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

Controversial Chant and Political Responses

The vocal music duo sparked widespread debate when they led audience chants of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the artists' visas, forcing them to cancel a planned North American tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Feedback

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

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the network's broadcast of the performance breached content guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

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 [gasps]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "marching in sport gear."

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

"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 unplanned," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Contrast with Other Artists

As he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish band another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "because as with all things race comes to play a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the enemy."