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The frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and declared he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Official Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited significant debate when they initiated crowd chants of "down with the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. This slogan was censured by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was dropped by its representation UTA, and the US state department cancelled the members' travel documents, compelling them to cancel a planned US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after the festival performance, Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would do it all again, he replied:

"Oh yeah. Like suppose I was to go on Glastonbury 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 added that the criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Importance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the chant," he continued. "It isn't what I'm trying to do, but since I have the Palestinian people's backing, these are the people that I'm advocating for, they're the individuals that I'm being vocal for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've upset some conservative politician or some conservative news outlet?"

Unexpected Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The artist claimed he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the chant, and stated that staff of the broadcaster employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "fantastic."

However, the broadcaster's ECU subsequently determined that the BBC's broadcast of the show breached editorial standards in regard to harm and hurt.

He told the host there was no sign 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's normal. Nobody suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the BBC were like 'It was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life" and characterized him as "goose-stepping in tennis gear."

Albarn's reaction was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he remarked.

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

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used around Nazi Germany," he continued. "Precisely. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

When questioned what he intended by the chant "Death to the IDF," the artist said the slogan itself was "unimportant."

"The key issue is the situation that exist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the circumstances that are present in the region. In which the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. What matters about the slogan?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Antisemitism Claims

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

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

Contrast with Other Bands

When Vylan said he thought the band had been criticised more severely than others for speaking about the situation, the host referenced the Ireland-based group Kneecap, who have likewise encountered backlash for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he said, "because as with everything ethnicity becomes a factor in that we are an more convenient villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are inherently the opponent."