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

Disputed Chant and Political Reactions

This outspoken music pair ignited widespread controversy when they initiated audience calls 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 the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the incident, the band was dropped by its agency UTA, and the American state department revoked the members' travel documents, forcing them to call off a planned North American concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first interview since the festival performance, the musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, conversed on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Absolutely. For instance what if I was to perform at the festival 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 noted that the criticism the duo faced was "minimal compared to what people in Palestine are experiencing."

On the Chant's Significance

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

Unexpected Response and Broadcaster Feedback

The musician said he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and stated that members of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the day that the set was "excellent."

Yet, the broadcaster's ECU later found that the BBC's airing of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to harm and hurt.

Vylan informed Theroux there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It didn't feel like we came off stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We leave stage. It was normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We enjoyed that!'"

Reply to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who labeled the chant "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and characterized Vylan as "marching in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "showed no self-awareness," Vylan said.

"I need to say that categorising it as a 'huge mistake' suggests that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he stated.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When asked what he intended by the phrase "Down with the IDF," the artist clarified the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"The key issue is the conditions that persist to allow that protest to even occur on that platform. And I mean, the circumstances that exist in the region. Where the local people are being slain at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the chant?" he said.

"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 play music. I am a lyricist. 'Death, Death to IDF' rhymes. Ideal slogan."

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

Vylan also rejected assertions from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety organisation, that their performance led to a rise in anti-Jewish events reported two days.

"I believe I have created an unsafe environment for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of individuals acting and saying 'We made me do this'. I could go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he said.

Contrast with Different Bands

When he mentioned he thought the duo had been criticised more heavily than others for speaking about the conflict, Theroux brought up the Irish group Kneecap, who have also encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestine advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with everything race comes to play a factor in that we are an easier villain, seriously, than they are because we are inherently the enemy."