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The frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

The vocal punk pair ignited significant debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department revoked the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a planned North American concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at 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."

The artist added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Response and BBC Comments

The artist said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Bands

As Vylan said he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the enemy."