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The frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal punk pair sparked significant debate when they led crowd chants 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 "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, the band was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US government revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling them to call off a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his first public discussion after the Glastonbury performance, Vylan, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. When asked if he would repeat his actions, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose I was to go on the festival again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist noted that the backlash the band faced was "minimal compared to what people in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's backing, they're the people that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Well, because I've upset some rightwing official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Reaction and BBC Comments

The musician claimed he was surprised by the outcry triggered by the exclamation, and asserted that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's executive complaints unit subsequently found that the network's broadcast of the performance violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

He informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [shocked]. It felt normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Including staff at the BBC were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is offensive. I think his answer was appalling."

Meaning Behind the Slogan

When asked what he meant by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"What is important 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 disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase 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. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

Vylan also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

When Vylan said he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan said, "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 enemy."