‘The 1975’ have built a track record of headlines – Coachella, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds, and our very own Electric Picnic in a couple of weeks – all performances held up by audiences to be nothing short of spectacular.
Nonetheless, some were surprised to see Matty Healy and his band grace Dubai’s newly-opened Coca Cola Arena for their UAE debut.
This surprise was only exacerbated by the heaps of emotion oozing through the arena during the gig, epitomised when a male fan yelled: “Marry me!” to the band’s frontman. Matty Healy, undoubtedly a frequent recipient of the phrase, left the stage during ‘Loving Someone’ to hug his proposer and asking him if he wanted a kiss. In direct defiance of the Arab state’s legislature criminalising homosexuality with up to ten years of imprisonment, Matty planted a kiss on the fan’s lips to roars of applause from the audience.
After the show Matty reflected on Twitter: “I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given a chance again.”
https://twitter.com/Truman_Black/status/1161846382833090560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1161846382833090560&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nme.com%2Fnews%2Fmusic%2F1975s-matty-healy-defies-strict-anti-lgbtq-laws-kisses-male-fan-dubai-2538440
This is not the first time ‘The 1975’ have been vocal allies to the LGBT+ community; they often play ‘Loving Someone’ in front of a rainbow flag, one of many striking visuals viewers can expect from their shows. Band members also made crucial donations to help establish London’s first LGBT+ Community Centre last year.
Furthermore, this is not even the first time Matty Healy has been seen kissing on stage – 2016 saw the singer serenade a fan during ‘fallingforyou’ at a Charlotte show, and kiss crew member Chris at the London O2 Arena.
Romance aside, ‘The 1975’ indeed provided an emotional night for all in Dubai, even if it risked only one. Matty Healy mixed perfect notes with uncontrollable sobs on numerous occasions: “I know it’s indulgent for me to cry,” Healy noted. “I just want us to be able to identify as humans, not as groups of people.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1KsXM-BFOo/?utm_source=ig_embed
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