The 1975 forced to stop Malaysia gig after Matty Healy kisses Ross McDonald and criticises country's LGBTQ+ laws

Popular pop band The 1975 were performing a set at a festival in Malaysia on Friday when it was brought to a grinding halt, after frontman Matty Healy took it upon himself to kiss a bandmate and criticise the country's LGBTQ+ laws.

Footage of the incident has gone viral on social media and shows Healy kiss bassist Ross McDonald after giving a foul-mouthed speech to the audience at Kuala Lumpur event Good Vibes. The 34-year-old took aim at the government and their stance and treatment of homosexuality.

In the build-up to the Malaysia set, it is reported that The 1975 were looking at cancelling but did not want to let their fans down.

This is not the first time The 1975 and Matty Healy have taken a stance against a country with anti-LGBTQ+ laws. The frontman was heavily criticised for kissing a man at a concert in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

Here is everything you need to know about what was said at The 1975's gig in Malaysia, as well as the country's LGBTQ+ rules explained.

What did Matty Healy say at the Malaysia show?

Talking on mic to the sold-out crowd, The 1975's frontman explained: "I made a mistake, when we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it. I don't see the f****ng point. of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.

"All right, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I'll see you later."

What has been said after The 1975's Malaysia performance was stopped?

The 1975 are yet to issue an official statement since their set at Malaysia's Good Vibes was stopped, but the festival has explained that the band's performance was stopped due to "non-compliance with local performance guidelines".

Malaysia's communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, took to Twitter to publicly criticise the performance, labelling it "very disrespectful" and that he is looking to engage local authorities and summon the festival organisers for an explanation.

What are Malaysia's LGBTQ+ laws?

As Malaysia is a Muslim country, there are no LGBTQ+ rights. Sodomy - which is the act of anal intercourse - is criminalised and these laws are strictly enforced by the government.

Extrajudicial murders of people from the LGBTQ+ community often take place in Malaysia, where no laws protect members against discrimination and hate crimes.

In a statement in 2015, the Human Rights Watch said: "Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people is pervasive in Malaysia", while according to the Global Right Trans Index in 2023, Malaysia is ranked as the second worse country in the world in regards to transgender rights after Guyana.