KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The Good Vibes Festival (GVF) 2023 has been cancelled and updates will be given on refunds for those who had bought tickets for the event, its organiser confirmed this afternoon.
In an announcement posted at 3.29pm on Twitter, GVF’s organiser announced that the remaining schedule of the event for today and tomorrow “has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975”.
“This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1.20pm, July 22, 2023, by the Ministry of Communications and Digital. The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian laws,” it said in the brief statement.
The organiser also apologised to all of GVF’s ticket holders, vendors, sponsors and partners, adding it was aware of the “time, energy and efforts” they had put into making the festival a success and also said it valued their steadfast support.
“We will update you on refund mechanics as soon as possible. We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this challenging time,” it added.
In a series of tweets earlier today at around 1.20pm, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced his order for an immediate cancellation of the remainder of the three-day GVF that was initially scheduled to continue today and tomorrow, and said he had also directed the organiser to come up with a compensation mechanism for those who had already bought tickets for the now-cancelled event.
Fahmi said the government is committed to supporting the development of the creative industry and freedom of speech, but cautioned against touching on issues sensitive to society especially those that go against local customs and cultural values.
This afternoon, the Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) — which is an agency under the Communications and Digital Ministry — said it had filed a police report against both the GVF organiser and the British band The 1975.
Puspal said it had blacklisted the British band from performing in Malaysia.
The 10th anniversary edition of the music festival that kicked off yesterday was halted when Matt Healy, the frontman of British band The 1975, launched into an expletive-riddled tirade against Malaysia’s laws relating to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (LGBT) and kissed the band’s bassist Ross MacDonald.
The stunt, which was widely shared on social media by concertgoers who captured the moment on their smartphones, has sparked intense debate and public backlash.
