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The lead singer Bobby Vylan has stated he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Responses

The outspoken music duo ignited widespread controversy when they led crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This slogan was condemned by Glastonbury and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with Louis Theroux

In his first public discussion since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to perform at the festival again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

Regarding the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

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

However, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the show breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and offence.

Vylan told the host there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It didn't feel like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in tennis gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he stated.

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

Meaning Behind the Slogan

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

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that chant to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance led to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

When he mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Ireland-based group another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine messaging.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with everything race becomes a part in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than they are because we are already the opponent."