The 1975 is facing a lawsuit this week after the band's singer, Matty Healy, kissed a band member on stage.
On Friday, The Associated Press reported that Future Sound Asia, the organizer of the Good Vibes Festival in Malaysia, filed a lawsuit against the band after the festival was shutdown last year following Healy's kiss, which prompted protests among the crowd.
During the festival, Healy kissed the band's bassist Ross MacDonald on stage and criticized Malaysia's laws against homosexuality. The Associated Press reported that Healy's criticism was filled with profanities.
"Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and caning," The Associated Press reports.
The lawsuit from Future Sound Asia was filed in London on July 23, and the organization accused The 1975 of a breach of contract, seeking 1.9 million pounds, or $2.5 million.
The 1975 was paid $350,000 for a one-hour performance at the festival but Future Sound Asia said that Healy's conduct on stage was a "clear and deliberate breach," of the contract they had agreed upon.
According to The Associated Press, Future Sound Asia said in its lawsuit that they previously had The 1975 perform at a festival in 2016 and band members were notified of festival policies, which included no cursing, smoking, drinking alcohol or "indecent action such as kissing."
The Future Sound Asia lawsuit also stated that law enforcement officials in Malaysia initially did not want the band to perform citing reports of Healy's battle with drug addiction. However, the band agreed to the festival's policies and were eventually allowed to perform.
After Healy kissed MacDonald on stage, many in the crowd began to protest, resulting in the festival being shut down. Afterwards, the Malaysian government heavily criticized the band, canceling the three-day Good Vibes festival and even "blacklisted" the band from the country.
Newsweek reached out to Future Sound Asia via email for comment. Newsweek also reached out to reps for The 1975 via email for comment.
Healy has been in the news lately in connection to Taylor Swift, as the two previously dated for a short stint in May 2023.
In June, a friend close to Healy spoke to US Weekly following fan theories that many songs on Swift's The Tortured Poets Department album were about The 1975 singer. Many songs on the 31-song record—including the titular track, "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," "Guilty as Sin?" and more—are heavily theorized to be about her romance with Healy, 35. (Prior to their May 2023 relationship, the artists were previously romantically linked in 2014.)
"He loves the attention it's brought to him, [but] he also thinks it's hilarious because at no time [were they] ever serious," the friend told US Weekly.
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