Good Vibes Festival’s organiser issues Letter of Claim to The 1975

SHAH ALAM - The organisers of Good Vibes Festival 2023 (GVF2023), Future Sound Asia (FSA), have taken legal action against British band The 1975 by issuing a Letter of Claim.

In a statement released today, FSA is demanding that the band acknowledge the liabilities and damages incurred and provide compensation.

Failure of the band to comply would eventually lead to FSA pursuing legal action in the Courts of England.

FSA also expressed their disapproval of The 1975's behaviour during their recent performance at the Good Vibes 2023 festival here, where lead singer Matt Healy used abusive language, hurled insults at the government, damaged equipment, behaved indecently and was drunk on stage.

In the statement, FSA went on to clarify that these actions not only violated local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also bought negative attention to the festival, which has reached its tenth year.

"The band's action directly contradicted the agreement they had with FSA for their performance at GVF2023. As a result, the festival had to be cancelled and caused significant financial losses.

"The cancellation also had a ripple effect on local artists and businesses that relied on the festival’s success, impacting the livelihoods of fellow Malaysians," the statement read.

Earlier in the month, following the cancellation, FSA had reiterated their commitment to preserving its reputation as a trusted organiser of live music events in Malaysia.

FSA stressed that they have always prioritised adherence to local laws and regulations, valuing the trust that both fans and regulatory authorities have placed in their events.

This development shows the importance of upholding agreements and respecting local laws to ensure the continued success of music festivals and Malaysia's thriving creative scene.

According to reports, the letter of claim is now in The 1975's hands and FSA awaits their response.

Earlier the band's front man Healy showed no remorse for his rude actions and poked fun at the band getting banned from Malaysia at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, during the band’s headlining set.

Healy often gets ‘cut off’ by his bandmates each time he attempted to deliver a controversial comment that would land them in hot water, and this time it happened during the intro to their song “It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You”.

“You want my travel tip? Don’t go to...”, he said before getting cut off by guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel.

It was believed he didn’t get to finish his sentence off with the word Malaysia.

On July 21, The 1975’s set at the Good Vibes Festival ended abruptly after organisers pulled the plug following his criticism against the Malaysian government and its anti-LGBT laws.

It was reported that the band flew out from Malaysia just hours after Healy announced to the crowd that they had been banned from Malaysia.

Following that incident, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil ordered an immediate cancellation of the remaining two days of the festival.