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Punk duo frontman Bobby Vylan has expressed he is "without regret" about his "death, death to the IDF" act at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Exclamation and Political Responses

The vocal punk pair sparked significant debate when they initiated crowd calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their summer performance. The slogan was condemned by festival organizers and Britain's leader the prime minister, who labeled it as "shocking hate speech."

After the incident, the band was released by its representation UTA, and the American government revoked the members' visas, compelling the duo to call off a scheduled North American tour.

Conversation with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after the festival show, the musician, whose real name is Pascal 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 repeat it. I'm without regret of it. I'd do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

The artist added that the backlash the band encountered was "small compared to what people in Gaza are experiencing."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I aim not to exaggerate the importance of the slogan," he continued. "It isn't what I'm attempting to do, but since I have their support, these are the people that I'm doing it for, they're the people that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to feel sorry about? Well, because I've angered some conservative official or some rightwing news outlet?"

Surprising Response and BBC Feedback

This artist said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the chant, and stated that members of the broadcaster staff at the event told him on the same day that the performance was "excellent."

However, the corporation's executive complaints unit later determined that the BBC's airing of the show violated editorial guidelines in relation to offense and offence.

He told the host there was no sign of a controversy in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we left stage, and everyone was like [gasps]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Even crew at the broadcaster were like 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

The musician also responded at the Blur singer, who labeled the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "marching in sport gear."

His comment was "disappointing" and "showed no self-awareness," he said.

"I need to say that labeling it as a 'spectacular misfire' suggests that somehow the politics of the band or our stance on Palestine's freedom is unplanned," he explained.

"I take great issue with the phrase 'goose-stepping' being used because it's only used 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 chant "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the chant itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the situation that persist to allow that protest to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in Palestine. Where the local people are being killed at an alarming rate. What matters about the chant?" he stated.

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

Rejection of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also rejected claims from the CST, a watchdog and Jewish safety organisation, that their performance contributed to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents recorded later.

"I believe I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish people. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I could go, oh, I've had a bad impact here," he said.

Comparison with Other Artists

As Vylan mentioned he thought the band had been criticised more severely than different artists for speaking about the conflict, the host brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have likewise encountered backlash for their method to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's an interesting one," he responded, "since as with all things ethnicity comes to play a part in that we are an easier villain, no pun intended, than others are because we are already the enemy."