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“I guess myself and The 1975 won’t be going to Malaysia”: Tom DeLonge posts photo of himself embracing Matty Healy at Lollapalooza
The Blink-182 guitarist has voiced his support of The 1975 following their contentious set at Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes festival last month.
Image: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images and Manny Carabel/Getty Images
During their set at Lollapalooza over the weekend, The 1975’s Matty Healy spotted Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge in the crowd. He subsequently stepped down from the stage – while the band continued to play their 2013 hit, Robbers – and gave his hero a hug, telling him: “I love you so much.”
After the song finished, Healy told the crowd he just got to meet one of his heroes, and “the person who inspired me to talk about my dick as much as I do”. “I thank him for that forever,” he added.
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Now, DeLonge has posted a photo of the interaction on social media, seemingly supporting The 1975 following their controversial Malaysia performance which took place last month.
“I guess myself AND The 1975 won’t be going to Malaysia – just a couple dudes kissing during their phenomenal set at Lollapalooza,” the guitarist wrote in his accompanying caption.
If you’re unaware of what happened in Kuala Lumpur at the end of July, The 1975 were banned from the country after breaching LGBTQ+ laws, when Healy kissed bassist MacDonald during their set at the Good Vibes festival in the Malaysian capital.
Following the set, the organisers cancelled the rest of the festival as part of an “immediate cancellation directive” from Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital. This was due to its “unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws”.
As a result, The 1975 is reportedly facing a class-action lawsuit from artists and vendors who claim they’ve lost earnings due to the festival’s early termination. The lawsuit – which is being prepared by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip – will name all four members of The 1975.
Social media users in the comments section of DeLonge’s post are divided; American actor Casper Van Dien praises “just two dudes sharing the love”, while many others have expressed their opposition to Matty Healy’s previous actions.
“What a load of shit. Disrespectful and plain shite,” writes Ally Mukhriz, granddaughter of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. “Who decided that western countries is the benchmark for us? [Matty] Healy came here and told us that our laws are shit? As if we don’t already know?! You have no repercussions!
“You can spout your bullshit, leave and think you did a thing. What you actually did was put actual LGBT individuals under blast. Matty Healy put them in danger. His performative activism put people in danger.”