SO Matty Healy has anointed himself as the champion of the LGBTQ+ community here in Malaysia.
The troubled lead singer of British rock band The 1975 made global headlines this weekend following his outburst against the country’s laws governing LGBTQ+ activities during a performance at the Good Vibes Festival at the Sepang motorsport circuit on Friday.
Using profanities, he lambasted the government for its intolerance and perceived victimisation of this community, before proceeding to kiss his male bassist on the lips.
The gig saw an abrupt end after 30 minutes and seven songs with Healy declaring that the band had been banned in Kuala Lumpur.
While advocates for the community may appreciate Healy’s performative activism, the 34-year-old musician is not qualified to hold the torch for the LGBTQ+ community whether here in Malaysia or anywhere else.
The sincerity of his actions is called into question as he is known to be deliberately provocative for publicity.
Healy pulled a similar stunt in Dubai in 2019.
On both occasions he had run afoul of local laws but was lucky that he was allowed to leave the respective countries.
Pull this stunt in Singapore and he would probably be spending the weekend in a Changi lockup.
Healy’s advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community and his behaviour reeks of a white saviour supremacy.
Bottle of wine in one hand and a cigarette in another, he began preaching to his largely Asian audience.
Perhaps he should have done his homework and learnt that Malaysia’s anti-homosexuality laws are a legacy of the British Empire’s own homophobia where the latter has legislated such rules throughout the empire.
But before fans and supporters of Healy start treating him as a martyr, it would be wise to explore Healy’s own deviance.
He admitted he gets off on black women being degraded, citing a pornographic site where women of colour are humiliated by white men as his favourite.
Once, a podcast he was on had to be pulled as he racially mocked an Oriental and Inuit artiste.
He was further accused of racism by making fun of the way Japanese people speak on another show.
He even exploited the death of George Floyd – the black man murdered by police in the US which led to the Black Lives Matter movement – by putting a link to one of the band’s songs on a tweet about the murder.
Lately he has been accused of harassing his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift!
Healy’s stunt in Sepang is only one of many of the artiste who relies on shock value instead of talent to promote his art.
Event organiser Future Sound Asia revealed that the singer did not honour promises of abiding by performance guidelines. Hence when Healy started misbehaving on stage, it made the decision to pull the plug on the performance.
Meanwhile, the Communications and Digital Ministry has proceeded to ban the remaining two days of the festival.
One questions the wisdom of the ministry making collateral damage to fans, other artistes, sponsors, food vendors and businesses reliant on the festival.
At a time when the government is trying to make Malaysia a preferred destination of A-list artistes, the sledgehammer approach in dealing with The 1975’s behaviour will certainly spook concert promoters and event organisers.
A contractual bond guaranteeing the good behaviour of the performers was breached by Healy which it is learnt is the reason for ending the festival.
The organisers themselves should have been aware of Healy’s past stunts and unpredictability, and that once he’s on stage he will be uncontrollable.
Healy and Co proceed to perform in Indonesia with zero repercussions other than the shortened Malaysia gig and a ban from ever performing here. In latest developments, The 1975 has since cancelled its Jakarta and Taipei dates.
But the trail of destruction they have left behind is being felt by many – not any less is the LGBTQ+ community itself which now finds itself on the back foot in seeking acceptance from what is still a conservative society.
A word to performers who come to our shores. Do not use your Western sensibilities and white saviour arrogance to address our problems.
We will deal with our issues our own way. The LGBTQ+ community has enough support at home championing their rights.
We do it through dialogue, education, and the courts. working the corridors of power and the occasional table-banging.
The community itself is a largely private one who does not impose its lifestyle on the rest of society.
Healy probably caused a setback to any progress achieved so far. He should’ve just come, sang, and, if he had to, express his views in a more civil and conciliatory tone.
Then he should, to quote one of the band’s biggest songs, leave politics and activism to Somebody Else. – July 23, 2023
Dylan Bob Fernandez is Scoop’s pop culture and entertainment writer