The July 21-23 festival was cut short after The 1975 lead vocalist Matty Healy criticised Malaysia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) laws before kissing his male bandmate on the first day of the event.

In a Malay Mail report, FSA’s legal counsel David Mathew said Healy’s representative provided a pre-show written assurance that he and The 1975 “shall adhere to all local guidelines and regulations” during their performance at the Sepang International Circuit.

“Despite this, the assurance was ignored, and the band’s actions also clearly contravened their contract with FSA, which led to the cancellation of the festival and caused significant losses to FSA,” he said.

“In the letter of claim, FSA has demanded that The 1975 admit their liability and also pay the sum of £2,099,154.54 (about RM12,239,000) within seven days.

“The letter of claim is written in accordance with the provisions of the English Practice Direction Pre-Action Conduct and Protocol, which are part of the English Civil Procedure Rules.”

He added that FSA will initiate a civil lawsuit in the UK against the band if it fails to comply with their demand.

In a statement, FSA stressed that the band’s actions intentionally contravened the agreement they had with FSA for their performance at the festival.

FSA said that apart from the significant losses it faced, the Good Vibes Festival’s cancellation has also negatively impacted local artistes and businesses that depended on the festival’s success – affecting the livelihoods of many Malaysians.

“FSA deeply values the trust that fans and regulatory authorities have placed in them over the years,” it said.

“The organisation remains unwavering in its commitment to foster vibrant live music experiences in Malaysia and ensure full compliance with local laws and regulations.”