Future Sound Asia (FSA), who spearheads Kuala Lumpur’s famed Good Vibes Festival (GVF), has thrown down the gauntlet, handing The 1975 a seven-day Letter of Claim demanding a whopping RM12.3million (roughly £2,099,154.54) following the festival’s abrupt cancellation last month.
This bold move was teased on 7 August, but the plot has thickened since.
In a fresh update via the Malay Mail, lawyer David Mathew of Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership, representing the festival, explained the legal action: “In the letter, FSA has demanded that The 1975 admit their liability and also pay the sum of £2,099,154.54 (RM12,347,967.91) within seven (7) days.
“The Letter of Claim is written in accordance with the provisions of the English Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct and Protocol which are part of the English Civil Procedure Rules.”
Photo: Mauricio Santana
The main issue? Frontman Matty Healy’s ‘breach of contract’. Mathew told the Malay Mail, “Healy’s representative categorically provided a pre-show written assurance that he and The 1975’s live performance ‘shall adhere to all local guidelines and regulations’ during their set in Malaysia.” As it turns out, promises were broken, contracts allegedly breached, and the festival was cancelled, causing FSA’s coffers to take a massive hit.
And if The 1975 don’t meet FSA’s steep demands? Expect to see them in a UK courtroom.
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If you’re unaware of what this is all about, here’s a recap: Healy, in his signature, brash style, tore into the Malaysian government’s anti-LGBTQ stance during their headlining set at Good Vibes Festival on 21 July. “I don’t see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy declared. Turning up the volume, he added, “I am not in the fucking mood, I’m not in the fucking mood.”
To top it off, Healy locked lips with bandmate Ross MacDonald. Two tracks later, the plug was pulled on their amps, and their setlist was cut tragically short. By the next morning, the Malaysian government announced it had axed the festival’s remaining days.
Malaysia’s LGBTQ+ community has also voiced concerns, hinting that Healy’s headline-making antics might have unintentionally darkened the clouds over them.
While performing in Hawaii this week, Healy took to the mic to offer his two cents: “Doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice… And me and Ross [MacDonald] nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f*gs,” Healy admitted to the crowd.
Seven days, Mr Healy. The clock is ticking.
