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Punk duo frontman of Bob Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at Glastonbury and asserted he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Responses

The outspoken punk pair ignited significant debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer set. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its agency United Talent Agency, and the American state department revoked the artists' travel documents, compelling the duo to cancel a scheduled North American concert series.

Conversation with the Podcaster

In his initial interview after the Glastonbury performance, the musician, whose birth name is Pascal Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he responded:

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

He added that the criticism the band encountered was "minimal compared to what individuals in Gaza are going through."

On the Chant's Importance

"I don't want to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, these are the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've angered some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Unexpected Reaction and BBC Feedback

The musician said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the exclamation, and stated that staff of BBC employees at the event told him on the same day that the set was "excellent."

However, the corporation's ECU later determined that the BBC's airing of the performance violated editorial standards in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan told Theroux there was no indication of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. Nobody suspected anything. Not a soul. Including crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Blur Frontman

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

Albarn's comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the duo or our stance on Palestinian liberation is not thought out," he stated.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around the Nazis," he added. "Precisely. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his response was appalling."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After questioned 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 take place on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in Palestine. In which the Palestinian population are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have spread, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a songwriter. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also denied assertions from the Community Security Trust, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their set led to a rise in antisemitic incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were many individuals of individuals acting and going like 'We made me do this'. I might go, oh, I've had a negative effect here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Bands

As he said he felt the band had been targeted more severely than others for speaking about the situation, Theroux brought up the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise faced criticism for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," Vylan responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a factor in that we are an easier target, seriously, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."