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Punk duo lead singer Bobby 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 Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal music duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial interview since the festival show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to go on 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 criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some rightwing news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

The artist said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's airing of the show breached content standards in relation to harm and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"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 lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Artists

When he said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."