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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Reactions

This outspoken punk pair sparked widespread debate when they initiated audience chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US government revoked the members' visas, forcing them to call off a planned North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first interview after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

The artist added that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This artist said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan informed the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian population 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 entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic events reported later.

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

Comparison with Different Artists

When Vylan mentioned he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."