KUALA LUMPUR – Good Vibes Festival organiser Future Sound Asia (FSA) will look at working with the authorities on crafting guidelines for multi-day and multi-act music festivals, FSA director Ben Law said.
This follows the abrupt cancellation of days two and three of this year’s festival caused by the behaviour of The 1975’s frontman, Matty Healy, on the first night of the event when he slammed and insulted the Malaysian government for its anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
“In the festival’s 10-year history, we have never faced such an occurrence because we have always upheld a strict policy of adhering to local performance guidelines.
“We will learn from this isolated incident and together with Puspal, we are looking forward to possibly devising a framework that would specifically cater to the unique characteristics of multi-day and multi-act music festivals,” Law said at a press conference today and in a statement released to the media.
Puspal is the Central Committee for the Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists under the Communications and Digital Ministry.
Its minister Fahmi Fadzil said Puspal had initially denied approval for The 1975 to perform here, but relented after the festival’s organiser appealed, promising that the British band would adhere to local cultural sensitivities.
Law today said Healy had behaved “contrary to the agreement we had with the band”.
“The set was cut short because of Healy’s unruly conduct, which included the use of abusive or provocative language, destroying equipment, and engaging in an indecent act on stage. He blatantly contravened local performance guidelines and violated our country’s laws and regulations.
“We do not accept or condone such behaviour, and Healy’s conduct deserves to be condemned. His display has left a trail of consequences for Malaysians,” Law said.
Law also said that FSA had trusted The 1975’s commitment to abide by local performance guidelines as it had complied when performing at the same festival in 2016.
These guidelines included strict policies against smoking, drinking, swearing, and indecent acts on stage.
“We had The 1975’s management team assurance that they would adhere to local laws and regulations – in writing. We even further reiterated it with the tour manager prior to their performance.
“When the incident occurred, we acted as swiftly as possible to mitigate it,” said Law.
Meanwhile, Persatuan Penggiat Festival Antarabangsa (Alife), an association for international festival performances, said it stood by FSA, stressing that the Matty Healy incident was an “anomaly and not indicative of the Good Vibes Festival or the industry at large”.
Alife president Rizal Kamal said the episode has had implications for artist and audience confidence as well as the industry’s overall reputation and financial value.
“The 1975 incident should not overshadow the thousands of successful performances by international artists in Malaysia.
“Alife stands by the organiser, commending their swift and decisive action to halt the show when Healy of The 1975 veered off-script during the band’s performance,” said Rizal.
Alife also said it was engaging the government together with FSA on moving forward and ensuring that the objective of protecting the live performance industry in Malaysia was achieved. – The Vibes, July 27, 2023
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