Muse explain ‘poignant’ reason for Malaysia setlist change following Matty Healy controversy

Muse have addressed their decision to change their setlist during a recent concert in Malaysia, after The 1975 were banned from performing in the country again.

During a performance at Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur in July, The 1975 frontman Healy, 34, called out the country’s anti-LGBT+ laws and kissed his male bandmate on stage at Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur.

The “Chocolate” band’s performance was cut short after only around 30 minutes, and the festival was later suspended, with the band banned from ever performing in Malaysia again.

Homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia, with LGBT+ people facing severe discrimination where those arrested on the basis of their sexuality face potential imprisonment and corporal punishment.

On Saturday (29 July), Muse performed at the country’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Ahead of the show, the band’s setlist was shared publicly, with fans noting that the song “We Are F***ing F***ed” from their 2022 EP had been swapped out for 2009 hit “Resistance”.

The band were praised by concert promoter Adam Ashraf of Hello Universe for “pulling one song out of the setlist due to the title of the song” and showing they were “eager to entertain while also respecting the guidelines”.

However, Healy was more critical. On Instagram Stories, he shared a screenshot from Muse’s website, asking fans to “join the resistance”.

Healy praised the initial message, branding it “sick”, before sharing a news story about Muse’s song swap. “....Oh,” he wrote.

On Monday (31 July), drummer Dom Howard addressed the set change in a post shared to Instagram. Without referring Healy directly, he explained why the song had been changed.

“What a tour,” Howard wrote. “So much thanks and gratitude goes out to everyone that came to see use this summer. It’s been epic.”

He added: “Side note: We chose to play ‘Resistance’ over ‘WAFF’ [‘We Are F***ing F***ed’] in Malaysia. A more poignant message given the circumstances.”

On “Resistance”, Muse sing: “Kill your prayers for love and peace / You’ll wake the thought police,” with the chorus culminating in the lyrics: “Love is our resistance / They’ll keep us apart, and they won’t stop breaking us down.”

In footage circulated on social media after their performance in Kuala Lumpur, Healy was seen kissing bassist Ross MacDonald on stage and criticising the Malaysian government’s stance against homosexuality to the festival audience.

“I don’t see the f***ing point... of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” he said.

“I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your f***ing government, but your government are a bunch of f***ing r*****s and I don’t care anymore,” he added.

“If you push, I am going to push back. I am not in the f***ing mood, I’m not in the f***ing mood.”

Good Vibes, the organisers of the festival, said in a statement that the band’s set was stopped due to “non-compliance with local performance guidelines”.

While figures including Peter Tatchell praised Healy’s behaviour, campaigners and members of the LGBT+ community in Malaysia expressed concern that he risked sparking a backlash by right-wing politicians in the country.

Thilaga Sulathireh, a founder of the LGBTQ+ group Justice for Sisters, warned that Healy’s actions could lead to repurcussions ahead of the highly contested state elections this month.

“One can appreciate the meaning of Healy’s protest, but I think the timing of it may not necessarily benefit folks,” he said.

“Political parties are currently campaigning, and we know LGBT issues are often scapegoated.”