Muse remove song from Malaysia concert setlist following The 1975 controversy

Muse are still set to perform in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this weekend despite the cancellation of the country’s Good Vibes Festival recently over controversies relating to The 1975.

• READ MORE: Muse – ‘Will Of The People’ review: modern anxieties, and their best music in years

Last Friday (July 21), while headlining day one of Good Vibes, The 1975’s Matty Healy had criticised the country’s government for anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Healy – who was drinking onstage – also smashed a festival-owned drone and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage, before announcing just seven songs into their set that they had been banned from Malaysia and had to leave.

The following day (July 22), the country’s communications minister announced that he had ordered the rest of the festival cancelled.

Now, concert promoter Hello Universe has confirmed that Muse’s concert will go ahead as planned, sharing set times on social media, as well as queueing details. However, Adam Ashraf, one of Hello Universe’s three founders has revealed in an interview that Muse are altering their set list for the Kuala Lumpur show to better fit the country’s guidelines.

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Speaking to Rojak Daily, Ashraf shared that following the cancellation of Good Vibes over controversies stemming from The 1975’s headlining performance on July 21, Muse have taken preventive measures to ensure a smooth-sailing show.

“They called us shortly after the incident went global. After discussions, they decided to pull one song out of the setlist due to the title of the song. It’s nice to know they’re eager to entertain while also respecting the guidelines,” he said. Ashraf did not reveal which song has been scrapped for the upcoming Malaysia concert.

When asked if Hello Universe was afraid that the show was going to be cancelled following Good Vibes, Ashraf said: “Of course we were worried. Who wouldn’t be? But thankfully, we got assurance from authorities that the show will go on and as long as the band behaves appropriately, everything should be smooth”.

Ashraf went on to say that he thought the Good Vibes team did they best they could have given the situation: “I personally believe the Good Vibes team has done their best, the authorities did too. No one’s happy that the festival got cancelled. It’s a risk they took and unfortunately, it backfired.”

Muse’s July 29 concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be their only Asia stop during their ongoing ‘Will Of The People’ tour. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

The tour is in support of their ninth studio album of the same name. That record released in August last year and garnered a four-star review from NME, with Andy Price calling the effort “their best music in years”.

“Throughout the album, it’s clear that Bellamy isn’t just wallowing in a state of heightened paranoia, instead channelling these modern anxieties into Muse’s best music in years,” Price wrote.

The post Muse remove song from Malaysia concert setlist following The 1975 controversy appeared first on NME.