23 July 2023 , 08:00
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The 1975 have cancelled further concerts after the group were banned from performing in Malaysia over their on-stage protest against the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
About You musicians Matty Healy, Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann and George Daniel were performing on stage at Kuala Lumpur's Good Vibes Festival when Matty made an impassioned speech to slam the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws, one if which deems homosexuality as illegal.
Matty, 34, then went on to kiss his fellow bandmate Ross, also 34, before going on to play I Like America & America Likes Me. However, their set was soon cut short as Matty told festival-goers: "All right, we gotta go.
"We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I'll see you later."
The rest of the scheduled Good Vibes Festival was later cancelled.
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Following on from the protest, the group have now cancelled further concert dates.
"Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows," the British band said in a statement to Sky News.
Matty, who was recently romantically linked to Taylor Swift, and the group were due to perform at We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia this weekend.
Matty and Ross shared a kiss on stage at the Good Vibes Festival to protest Malaysia's anti-LGBTQ+ lawsWhile they were also scheduled to play at the Taipei Music Center in Taiwan on Tuesday July 25.
We The Fest announced the cancellation on their Twitter page in a post which read: "The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned. Please see the official statement from the band."
The festival then shared a statement from The 1975, which read: "The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned.
"The band never take the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows.
"Thank you for your understanding and continued support".
In August, the band are scheduled to perform in the United States of America and in the UK, where they are expected to appear at Reading and Leeds Festivals. It has not been confirmed if the US and UK dates will go ahead.
It comes after Matty's Loose Women star mum Denise Welch praised her son over the act of protest.
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She shared a video of the moment on her Twitter page and wrote: "He’s my son" followed by the rainbow emoji.
Denise also shared a cryptic quote which read: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Before the on-stage protest, Matty gave a speech as he told festival fans: "I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it.
"I don't see the f***** point... of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with."