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

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

The vocal music pair sparked widespread controversy when they led audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American government revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first interview after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

He added that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their support, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

The musician said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached content guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

He informed the host there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that in some way the politics of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. Where the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'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. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

As he mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more heavily than different artists for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."