Malaysian lawyers working on a class action to help artistes, vendors sue British band The 1975
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The 1975’s concert at the Good Vibes Festival 2023 in Kuala Lumpur last Friday was stopped abruptly after their lead singer Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald, leading to the organiser pulling the plug on the group’s set midway.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PETALING JAYA – Malaysian lawyer Mathew Thomas Philip is working with a group of lawyers on a pro bono class action lawsuit by Malaysian artistes and vendors against British pop-rock band The 1975.
“(We are putting our) hearts and minds to improving the first working draft of the class action,” said Mr Philip in a post on his Facebook account on Sunday.
“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 their assets, please contact our pro bono team.”
The 1975’s concert at the Good Vibes Festival 2023 in Kuala Lumpur last Friday was stopped abruptly after their lead singer Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald,
The incident has led to a total ban of The 1975 performing in Malaysia, and the organisers have been forced to refund the tickets after the country’s Communications and Digital Ministry cancelled the rest of the festival, which was supposed to end on Sunday.
Meanwhile, controversial American comedienne Jocelyn Chia has weighed in on the furore, quipping that Malaysia has offered a way for artistes to gain fame after its reaction to The 1975 incident.
Chia, who was born in the United States and raised in Singapore, angered Malaysians after she made light of the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people on board, during a recent stand-up comedy show in New York.
“I was catapulted to the front page of CNN and the BBC when the Malaysian police requested Interpol for assistance in locating me,” she wrote on social media on Sunday.
“Ironically, they are also offering a formula for artistes to get more fame (I’ve not heard of this singer or the band until now, and neither had my new-found fans heard of me until Malaysia kicked up a fuss). So if Malaysia wants to stop making artistes they disapprove of more famous, they actually need to chill (or as they say in Malaysia, “relak lah bro”).” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
