The 1975 vow to only play gender-balanced music festivals

The 1975 frontman Matt Healy has said that, where possible, he and his band will only play festivals with a greater percentage of female and non-binary artists on the line-up. The decision came in the wake of criticism for British festival Reading & Leeds, who yesterday revealed their 2020 line-up with just three non-male acts across 18 names confirmed for the main stages.

Healy, who headlined Reading & Leeds in 2019 with The 1975, aired his views on Twitter in a back-and-forth with Guardian journalist Laura Snapes. Responding to Snapes' suggestion that The 1975 “add a condition to your rider that says you’ll only play festivals that commit to X% (ideally 50%!) acts that include women and non-binary performers” Healy wrote: “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.”

In a subsequent interview Healy told the Guardian, “If you’re an artist and you’re actively standing for something like I try to do, and you’re standing in the face of inequality, it’s our duty to put your money where your mouth is.” he later added, "It’s not a geopolitical nightmare: it’s the music industry and it’s something that if everyone gets on board, we can fix.”

The 1975 recently announced a festival-style show at London's Finsbury Park show with support on the day coming from acts including Charli XCX, Phoebe Bridgers, and Clairo. The one-off show will also be eco-friendly with sustainably sourced HVO fuel from Europe used to reduce the carbon footprint by 90% and 1975 trees being planted in the local area.