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

Disputed Exclamation and Political Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked significant controversy when they led audience chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the US state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing them to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit later found that the BBC's airing of the show breached content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Bands

As he said he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

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