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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Political Responses

The vocal punk pair sparked widespread controversy when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," pointing to the IDF, during their summer performance. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the event, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American government revoked the members' visas, forcing the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial interview after the festival show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. For instance suppose I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, definitely I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the duo encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I don't want to overstate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have their support, they're the people that I'm advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some rightwing politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Comments

The musician said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC staff at the event told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the show breached content standards in relation to offense and offence.

He informed Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Reply to Blur Frontman

Vylan also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the protest "a major misstep I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."

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

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he meant by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. In which the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" 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 perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a songwriter. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a watchdog and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish events reported later.

"I don't think I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of people acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he said.

Comparison with Different Bands

When Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been criticised more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the conflict, the host brought up the Irish band Kneecap, who have also faced backlash for their approach to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan responded, "since as with everything race comes to play a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."