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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses

This outspoken punk duo sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was released by its representation UTA, and the American government revoked the members' travel documents, forcing the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after 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 replied:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the criticism the band faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have their support, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

This artist said he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the BBC's airing of the performance breached editorial standards in relation to offense and offence.

Vylan informed the host there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

"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 songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in antisemitic incidents reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Different Bands

As he mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than they are because we are already the opponent."