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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Exclamation and Official Responses

The vocal music pair ignited significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. This slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader Keir Starmer, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

After the event, Bob Vylan was released by its agency UTA, and the American state department revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his initial interview since the festival show, Vylan, whose birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. When questioned if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Absolutely. Like suppose 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."

The artist noted that the backlash the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to overstate the importance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the people that I'm advocating for, these are the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Comments

This musician said he was taken aback by the uproar triggered by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the performance was "fantastic."

However, the corporation's ECU later determined that the network's broadcast of the performance violated content guidelines in regard to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed the host there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "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 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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

His comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' implies that in some way the views of the duo or our position 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 continued. "That's it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Meaning Behind the Chant

After questioned what he meant by the chant "Down with the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "unimportant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to allow that chant to even take place on that platform. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an alarming rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "Stop the IDF' does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect chant."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their set contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded two days.

"I believe I have caused an hostile environment for the Jewish community. Suppose there were many individuals of individuals going out and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad effect here," he commented.

Contrast with Other Artists

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish band another band, who have likewise faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," Vylan said, "since as with all things race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."