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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

The outspoken punk duo ignited widespread debate when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their summer set. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the American government revoked the artists' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with Louis Theroux

During his first public discussion after the festival performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to overstate the significance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have their backing, they're 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 upset some conservative official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Feedback

This musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later found that the network's airing of the performance breached content guidelines in relation to harm and offence.

Vylan told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one thought anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "lacked self-awareness," he said.

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

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," the artist said the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop 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 lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic events recorded two days.

"I don't think I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Different Artists

As Vylan mentioned he felt the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "because as with everything ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."