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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated 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."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Reactions

The outspoken music duo sparked widespread controversy when they led crowd chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. This slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the American government revoked the artists' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion after the Glastonbury show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes 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 faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit later determined that the network's airing of the show violated editorial standards in regard to harm and offence.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

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

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

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

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop 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 lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish events recorded two days.

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

Comparison with Other Artists

When he said he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the enemy."