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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Reactions

This vocal punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they led audience chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June performance. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing the duo to call off a planned US and Canada tour.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first interview since the festival show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in relation to offense and offence.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

After questioned what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that persist to permit that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'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. Ideal chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported two days.

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

Contrast with Other Bands

When he said he thought the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux referenced the Irish band Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with everything race comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the opponent."