Bobby Vylan, the unapologetic frontman of the punk duo Bob Vylan (pronounced "villain"), spoke to The Louis Theroux Podcast about the controversy that ensued after his band's infamous chant of "death, death, death to the IDF" at Glastonbury. The incident ignited a firestorm of criticism, with Glastonbury condemning the chant, UTA dropping the band, and the U.S. State Department revoking the group's visas, forcing them to cancel their North American tour.
Despite the backlash, Vylan maintains that he would do it all again if he had the chance. "If 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. I'm not regretful of it at all," he said with a resolute tone. "The subsequent backlash that I've faced is minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through. What is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some right-wing politician or some right-wing media?"
Vylan's words echo those of other bands that publicly criticized Israel's conduct in the Gaza war, including Irish rap group Kneecap, who faced similar criticism for their anti-Israel message at Coachella. Vylan argued that the backlash was "so disproportionate," and that it turned public attention away from Gaza. "My whole issue with this thing is that the chant is so unimportant," he said. "What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate. Who cares about the chant?"
Vylan credited the controversy for "allowing for that conversation to have a new life almost," and for helping to "focus the attention back onto Gaza, back onto the people of Palestine." He confirmed that UTA dropped the band the day after the performance, calling it a top-down decision. "The call came on the Sunday, we played on Saturday," he said. "On Sunday, that's when our agent called and was like, 'look guys, I've got to let you go.' He said that 'it's come from the most senior members of the company.' He didn't have any choice. It was either we go or he goes."
Vylan also addressed the U.S. State Department's revocation of the group's visas, describing it as a "scare tactic." He accused them of using the media attention and discourse created by their performance to suppress further criticism. "Possibly to make us persona non grata, don't stand next to this band. It might hurt your chances of getting your visa," he said.
When asked about accusations that the chant encouraged antisemitism, Vylan rejected any link. "I don't think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community," he said. "If there were large numbers of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this,' I might go, oof, I've had a negative impact here." The episode notes that the interview was recorded on Oct. 1, before the Oct. 2 Manchester synagogue attacks in which two people were killed and three others injured.
Vylan also responded to criticism from fellow musicians, singling out Blur frontman Damon Albarn for describing the performance as "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen in my life." He called Albarn's use of the term "goose-stepping" to describe his movements on stage "disgusting," adding that it was only used around Nazi Germany and implying that his response was biased. In contrast, Vylan praised Chuck D for his response to the controversy, saying that his understanding of their politics was "natural" and more empathetic than Albarn's.
