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The lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "anti-IDF chant" performance at the festival and declared he would "repeat it tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Controversial Chant and Official Reactions

This vocal punk duo ignited significant controversy when they initiated audience calls of "down with the IDF," pointing to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June set. The chant was condemned by Glastonbury and UK Prime Minister the prime minister, who labeled it as "appalling hate speech."

Following the event, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the American state department cancelled the artists' travel documents, forcing the duo to call off a scheduled US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

In his initial public discussion since the Glastonbury show, Vylan, using his birth name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, spoke on a popular podcast. After questioned if he would do it all again, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

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

On the Chant's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the chant," he elaborated. "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 advocating for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some conservative official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Reaction and Broadcaster Comments

The musician claimed he was taken aback by the uproar sparked by the chant, and asserted that staff of BBC employees at Glastonbury told him on the day that the performance was "excellent."

Yet, the corporation's ECU later found that the network's airing of the performance breached editorial guidelines in regard to offense and hurt.

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

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at Damon Albarn, who called the protest "a major misstep I've seen in my life" and described Vylan as "marching in tennis gear."

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

"I just want to say that categorising it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our position on Palestine's freedom is not thought out," he explained.

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

Intent Behind the Chant

When questioned what he meant by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan clarified the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in the region. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"The phrase rhymes," he added: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, right? … We are there to entertain. We are there to sing songs. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Allegations

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish safety group, that their performance contributed to a spike in antisemitic events reported later.

"I believe I have caused an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people going out and saying 'We made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a bad impact here," he commented.

Contrast with Different Bands

As Vylan mentioned he felt the band had been targeted more heavily than different artists for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Irish band another band, who have likewise faced backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian messaging.

"That's a notable point," Vylan 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 enemy."