s company to proceed and ordered FSA to pay £100,000 (RM557,224) in legal costs.
What do you think of the ruling? Share with us in the comments!
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