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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Reactions

This vocal punk duo ignited significant debate when they initiated audience chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a planned North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion since the festival performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The artist said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated editorial guidelines in regard to harm and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

After asked what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to permit that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he said he felt the duo had been targeted more heavily than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish group another band, who have also faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "because as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."