The 1975's Malaysian Set Cut Short after Matty Healy's Speech, Same-Sex Kiss

The 1975 cut their set short after Matty Healy made an impassioned speech about Malaysian gay rights and kissed a bandmate at Kuala Lumpur's Good Vibes festival.

"Alright, we got to go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur," Healy, 34, told concertgoers at the event on Friday, July 21, via a fan video shared on social media. "See ya later."

Healy told the audience that he considered canceling the show the day before after hearing of Malaysia's anti-gay laws.

"I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it. I don't see the fucking point... of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with. I'm sorry if that offends you, and you're religious... but your government are a bunch of fucking r––. I don't care anymore. If you push, I'm gonna push back. I'm not in the fucking mood."

But the band played because he didn't want to disappoint the audience.

"I pulled this show yesterday, and we had a conversation," Healy said. "We said, 'You know what? We can't let the kids down because they're not the government... If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can fuck off. I'll take your money, you can ban me, but I've done this before, and it doesn't feel good."

The British magazine Far Out reports that Healy then said he would gladly take the blame if the group were banned: "If you wanna bring me here, then fuck off. I'll take your money, you can ban me, but I've done this before, and it doesn't feel good."

At this point, Variety reports "The 1975 bassist Ross MacDonald then walked over to Healy and the two engaged in a prolonged kiss on the mouth, in protest to Malaysia's anti-gay legislation. Being LGBTQ in the country is illegal, with laws strictly enforced and queer people frequently subject to hate crimes."

Far Out writes that post-kiss "the band went through the next song, 'I Couldn't Be More In Love', before leaving the stage. Other songs on the setlist not performed that night included 'Robbers', 'Somebody Else' and 'I'm In Love With You'.

The band has yet to release a statement. But a source close to the band tells Variety, "Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community."

In 2019 Healy kissed "a male fan onstage in protest of the United Arab Emirates' legislative attacks against queer people. Being gay in the UAE can land residents up to 15 years in prison."

He wrote on Twitter: "I don't think we'll be allowed back [in the UAE] due to my 'behaviour' but know that I love you and I wouldn't have done anything differently given the chance again."

US Magazine added that Healy made headlines in May for his brief romance with Taylor Swift that came to an end the next month – got real about his past controversies during a London concert in July.