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

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal punk pair ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June performance. The chant was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency United Talent Agency, and the US government cancelled the members' visas, compelling them to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial interview since the Glastonbury show, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He noted that the criticism the band faced was "small compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

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

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's broadcast of the show violated content standards in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, right? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic events recorded later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of people going out and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When he said he felt the band had been targeted more severely than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "since as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than they are because we are inherently the opponent."