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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This outspoken music pair sparked widespread debate when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. This chant was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American state department revoked the artists' visas, compelling the duo to call off a planned North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion since the festival show, the musician, using his birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the band faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

This artist said he was surprised by the uproar triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's ECU subsequently found that the network's airing of the show breached content guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's comment 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 politics of the band or our position on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

"I strongly object with the term 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. Where the local population are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?" 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 perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported later.

"I don't think I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of individuals going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Artists

When Vylan said he felt the duo had been targeted more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, Theroux referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with everything race becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."