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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Responses

The vocal punk pair sparked significant controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer performance. The chant was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American government cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a planned North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first interview after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He noted that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

This musician said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in relation to offense and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, Theroux referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "because as with all things race becomes a part in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."