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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Responses

The outspoken music pair ignited widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US government revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his initial interview after the festival show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He noted that the criticism the band encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The artist said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that members of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the network's airing of the performance violated content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

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

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"Death to the IDF 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 play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

When he mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Irish band another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."