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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 Exclamation and Official Reactions

This outspoken punk pair sparked significant controversy when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. 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 dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, compelling them to call off a planned North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

During his first interview after the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

On the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, they're the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the BBC's airing of the show violated content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

He told the host there was no indication of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

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

His reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' 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 disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

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

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

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

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish events recorded later.

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

Comparison with Other Artists

When he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Ireland-based group another band, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's a notable point," he said, "because as with all things ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient target, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."