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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Responses

The outspoken punk duo ignited significant debate when they initiated crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the US government cancelled the members' travel documents, compelling them to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

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

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

He added that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, these are the individuals 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 upset some conservative politician or some rightwing media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show breached editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to entertain. 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 assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

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

Comparison with Different Bands

When he mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."