JAKARTA (AFP) – British indie-rock band The 1975 cancelled a concert in Indonesia on Sunday, after Malaysia axed a festival over a controversy and critique against the country’s laws by their frontman.
Malaysian authorities cancelled the Good Vibes music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur after cutting short the band’s set on Friday, because of Matt Healy’s profanity-laden speech and provocative action with the band’s bassist Ross MacDonald.
The band subsequently announced it would cancel its performance at the We The Fest event in Indonesian capital Jakarta.
“The 1975 regret to announce that their forthcoming show in Jakarta will no longer be going ahead as planned,” the band said in a statement on Sunday on the We The Fest Instagram page.
“The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled show.”
The Indonesian government and festival organisers are yet to comment on the cancellation.
The band’s next scheduled concert is Lollapalooza festival in the United States (US) in early August.
Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil condemned the singer on Saturday after ordering the festival’s cancellation.
