THE 1975 SUED OVER MALAYSIAN CONCERT KISS

The promoters of Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival have filed suit against The 1975 and its members after provocative lead singer Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage last year in apparent protest of the country’s stance against homosexuality.

The kiss, coupled with Healy’s use of profanities to criticize Malaysia’s laws, caused organizers to shut down the rest of the three-day festival, which was held in Kuala Lumpur. Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia, punishable by caning and up to 20 years in prison.

The lawsuit filed in the High Court in London last month by fest organizer Future Sound Asia seeks $2.5m from The 1975 Productions LLP and all four band members for breach of contract and losses.

FSA said The 1975, who previously performed at the festival in 2016, were reminded last year about the event's strict rules against swearing, smoking, drinking alcohol, talking about politics and religion or "indecent" actions such as kissing—but intentionally ignored them.

The band was quickly ushered offstage after performing only seven songs and its conduct just as quickly condemned by the Malaysian government, which banned The 1975 from returning to the country.

Healy and company are currently off the road after extensive touring over the past 18 months. The group's latest Dirty Hit album, 2022's Being Funny in a Foreign Language, topped the U.K. charts and was a Top 10 hit in the U.S.