The 1975's Matty Healy: 'It's not me that needs to change'

The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy used his headline set at Reading Festival to stand up for gay rights.

"I really liked that boy and I am pretty sure he liked that kiss," Matty told fans at Reading Festival on Friday night.

He was referring to a male fan he kissed in Dubai last week, a country where it is illegal to be gay.

He also said: "It is not me that needs to change, it is the world that needs changing."

While on stage in Dubai, Matty said: "I love you bro. We're all human, right?"

He later tweeted out that the crowd were amazing but he didn't think he would be allowed back to the United Arab Emirates due to his "behaviour".

While on the main stage at Reading he said: "I kissed a boy in Dubai the other week."

The crowd erupted in support of that moment, to which he said: "Yeah thank you, I wish you were there!"

"The gig was amazing and everybody that was there was in support of it (the kiss).

"What happened was a genuine, intimate, human moment between two people that was consensual," he said.

"To be genuinely honest it was quite a beautiful moment."

At this point the crowd started cheering again.

"That was the reaction at the gig," he explained.

"Because when you see that, as a human, it is your natural inclination to be like 'awh that is nice'.

"But sometimes governments get involved when they should just leave you and your lovely genitals to do what you want at home."

It wasn't the only outspoken moment of their debut at Reading and Leeds festival headline set.

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg's voice blasted across the site with her words projected on screens either side of the stage.

The 16-year-old, who has been calling for school strikes in support of a campaign against climate change, features on the opening track of The 1975's latest album Notes On A Conditional Form.

"Everything needs to change, and it has to start today," she warns.

"It is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel."

Matty Healy is no stranger to harsh criticism for what he says and does, and he told the crowd he's fine with that.

He said he wants to use his platform for good, whether that annoys people or not.

"I will take those criticisms all day every day," he told the crowd.

"If you are on this stage and you do nothing more than indulge in yourself, you are not doing anything for anybody.

"So we have to stand for things and that puts us in opposition of things."

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