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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed 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 Exclamation and Political Responses

The vocal punk duo sparked significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. This slogan was censured by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the American government cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their backing, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of BBC staff at the event told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the BBC's airing of the performance violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Slogan

After asked what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. In which the local population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he said.

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

Denial of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

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

Comparison with Other Artists

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, the host referenced the Irish group another band, who have likewise encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."