AceShowbiz - The 1975 have been sued by the organizers of Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival after frontman Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross Macdonald on stage in protest against the country's anti-LGBTQ laws.

The band's members are also individually named in the lawsuit, which seeks damages of $2.4m (£1.9m) because their actions led to the festival being shut down. In court documents filed in the U.K. High Court and seen by Variety, festival organizers Future Sound Asia claim that The 1975 and their management team were made aware of various restrictions surrounding the performance.

The band had previously performed at the festival in 2016, and organizers say they were repeatedly reminded of restrictions around swearing, smoking, drinking alcohol on stage, removing clothes and discussing politics or religion.

The organizers also maintain that the band was aware of specific rules issued by the Malaysia Central Agency for the Application for Foreign Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) that prohibit "kissing, kissing a member of the audience or carrying out such actions among themselves." They say that the band was paid $350,000 to perform and agreed to abide by these rules.

The lawsuit also states that PUSPAL had at first rejected the band's application to perform in Malaysia in 2023 due to a 2018 article about Matty Healy's past drug addiction. The band was able to overturn the decision after an appeal by promising that Healy would follow "all local guidelines and regulations."