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The frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

This vocal music duo ignited significant controversy when they led crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his initial interview since the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

The artist claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC staff at the event told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated content standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed the host there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the views of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After asked what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Bands

As he said he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."