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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Political Responses

This vocal music pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion after the festival show, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the performance breached content standards in regard to harm and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

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

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'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 chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Different Bands

When he mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."