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The frontman Bobby Vylan has stated 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 Official Reactions

This vocal punk pair sparked significant debate when they led crowd chants of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer set. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the US government revoked the members' travel documents, compelling them to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

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

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's broadcast of the performance violated editorial standards in relation to harm and offence.

He told the host there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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

His comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

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

"I don't think I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of people acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Contrast with Different Artists

When he said he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "because as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."