The ruling comes during a court battle between the band and the festival’s organiser, Future Sound Asia (FSA), who are demanding that the rockers are held liable for the losses when the festival was shut down after their onstage kiss.

Judge William Hansen says that the FSA’s demands that The 1975’s members are held responsible for the losses are “bad as a matter of law and that there is no good reason why the matter should go to trial”.

Hansen has allowed the case to proceed between The 1975’s company, The 1975 Productions LLP (rather than as individuals), and FSA, who he also ordered to pay £100,000 in legal costs.

Last week, an argument for the 1975 to be cleared of individual liability was heard by the Malaysian High Court. Earlier this month, the band’s representative Edmund Cullen branded the FSA’s attempt to “pin liability on individuals” as “illegitimate, artificial and incoherent” and “quite bizarre”.

Last summer, it was reported that the band were being sued for over $2million (£1.9 million) by Future Sound Asia. The organizers claimed that 1975 Productions LLP breached their contract and that the four band members were in breach of a duty of care.

It all started at The 1975’s headlining set in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Good Vibes Festival in 2023. Frontman Matty Healy and bassist Ross MacDonald shared a kiss onstage. Healy also gave a speech against the Malaysian government for its discrimination and criminalisation of LGBTQ citizens. The singer said: “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,”

“I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your fucking government, but your government are a bunch of fucking r*****s and I don’t care anymore. If you push, I am going to push back.”

After the kiss and Healy’s condemnation, the remainder of the festival was axed and The 1975 were banned from performing in Malaysia. They’ve pulled a similar stunt previously in Dubai in 2019, with Healy sharing a kiss with a male fan.

Malaysia is a conservative, religious country with strict laws against LGBTQ citizens. There, homosexuality is a crime that is punishable by 20 years in prison. The government has banned any homosexual, bisexual or transexual people from appearing in state-controlled media.

In 2010, the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia announced it would only allow the featuring of homosexual characters in films if they “repent” or “go straight” in the end. In November 2024, the Kelantan state of East Malaysia banned entertainment activities that promote or support LGBTQ behaviour.

In August of last year, Malaysia’s Home Ministry banned and seized Swatch products that supposedly contained LGBT elements in their rainbow colouring, ruling that anyone possessing the watches could be fined or imprisoned. A Malaysian court then ordered the government to return the watches, deeming their seizure unlawful.

After Healy’s onstage kiss and protest, opinions were divided. While many locals appreciated his intent, others labelled it as “performative activism” that could do more harm to their LGBTQ community than good.

@lbc The Malaysian government cancelled a festival due to “remarks made by UK artist Matt Healy from the band The 1975”. Matt Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage in Kuala after protesting against the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. #lbc #sangitamyska #matthealy #1975 #festival #lgbtqia #gayrights ♬ original sound – LBC

It was reported recently that The 1975 were one of the most successful bands in the UK, making millions in profit through touring over the past few years. You can read our article on that here.

@MariahCarey, the Queen of the Lambs, is coming to Pride On The Park 2025!

Sign up for pre-sale now: https://t.co/j4fEChuBHX – tickets will be available from Thursday 20th of February at 10am.

A performance we’ve been waiting five years for is finally upon us and we… pic.twitter.com/7dBFp0tDkn

— Brighton & Hove Pride (@PrideBrighton) February 13, 2025

Brighton Pride, widely recognized as one of the UK’s most significant LGBTQ+ festivals, attracts thousands of attendees each year. Known for its colourful parades, inclusive atmosphere, and world-class musical performances, the festival has previously hosted stars such as Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, and Christina Aguilera. Mariah Carey’s upcoming performance is expected to draw massive crowds eager to see the five-time Grammy Award winner bring her powerful vocals and chart-topping hits to the stage.

With a career spanning over three decades, Mariah Carey remains one of the most influential and best-selling artists of all time. She has sold over 200 million records worldwide, with iconic hits such as ‘Fantasy‘, ‘We Belong Together‘, and her everlasting holiday favourite, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You‘. Beyond her music, Carey has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, frequently voicing her support for the community and receiving the GLAAD Ally Award for her contributions in 2016.
Brighton Pride is set to take place from August 1-3, 2025, featuring a variety of events, including the iconic Pride Parade, the Pride Village Party, and the We Are Fabuloso concert in Preston Park, where Carey will be headlining. The festival’s theme for 2025 will center around love, unity, and resilience, reinforcing its mission to promote equality and inclusion.

Tickets for Brighton Pride 2025 go on sale on February 20, 2025, with high demand expected due to Carey’s star power. Fans and festival-goers are encouraged to secure their tickets early to avoid disappointment. The full lineup for Brighton & Hove Pride 2025 has yet to be announced. Historically, the festival has featured a diverse range of artists and performers across multiple stages, including cabaret tents, dance tents, and community village areas. Attendees can expect a vibrant celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and community.

Since 2011, Pool has taken a significant shift right, choosing to focus his work on American culture-war issues like LGBTQ rights. Tim Pool hosts a daily podcast on YouTube and is well known online for his inflammatory and discriminatory comments surrounding the LGBTQ community. One of Pool’s largest talking points surrounds a conspiracy theory that suggests that LGBTQ community deliberately recruits children into their movement for political purposes. This conspiracy also implies that there is a sexual element to this recruitment process. In the wake of a 2022 shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ club in Colorado, Pool attempted to justify the attack by saying “Club Q had a grooming event”.

We shouldnt tolerate pedophiles grooming kids

Club Q had a grooming event

How do prevent the violence and stop the grooming? https://t.co/loVoG3A3ot

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) November 22, 2022

As reported by Loudwire, the post shared by Christianson was a quote tweet by Pool regarding an interview with mixed martial arts fighter, Sean Strickland. When asked whether he would accept having a gay son, Strickland returned the question to his interviewer who said that he would have “no problem with it”. In response to his interviewer, Strickland said: “You’re a weak f*****g man”. The fighter then went on to say that: “ten years ago, to be trans was a mental f****n’ illness and now all of a sudden, people like you have f****n’ weaselled your way into the world… you [Strickland’s interviewer] are an infection”. On January 17th, Tim Pool replied to Strickland’s interview, saying “F*****g A+ guy right here”. Evoking far-right sentiments of social disease with regards to LGBTQ people, both Pool’s and Strickland’s comments are intensely derogatory.

HOLY FUCK Fucking A+ guy right here Thanks bud light for bringing us this message on the infection that is the woke left https://t.co/G17Drog39b — Tim Pool (@Timcast) January 17, 2024

This thread was reposted by Architects’ Adam Christianson for a brief period, before being promptly removed. On January 19th, Christianson apologised for his actions, saying: “that retweet was a total accident!”. However, some online are sceptical of Christianson’s backpedalling, citing his history of reposting and liking tweets that share similar sentiments to those of Pool. Christianson has previously liked and retweeted content from other commentators like Zuby Music who has previously evoked conspiracies reminiscent of those pedalled by the likes of Tim Pool.

Shit! That retweet was a total accident!! I don’t endorse anything that guy says other than fuck Trudeau. Sorry for the panic everyone! Complete all-thumbs moment.

— Adam Christianson (@adamarchitects) January 19, 2024

Speaking at a gig in Paris yesterday the band’s frontman, Sam Carter, said: “nobody on this stage judges anybody for their gender, their race, and whoever they are in love with. We never have, we never will”. Although the video does not explicitly mention Christianson’s online activity, many online have drawn a connection between the two events.

Sam Carter has spoken on stage about Architects views in lieu of a recent post shared by guitarist Adam Christianson. “No one on this stage judges anyone for their gender…” @therottendoll_pic.twitter.com/5B1xcD7P1Z — State of the Scene (@SOTSPodcast) January 24, 2024

After announcing a US tour, starting in May of this year, Architects are currently on their European tour that will run until February.

During The 1975’s headline set at the Good Vibes Festival last July, Healy had attempted to demonstrate his disdain for Malaysian anti-LGBTQ+ laws by locking lips with bassist Ross MacDonald. Thirty minutes later, the band were asked to end their show and leave with immediate effect.

The following day, much to the disappointment of thousands of ticket-holders, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced the cancellation of the entire three-day festival. Naturally, the incident didn’t take long to spark a major online dispute, with many condemning Healy for disrespecting foreign culture.

In the aftermath, The 1975 faced legal action, with the festival’s organiser, Future Sound Asia, demanding the band pay £2 million in damages. Healy and co. heeded their lawyers’ advice and kept quiet about the lawsuit for months, but now, the singer has finally addressed the controversy in a 10-minute speech.

On Monday, Healy told fans at a Dallas concert that he had been advised not to talk about what happened in Malaysia, but that he had “cracked” and “genuinely just [didn’t] care anymore”. Reading from a prepared statement on his phone, the frontman launched into a lengthy defence of his actions at the Good Vibes Festival:

“The 1975 did not waltz into Malaysia unannounced – they were invited to headline a festival by a government who had full knowledge of the band’s well-publicised political views and its routine stage show. […] Me kissing Ross was not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government; it was an ongoing part of The 1975 stage show which had been performed many times prior.”

“To eliminate any routine part of the show in an effort to appease the Malaysian authorities’ bigoted views of LGBTQ people would be a passive endorsement of those politics. As liberals are so fond of saying, ‘silence causes violence, use your platform’, so we did that. […]”

“The Malaysian authorities were irate because homosexuality is criminalised and punishable by death in their authoritarian theocracy. That is the violent reality obscured by the more friendly term “cultural customs.”

The singer described some of the online response as “puzzling”, adding that “lots of people, who appear to be liberal people, contended that the performance was an insensitive display of hostility against the cultural customs of the Malaysian government and that the kiss was a performative gesture of allyship.”

Addressing these claims, Healy remarked: “The idea of calling out a performer for being performative is mind-numbingly redundant as an exercise. Performing is a performer’s job.”

In defence of accusations that condemned his stunt as a form of colonialism, Healy said that “to call The 1975’s performance colonialism is a complete inversion of the word’s meaning” and that “[they] have no power at all to enforce [their] will on anyone in Malaysia.” In fact, the singer revealed off-handedly that they were briefly imprisoned by the Malaysian authorities.

Watch the full speech below:

Matty Healy’s full speech on Malaysia incident in Fort Worth tonight

Thanks to Emily and talktorossabouit#The1975 #SATVB pic.twitter.com/1DfP18kXND

— The 1975 TH (@the1975_thteam) October 10, 2023

 

Eternal released their debut album, Always and Forever in November 1993, and it reached number two in the UK Album Charts. The album sold over one million copies in the United Kingdom, and was confirmed as four times platinum, making it one of 1994’s biggest selling albums and the year’s biggest-selling debut album.

The 48-year-old singer has decided to withdraw from the planned reunion tour after allegations arose that the other members declined to perform due to their concerns about the transgender community’s impact on the gay community. Louise has since clarified her departure from the tour by sharing the Progress Pride Flag on her Social media platforms, along with the heartfelt message: ‘Always and forever’.

pic.twitter.com/0WuhMlGxmB

— Louise Redknapp (@LouiseRedknapp) September 24, 2023

Although prior to her announcement on exiting from the Eternal reunion, Redknapp posted her excitement for the reunion on Instagram, and commented, ” Stay is such a timeless song Easther absolutely KILLING that opening note as she does and I’m so proud this was where it all started for us! I’m so lucky I got to record this song myself for my Greatest Hits this year and girls I hope I did you proud.”

Amidst this post a Fan thanked Louise for her support, they commented “So much love for you supporting the LGBTQI+ community.” Louise’s publicist, Simon Jones, confirmed the development in a statement to Sky News. Simon Jones said, “A message was sent to the team putting together the Eternal reunion stating that if it was to go ahead, neither Vernie nor Easther would perform at Pride shows or LGBTQ+ festivals. This was because the duo felt that the gay community was being hijacked by the trans community and they do not support this.”

He added, “Louise is a huge supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community and both herself and Kelle told the duo they would not work with anyone who held these views, and as such the reunion as a four would not be going ahead. The team behind the proposed Eternal reunion are gay – including management, PR and tour promoter – and neither myself nor any of the team would work with artists who held such views about the trans community.” #

No official statements have been released by either Vernie or Easther Bennett; however, Vernie posted on her social media account with this message. “I am ‘Eternally’ grateful for the family, friends & amazing fans who have and continue to support our incredible journey & artistry. I’ve been blessed to connect with so many diverse & wonderful people from all walks of life during my career. You all have a piece of my heart. Though it is impossible & counterproductive to respond to the overwhelming number of statements & allegations made online recently; I place this moment in God’s hands. I truly appreciate all who continue to express love & support for my family & Eternal.” xoxo – Vernie.”

At present, there have been no additional tour dates disclosed, and no further correspondence has been provided regarding the potential resolution and continuation of the reunion among the four original members as initially intended.

During The 1975’s headline set in Kuala Lumpur, Healy had launched into a profanity-laden speech, declaring: 

“I don’t see the fucking point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with. […] Unfortunately, you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m fucking furious. And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. Because you’re young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.”

In an attempt to demonstrate his disdain for the country’s punitive anti-LGBTQ+ laws, he then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald, initially inducing cheers and wolf-whistling from the crowd. Thirty minutes later and seven songs into their set, the band were asked to leave with immediate effect. 

Watch Healy’s speech below:

The following day, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced the cancellation of the entire three-day festival, much to the disappointment of thousands of ticket-holders. 

“There will be no compromise with any party that challenges, belittles or violates Malaysian laws,” he said in a statement on Facebook.

The incident divided the court of public opinion, with some praising Healy for drawing global attention to the country’s persecution of its queer citizens, and others condemning him for disrespecting their culture.

Now, the Good Vibes festival promotors, Future Sound Asia (FSA) are threatening to take legal action against The 1975 if they do not acknowledge liability and pay £2.1m in damages within the next seven days.

The official statement adds: 

“FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF 2023. In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour not only flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival.”

According to the promotors, Healy’s representative had provided a pre-show assurance that The 1975’s live performance would adhere to all local guidelines during their set – yet the assurance was ignored, with the band breaching the terms of their contract with FSA.

During his speech, Healy admitted he had “made a mistake” by agreeing to play in Malaysia, but decided to go ahead with the show anyway, since he couldn’t “let the kids down because they’re not the government”.

See below for The 1975 UK tour dates:

27/08/2023 – Leeds Festival – Leeds

Get tickets here.

Founding member and clothing line owner Syke completed the athletic feat by swimming, running and cycling, three features which make up a traditional triathlon. The 35-year-old singer took to social media to announce his participation and shared pictures from the event. Within the post, Syke stated, “We did it! Thank u so much to everyone that sponsored us in our first triathlon 4 @ukraine.pride means the world. I’m going to leave up the donation page til tomorrow would be sick to double our goal (link in bio) but yeah sick thank u!”

Fellow founding member Nicholls also posted about the triathlon via social media, the 36-year-old musician said, “Had a great time today doing this. All for a good cause. Thanks to everyone that donated, me and Ol are dead chuffed to have smashed the target we set for the fundraising.”

Sykes and Nicholl’s band, Bring Me The Horizon, have shown support for the people of Ukraine before. On March 2nd 2022, the metal group took to the stage of O2 Brixton Academy to perform at this year’s BandLab NME Awards. Whilst displaying the Ukrainian flag upon the drumkit, they dedicated their six-song set to those affected by the current conflict in Ukraine. Before closing their show with “Throne”, Sykes addressed the audience, “I guess it’s better being here in a room full of influential people: they need to use their voice every single day until this crisis is over, If Kyiv does not survive, international peace will not survive,”

UKRAINEPRIDE took part in this year’s London Pride event, the charity took to the streets in the capital with a 50-strong group. A statement on the organisation’s website describes the cause, “UKRAINEPRIDE is a propatriotic queer movement. We nurture our cultural identity and defend it to share it with our soulmates from various countries, who belong to different nationalities and ethnicities, who have diverse complexions or practice varied religions. We preserve and protect our culture to tell the entire world about it.”

The mission statement continues, “Due to the opposite direction from imperial Russia chosen 8 years ago, currently we have the opportunity to attain equal rights for the LGBTQ community as well as all discriminated groups. We are not afraid of anything. We are defending our land. Glory to Ukraine, Glory to our Heroes!”

Bring Me The Horizon are set to perform in Finland on 13th August 2022 for Knotfest, the band will next appear at German Highfield Festival on 19-21 August 2022. The “Mantra” rockers are scheduled to perform at two more European festivals this month before heading home for their set at Reading Festival. The band will take the stage at the festival on 27th August 2022 and will make their appearance at the festival’s Leeds campus on 28th August 2022. On 22nd September 2022, Bring Me The Horizon will perform at Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, USA, the group will then embark on an extensive tour consisting of the US, Australia and Europe.

Click here to make a donation to Oliver Sykes Justgiving.

Bring Me The Horizon Uk tour dates

27/08/2022 – Reading Festival – Reading
28/08 – Leeds Festival – Leeds

Click here to purchase tickets.

Bragg went on to explain the meaning behind his adjustments on Twitter, “Times changed. Anyone born since the song was released would wonder why it’s a big deal to find common ground with a gay man. The front line now is trans rights.”.  The song has quite obviously always been about highlighting mutual respect amongst everybody. Stating that everyone should be entitled to owning their own sexuality, no matter in what form. When queried on what trans right Bragg was actually in support of, he simply replied, “[the right to] exist.”. 

Sexuality is a song about learning to respect difference. In 1991, the LG community were marginalised by AIDS and Section 28. Now that we have gay marriage etc the song needs updating and today, it’s the trans community who are marginalised and need our allyship

— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) November 11, 2021

Bragg doubled down when fans began to push back on his decisions to change the lyrics. Stating that pronouns are, “a simple way of showing respect. Nothing compels you to use them, just as nothing compels you not to call a person of Pakistani heritage the P word.”.

As well as these changes, “Sexuality (2021)” also has a new moment dedicated to former Smiths frontman Morrisey. After he was condemned by Bragg in 2019 in an interview with NME, for spreading far-right ideals. Bragg quips, “Don’t threaten me with Morrissey, whatever happened to that guy?”. He previously stated that he no longer enjoys listening to Morrisey’s solo albums, but this isn’t much of a burden because, as he told NME, “I wasn’t much of a fan of those anyway.”

All of the information we have on Bragg’s lyric changes have come to light from his current tour of the UK. See below the remaining dates. Order tickets here.

16/11/2021 – G Live – Guildford
18/11 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
19/11 – Rock City – Nottingham
20/11 – Albert Hall – Manchester
21/11 – City Hall – Sheffield
23/11 – Dome – Brighton
25/11 – Cliffs Pavilion – Southend-On-Sea
26/11 – Leas Cliff Hall – Folkestone
27/11 – Roundhouse – London

British nominees also include Anne-Marie, the young singer-songwriter from Essex who reached the very top of the UK Single Chart with many hits, including Clean Bandit’s ‘Rockabye’. Anne-Marie has disclosed that she is part of the community herself, taking an active part inside the community to raise awareness on the LGTBQ+ issues. As she sings in her hit single ‘Perfect’: ‘I’ll love who I love, because this love is gender-free’. Sam Smith is also nominated – indeed, identifying as non-binary, he says: ‘Non-binary genderqueer is that you do not identify in a gender. You are a mixture of different things, you are your own special creation. I’m not male or female.’

Artists who are proponents of LGBTQ+ issues are also nominated. Harry Styles’ approach to gender fluidity, along with his transparent view on gender inclusivity within the music industry, got him a nomination for this award. Similarly, British pop band The 1975, especially their lead singer Matt Healy, has always been keen on merging members of the LGBTQ+ community throughout his career. The band is also been active in protests to protect the community, in particular against Dubai’s recent laws punishing the gay community.

Sarah Garrett, founder of the British LGBT Awards, said: ‘These awards shine a light on those who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGBT+ community, during what has been an extremely challenging 12 months. The nominees, which include an exciting mix of famous LGBT+ faces, allies and organisations have all demonstrated a commitment to advancing LGBT+ rights. The awards on 27 August, which will take place after lockdown restrictions are eased, will be a huge celebration that’s needed more than ever.’

You can see the full list of nominees here.

The censored version to be played this Christmas will exclude the words ‘slut’ and ‘faggot’. BBC Radio 1 hosts have stated they will be removing these two words in an effort to not offend members of the LGBTQ+ community and younger audiences who might be particularly sensitive to offensive language towards women and especially sexuality.

https://t.co/w9iAFQSvDX

— The Pogues (@poguesofficial) November 19, 2020

Fairytale of New York was released November 23rd, 1987 and featured on The Pogues’ album If I Should Fall from Grace with God. It’s original release only made it #2 on the UK Christmas hits, however, since then it has reached triple platinum in sales. In 2019 it was awarded the title of The Most Played Christmas Song in the UK of the 21st Century.

The beginning of the controversy surrounding this Irish Christmas folk-song began in 2007 when BBC Radio 1 released an edited version in an attempt to avoid any offence taken by listeners. The Pogues stated it was amusing and ridiculous to them. After mass outrage, BBC Radio 1 reversed its position and continued to play the original version through the holiday season.

‘Morning https://t.co/xnoWEhjOl1

— The Pogues (@poguesofficial) November 19, 2020

2018 saw a much wider call to remove the offensive language from the track, or remove it from the radio-stations all together, however, the original version continued to dominate radio plays. MacGowan from the band defended the words once and for all in a statement on The Tonight Show, saying, “The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character. She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.”

Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it but she is not intended to offend! […]If people don’t understand that I was trying to accurately portray the character as authentically as possible, then I am absolutely fine with them bleeping the word, but I don’t want to get into an argument.”

In 2019 there was still no censorship on the song on the Christmas radios and mixed reactions and opinions on whether it should be allowed on air was still broadly up for debate. Despite the dispute, the song received its most streams and downloads last year then ever before.

Even now in 2020 there continues to be split beliefs among all generations and communities throughout the UK on whether to censor Fairytale of New York. BBC Radio 1 has made headlines with the call to censor the iconic holiday hit from The Guardian to The Gay Times to CNN and all BBC radios have now been instructed to make the best decision based on their audiences.