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The frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

The vocal punk duo ignited significant debate when they led crowd chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing them to cancel a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion since the festival show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

He added that the criticism the duo encountered was "small compared to what individuals in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "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 people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This artist claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that members of BBC staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

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

Vylan informed the host 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 felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase 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. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he said he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have also faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."