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Punk duo lead singer Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" act at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Political Reactions

This vocal music pair sparked significant debate when they led audience calls of "down with the IDF," referring to the IDF, during their June set. This chant was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American government cancelled the artists' visas, compelling the duo to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after the Glastonbury show, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Absolutely. Like what if I was to perform at 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 encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, they're the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing politician or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Response and BBC Feedback

The artist said he was surprised by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster employees at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's broadcast of the show breached content guidelines in relation to offense and hurt.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the moment: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It felt normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Not a soul. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the protest "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and characterized Vylan as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

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

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

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around Nazi Germany," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is offensive. I think his response was appalling."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the local people are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he stated.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he added: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Ideal chant."

Rejection of Antisemitism Allegations

The musician also denied claims from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile atmosphere for the Jewish community. Suppose there were large numbers of individuals acting and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Artists

As he said he thought the duo had been criticised more severely than others for voicing views about the conflict, the host referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have also encountered criticism for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he responded, "because as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."