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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

The outspoken music duo sparked widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their June set. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the US state department cancelled the artists' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first interview since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the band faced was "small compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, they're the people that I'm doing it for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

This musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the chant, and stated that staff of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU later determined that the network's airing of the show breached editorial standards in regard to harm and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the moment: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Including crew at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also hit back at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that in some way the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. 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 intended by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian population are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF 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 lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish people. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Bands

When Vylan said he thought the band had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the situation, Theroux brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the enemy."