JAKARTA, Indonesia — British pop rock band The 1975 introduced on Sunday it was canceling its exhibits in Jakarta and Taipei after the Malaysian authorities lower brief a music competition within the wake of the band’s lead singer slamming the nation’s anti-gay legal guidelines and kissing a male bandmate throughout their efficiency.
The 1975 was scheduled to have a efficiency at We The Fest, Indonesia’s annual summer time music competition, in Jakarta on Sunday evening, a part of their 2023 Asia tour.
“The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming shows in Jakarta and Taipei will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the group stated in a press release posted on We The Fest’s social media platforms on Sunday. They added that the choice was not made evenly “but unfortunately due to the current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the current shows.”
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, doesn’t prohibit LGBTQ rights besides within the conservative Aceh province.
During the band’s set on the Good Vibes Festival, Matty Healy, the lead vocal of The 1975, used profanity in his speech criticizing the Malaysian authorities’s stance towards homosexuality, earlier than kissing bass participant Ross MacDonald. Footage of the incident was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in predominantly Muslim Malaysia.
Malaysia’s Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil slammed Healy’s conduct late Friday and stated in a Facebook put up that homosexuality is a criminal offense within the nation punishable by as much as 20 years in jail and caning.
After assembly the competition organizers Saturday, Fahmi stated the competition, which was scheduled to go on this weekend, can be canceled. “There will be no compromise with any party that challenges, belittles or violates Malaysian laws,” he said in the statement.
The agency in charge of approving performances by foreign artists said it was disappointed with the band’s conduct, calling it “an insult and disrespecting the laws of the country.” It stated the group might be blacklisted from performing in Malaysia.
It wasn’t the first time that Healy used the stage to defend lesbian and gay rights. In 2019, he kissed a male fan during a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also outlaws homosexual acts, according to media reports.
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