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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This outspoken punk duo ignited widespread debate when they led audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled 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 planned North American concert series.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his initial public discussion after the festival show, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to go on Glastonbury 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 backlash the band faced was "small compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's airing of the show violated content standards in regard to offense and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

The musician also hit back at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

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

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that somehow the views of the duo or our position on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. Where the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

When he said he thought the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish group another band, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."