Ice Spice

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By Natasha PreskeyBBC News

Matty Healy has defended kissing his bandmate onstage in Malaysia in a 10-minute speech delivered at a 1975 concert in Dallas, Texas.

Healy told fans he had been told not to talk about The Incident , then read a pre-prepared speech from his phone.

He addressed criticism of his conduct at the Malaysian festival, during which he attacked the country's anti-LGBT laws then kissed his bandmate.

The Malaysian government after The Incident .

The organisers of Good Vibes Festival later from The 1975 , and some LGBT Malaysians criticised Healy, saying his actions displayed a

Defending the July performance, Healy said The Band " did not waltz into Malaysia" and had been invited by organisers Who Knew The Band 's political views and the nature of their shows.

Healy said The Kiss was " not a stunt simply meant to provoke the government" but an " ongoing part of The 1975 Stage Show which had been performed many times prior".

He described online anger over The Performance as " liberal outrage" and said criticism of The Band for " remaining consistent" by performing its " pro-LGBT Stage Show " was puzzling.

In July , young Malaysians they felt Healy's actions reflected a patronising Western attitude to Asia.

Others expressed concern that the high-profile incident could be used to reinforce LGBT repression in Malaysia, where homosexuality is punishable by 20 years in prison.

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Healy referenced the country's strict anti-LGBT laws in his speech, and also said the Malaysian authorities had " briefly imprisoned" The Band .

The frontman said the suggestion that The Kiss had just been a " performative gesture of allyship" was redundant, as " performing is a performer's job".

Healy said event organisers could not invite acts to perform and expect them to self-censor, telling the Dallas crowd: " It should be expected that, if you invite dozens of Western performers into Your Country , they'll bring their Western values with them. "

The Singer concluded by referencing strict laws in some parts of the US, telling The American crowd that critics of The Band 's actions in Kuala Lumpur " would find it abhorrent if The 1975 were to acquiesce to. . Mississippi 's perspective on abortion or trans laws".

This is not the First Time that Healy has addressed online criticism during a 1975 concert.

Last week, The Singer apologised for " actions that have hurt some people" while onstage in Los Angeles .

Earlier this year, Healy mocked American rapper Ice Spice on a podcast, mimicking Asian and Hawaiian accents and asking The Show 's hosts to do impressions of Japanese People labouring in concentration camps.

During his performance at the Hollywood Bowl , Healy said he had " performed exaggerated versions" of himself " on other stages be it in print or on podcasts… in an often misguided attempt at fulfilling the kind of character role of the 21st-century rock star".

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Source of news: bbc.com