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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

The outspoken music duo sparked widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the members' visas, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial public discussion after the festival show, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on 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 noted that the backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The musician claimed he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that members of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's broadcast of the show violated editorial guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

He informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the term 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"What is important is the situation that exist to allow that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. In which the local people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

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

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

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than others are because we are already the opponent."