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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

This outspoken music duo ignited widespread controversy when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

In his first interview since the festival performance, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury 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 noted that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

On the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The musician said 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 performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's airing of the performance violated content standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed the host there was no indication of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response 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 characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. Where the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "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 lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Allegations

Vylan also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a rise in anti-Jewish events reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan said he thought the band had been criticised more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."