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

Disputed Exclamation and Political Reactions

The outspoken punk pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American state department cancelled the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

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

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

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some conservative politician or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

This musician said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of the broadcaster staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU later determined that the network's broadcast of the performance violated content standards in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our stance on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

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

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I don't think I have created an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

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