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

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

This vocal punk pair sparked widespread debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This chant was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its agency UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling them to call off a planned US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his initial interview after the festival performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist 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 exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm doing it 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 rightwing official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

This artist said he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the BBC's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in regard to harm and offence.

He told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

His reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

When Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more heavily than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the enemy."