Matty Healy feared he'd 'go to prison' as he addresses The 1975 bandmate kiss following Malaysia gig
The 1975 frontman Matty Healy sparked anger in Malaysia after kissing a bandmate
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The 1975 and Matty Healy hit headlines last month when the singer kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald on-stage at the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia.
The group were signalling their support for the LGBTQ+ community in the country where homosexuality is a criminal offence and punishable by law.
Healy has now addressed the kiss during one of the band's latest gigs in Hawaii, USA.
Before the group delved into 28 during their August 6 gig, he told crowds: "All I’ll say is that I don’t give a f**k about any white saviour complex bulls**t.
"What I’ll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward.
"And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that’s when you get all the rewards."
Matty Healy and the rest of the band are banned from Malaysia
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Admitting he was ready to face criminal charges for the display, he said: "And me and Ross nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f**s."
Healy kissed MacDonald after issuing a foul-mouthed tirade against the country and its laws on sexuality.
He said: "I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it.
"I don’t see the f**king point, right, I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.
"I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your f**king government, but your government are a bunch of f**king r*****s and I don’t care anymore.
"If you push, I am going to push back. I am not in the f**king mood, I’m not in the f**king mood," he concluded before locking lips with the band's bassist.
The band's set was cut short just two songs later, The 1975 were asked to leave the country and organisers cancelled the entire festival - which still had two days remaining - afterwards.
Healy's actions not only landed him in hot water with the Malaysian government but with LGBTQ+ groups within the country.
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The 1975 frontman feared he'd be 'going to prison'
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Many felt by hitting out in such a way would make it harder for them to exist in the county without fear of persecution.
This week it was also confirmed by Future Sound Asia – the organiser of Good Vibes in Malaysia – that they are pursuing legal action against the band.
A Letter of Claim has been sent to the group and in a press release [via NME], it demands that "The 1975 acknowledge their liability and compensate Future Sound Asia (FSA) for the damages incurred".
It reportedly also makes clear that if the band fail to comply, legal proceedings in the Courts of England will be pursued.
A press release states: "FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the Band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF2023.
"In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour not only flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival."
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