[UPDATED] Lawyer urges artists, vendors to sue The 1975 for losses after festival cancelled

KUALA LUMPUR – Law firm Thomas Philip is offering to represent artists and vendors facing losses in a suit against British band The 1975 for its lead singer’s on-stage anti-LGBTQ+ tirade which lead to the cancellation of the remaining two days of the Good Vibes Festival.

The firm’s founder and managing partner Mathew Thomas Philip said on Facebook that the firm already has a pro bono team working on a draft for the class action suit by local artists and vendors against the band.

“If there is any further information that you may possess and which may have a bearing on the suit against The 1975, such as the location of the assets 1975,  please contact our pro bono team. Thank you,” he said in his post.

Draft documents of the class action against the group posted by Philip state that the vendors and artists, as the plaintiff, would demand damages and losses from The 1975.

The draft also lists all four band members as defendants, including Matty Healy, who on Friday night’s performance condemned the Malaysian government in an expletive-laden speech for its stance against homosexuality, before kissing a male bandmate. Healy also had a bottle of whisky with him on stage.

In another post, Philip urged local artists affected by the festival’s cancellation to sue Healy’s group.

“All local artists whose income is affected by the cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival because of the utter recklessness of the band The1975 should sue (the band).

“I am happy to represent them in a class action.

“It was a forseeable outcome of The 1975’s reckless behaviour.”

The lawyer also ticked off the band, saying: “You should have stuck to your scope of work under your contract. It is not your stage to tell us how to run our country. We have a democratic process. You are very silly.”

Healy’s stunt was 30 minutes into the band’s performance, after which they left the stage with Healy telling the audience the group had been banned.

He has been slammed on Twitter, including by local gay rights activists, for jeopardising LGBTQ+ advocacy work in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

The government’s move to cancel the remainder of the festival days is also stirring debate on social media, with many noting how this has affected other artists and food vendors who will now incur losses as a result. – The Vibes, July 23, 2023