FUTURE Sound Asia, the organisers of Good Vibes Festival 2023, have announced that they will be officially taking legal action against British pop rock band The 1975 over the recent controversy at the 10th anniversary of the event.
This comes after band frontman Matt Healy shared an expletive-riddled tirade upon taking the stage on the first night of the festival concerning the country’s stance on LGBT rights before pulling his bassist in for a kiss.
The remaining two days of the three-day event were abruptly called off following Healy’s expletive-riddled tirade against Malaysia’s anti-LGBT laws which was followed by an onstage kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald mid-show on the stage.
This had inevitably led to the remaining two days of the three-day event being abruptly called off.
As per a a Malay Mail report, the organiser’s legal counsel David Mathew from Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership told the English daily that the firm had already sent a letter of claim dated Aug 7, 2023 to the band.
“In the letter, FSA has demanded that The 1975 admit their liability and also pay the sum of £2,099,154.54 (RM12,347,967.91) within seven (7) days,” Mathew was reported as saying.
“The Letter of Claim is written in accordance with the provisions of the English Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct and Protocol which are part of the English Civil Procedure Rules.”
According to Mathew, FSA’s claim against The 1975 is, in the main, one for intentional breach of contract.
“Healy’s representative categorically provided a pre-show written assurance that he and The 1975’s live performance ‘shall adhere to all local guidelines and regulations’ during their set in Malaysia.
“Despite this, the assurance was ignored, and the band’s actions also clearly contravened the contract with FSA, which led to the cancellation of the festival and caused significant losses to FSA.”
The band’s failure to acknowledge its liability and compensate the GVF 2023 organiser will result in FSA pursuing legal proceedings in the Court of England.
Meanwhile, In an Instagram post on Aug 3, the festival organiser thanked attendees for their patience and explained that they are working on a microsite to accommodate all refund requests.
The microsite is scheduled to go live on Aug 14. – Aug 8, 2023
Main pic credit: Rolling Stone
