The 1975’s Matty Healy pokes fun at Malaysia ban at Lollapalooza

Matty Healy poked fun at The 1975 getting banned from Malaysia halfway into the band’s headlining set at Lollapalooza Friday night.

“What would we do without a little bit of drama, right?” the frontman joked while performing on the Bud Light stage at Grant Park in Chicago, taking a drink from his flask and letting out some sarcastic laughs.

“Look at this. They’re always on the internet, constantly [talking about how we’re] unified by things we don’t like. And look – there’s hundreds of thousands of people unified for something they do like. That’s an actual phenomenon.”

Later in the set – which included hits like “Chocolate,” “Somebody Else” and “Oh Caroline” – Healy began saying, “One of my travel tips? Don’t go to…”

Before he could say “Malaysia,” guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel cut him off with their instruments, a funny bit the band often pulls out at their concerts.

Other highlights from their two-hour set included an excited Healy running off the stage when he spotted Blink-182 rocker Tom DeLonge in the crowd. Healy wrapped an arm around DeLonge and gave him a hug while continuing to sing The 1975’s hit “Robbers.”

“[He’s] the person who inspired me to talk about my d–k as much as I do,” he joked.

The 1975’s appearance at Lollapalooza marked the English pop rock band’s first show since their controversial set at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on July 21.

As previously reported, Malaysian officials banned them from performing any further after Healy went on an expletive-filled rant about the country’s anti-LGBTQIA+ laws on stage.

The “Chocolate” singer – who was last linked to Taylor Swift – proceeded to protest the strict laws even further by passionately kissing his male bassist.

“I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. I pulled this show yesterday, and we had a conversation. We said, ‘You know what? We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government,’” Healy explained to the crowd in Malaysia, where same-sex activity is illegal.

“If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f–ck off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”

Good Vibes Festival then issued a statement on Healy’s “controversial conduct and remarks,” announcing they were canceling the rest of their scheduled three-day event after receiving an “immediate cancellation directive” from Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital.

“The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws,” the statement read in part.

“We sincerely apologise to all our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners. We are aware of the time, energy and efforts you have put into making this festival a success, and we value your steadfast support.”

A source told Page Six at the time that Healy has “a long-time record” of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.

“The band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community,” the insider added.

For more Page Six you love …

While Healy’s onstage antics with The 1975 have notoriously made headlines over the years, the musician was catapulted even further into the spotlight in 2023 for his whirlwind romance with Swift.

Reports that the two were an item surfaced in May, weeks after news broke of Swift’s highly publicized split from actor Joe Alwyn. However, Healy and the “Bad Blood” singer called it quits just one month later.

While rumors were swirling in early July that the two may have rekindled their romance, Swift seemingly shut that down with a cheeky Fourth of July Instagram post.

“Happy belated Independence Day from your local neighborhood independent girlies,” she captioned it.

The photo dump featured pics of her hanging out with Este, Danielle and Alana Haim of the band HAIM, who captioned their own post, “single summer.”