Matt Healy: The 1975 will no longer play festivals that have a gender imbalance
Written by News on 13/02/2020
Matt Healy has announced he will no longer appear on billings for music festivals unless there is a fair split of female, male and non-binary bands.
The 1975 singer, 30, made the pledge after organisers for Reading and Leeds festival came under fire for a lack of female representation in the line-up.
This year’s headliners for the August Bank Holiday festival are Stormzy, Liam Gallagher and Rage Against The Machine.
Only 20 out of the 91 acts on the initial bill feature women.
In response to a tweet from a journalist urging him to take a stand, Healy said he would now make it a condition on his rider to only play festivals that have fair representation.
He said: “Take this as me signing this contract – I have agreed to some festivals already that may not adhere to this and I would never let fans down who already have tickets.
“But from now I will and believe this is how male artists can be true allies.”
He added: “Point is that Reading and Leeds with more women would be honestly the best festival in the world that place is vibeyyy.
“Let’s not judge people and give the benefit of the doubt that people are going to start listening. I can feel the change!!”
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Last year The 1975 won praise for their headline slot at the festivals.
The band have also organised a one-day festival at Finsbury Park, in north London, in July.
So far, six of the seven support acts are female or have female band members.
(c) Sky News 2020: Matt Healy: The 1975 will no longer play festivals that have a gender imbalance
