Malaysian concert organisers: Don't ban artistes just over 'previous notoriety'

KUALA LUMPUR — The president of the Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (ALIFE), a prominent group representing the Malaysia's concert organisers, has emphasised the need for the country not to ban artistes solely because of "previous notoriety" in the past.

Rizal Kamal made this statement in response to the recent incident at the Good Vibes Festival (GVF), where Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975, went on an unruly rant about the country's discrimination towards the LGBTQ community and engaged in a controversial on-stage kiss with his bandmate, Ross MacDonald.

Healy's actions resulted in the cancellation of the highly-anticipated three-day festival, which was making a comeback after being paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (27 July), Rizal said, "While it is true that certain British rock bands may have had previous notoriety, it is essential to recognise that such incidents should not hinder the opportunity of artistes to perform in Malaysia."

He highlighted that thousands of performers have graced Malaysia with no issues in the past, and ALIFE is committed to welcoming more artistes in the future.

Why The 1975 was invited to perform in Malaysia

In an effort to clarify the situation, ALIFE arranged a joint press conference with Future Sound Asia (FSA), the organisers of the Good Vibes Festival.

Wan Alman Ariffin, FSA's entertainment director, explained that The 1975 was invited to perform for a second time at the festival due to their huge fanbase in Malaysia.

Responding to concerns about vetting the band, considering previous problematic incidents on stage, Wan Alman stated that the band had played in numerous countries without any issues, including neighbouring Singapore, where they performed just two days before GVF.

He questioned the wisdom of immediately banning artistes for actions that occurred in other countries years ago, referring to a 2019 incident where Healy kissed a male fan while performing in Dubai.

“Do we really want to go down that path where we immediately ban artistes for something that they did in other countries a few years ago? Because if you do, then a lot of artistes won’t be able to perform,” he said.

Wan Alman also mentioned that the government agency responsible for granting permits to international artistes, Puspal, had conducted a thorough vetting process of The 1975 before approving their performance at GVF.

However, Pupsal had previously issued a statement, saying that the FSA had given their assurance that there will not be an issue with the 1975’s performance at the Sepang International Circuit.

Following the incident, the organisers also expressed disappointment with Healy's actions, and mentioned the possibility of pursuing legal action against him.

Will The 1975 incident impact the future of international artistes performing in Malaysia?

Para Rajagopal, Chairman of ALIFE, expressed concern over the increasing challenges faced by organisers when bringing international acts into Malaysia, as some issues are beyond their control.

He stressed that concert organisers cannot be held accountable for an artiste's personal life, including their sexual orientation, and must navigate a delicate balance throughout the entire event planning process.

“We can’t help it if they have a different sexual orientation, or whatever they choose to do in their personal life, so concert organisers are always walking a tightrope from the moment we book these artistes until they perform,” he said.

During The 1975's performance at GVF, Healy, visibly under the influence of alcohol, criticised the government for its strict laws on the LGBTQ community and damaged a licensed filming drone.

“I do not see the f-king point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said in a speech during the show.

“Unfortunately, you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m f-king furious.”

His guitarist then approached him and the two went in for a kiss.

After a few minutes, the lights came on, and Healy said, “We have just been banned from Kuala Lumpur”, and walked off stage.

The decision by the Communications Ministry of Malaysia to cancel the show angered many attendees who had already bought tickets, which cost a minimum of RM800 (US$176).

Many internet users, including those in the LGBTQ community, condemned Healy’s action and said it reeked of ‘white saviour’ mentality.

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