Performers and concertgoers were having the time of their lives enjoying Day 1 of Good Vibes Festival (GVF) 2023 last Friday (21st July) until a certain UK band caused the entire 3-day festival to be cancelled. Fans were obviously upset about the cancellation as many of them spend hundreds to thousands of ringgit for not only the tickets but for the whole trip as well.
Other than fans, vendors, and sponsors, the headliners and performers, who were supposed to take the stage on the weekends, have also voiced their frustration over the concert cancellation. Here’s how some of them responded to the news:
1. The Kid Laroi
Australian singer The Kid Laroi was supposed to headline Day 2 of GVF but as soon as he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the 19-year-old got news about the cancellation. Taking to Instagram, the “Stay” artist posted his disappointment on IG stories saying, “Touched down and found out the festival is cancelled. I love you Malaysia, I’m sorry”.
To make up for the upsetting news, the Billboard Music Award winner decided to put on a mini-concert for his fans at the hotel he was staying at. Videos of his intimate set received praise from fans who appreciated the kind gesture and hoped to see him live in concert one day.
2. Talitha Tan
This was probably one of the most heartbreaking responses from one of the artists who was supposed to perform on Day 3 of the festival. Talitha Tan, who recently lost her mother to a terrible incident, expressed that she was furious for not being able to dedicate her set to her late mother. “Matt Healy, ‘I am furious’ at you and your white privilege, thanks for nothing,” she wrote in her IG post.
The musician even DM-ed the British singer for causing so much trouble for everyone who worked hard to make GVF a success. Thankfully, she was booked as a last-minute act to perform at the Tiba-Tiba Riuh event on Sunday (23rd July) where she could finally dedicate her set to her late mother.
3. DJ Blink
DJ Blink was also one of the many DJs that was set to take the Electric Fields stage on Day 3 but sadly, that day never came. The local performer took to IG stories to share screenshots of DMs he received from fans who were devasted about the GVF cancellation.
The DJ refused to comment any further on the Matt Healy incident, saying he didn’t want to spread the negative energy. To make everyone’s day better, he offered to put some of his fans on a guest list for his show at Sparks KL and added that he’d most likely be performing his Good Vibes set to make up for the concert’s cancellation.
4. The Strokes
The headlining band that everyone had been dying to see at GVF Day 3 this year. After receiving news about the cancellation, lead singer Julian Casablancas posted on Instagram to apologise to fans about not being able to perform their set and also promised a solution to the problem.
“I know you’ve been waiting 20 years for The Strokes to come play. [We’re] currently trying to figure something out…hang on. One way or another we’ll let you know soon,” he wrote. While there’s still no update on a possible concert in the near future, the vocalist did give his take on the whole controversial incident. Replying to fans on IG, he agreed that what Matt Healy did was out of line and did more harm than good.
5. Leaism
Although Leaism was fortunate to be one of the acts to perform on Day 1, the local singer-songwriter was still devastated by the cancellation news. She took to Instagram to give her thoughts on the incident that could potentially harm the music industry in Malaysia.
“I believe we will get through this overwhelming experience but it still scares me in ways I can’t explain. And it hurts. How can we enjoy or celebrate when our fellow comrades lost their time and space to share their music and art?” she wrote in her IG stories.
6. Lunadira
Another act who got to perform on Day 1 of Good Vibes. Lunadira took to Twitter to express how she agreed with everyone who said that Matt Healy’s stunt and speech were nothing more than “performative activism”. She also expressed her sympathy to the concert organisers as well as to the other artists who didn’t get their chance to perform their set on stage.
“My heart bleeds for the other amazing local acts that were set to perform. All those months of hard work down the fucking drain,” she tweeted.
The future of Good Vibes Festival remains uncertain following the incident but we hope that this year will not be the last time we get to enjoy the festival. What are your takes regarding this whole situation?
