Metal Anarchy

Time for the next edition of Metal Anarchy’s “Music In The Age Of COVID-19” series, the feature where I discuss the ongoing pandemic with various musicians. This time I have an interview with Flush.

METAL ANARCHY: How have you been holding up during the coronavirus pandemic?

FLUSH: We are still alive and have been healthy, so that is a good start. The first lockdown wave delayed our album launch and made any live promotion of the album impossible, so that was a major blow. We finally then launched the album in October (‘It Began as a Mistake’, launched 23rd October 2020), but the live scene and touring is still pretty much dead. It has been a weird and confusing time, and we don’t know when this will end, but on the other hand, music has been a good relief and therapy for us.

METAL ANARCHY: Have you been using your downtime to work on new music?

FLUSH: Some new music, yes, but as other artists have pointed out too, this period has not been as productive as one might think. We don’t get together as much as we would normally do and without normal life there is not much inspiration to write about. There can only be so many songs about covid and the orange clown in the white house. We are inspired by life and without regular doses of said life, it is hard to be very creative in song-writing. We do have a few new songs in the works though, and if times continue like this, maybe we will publish them as singles or an EP in 2021. Time will tell.

METAL ANARCHY: What was the last show you played or attended before the shutdown?

FLUSH: We had a really good show at the end of January in our hometown, Helsinki. We were in the midst of album recording then and it was only supposed to be a quick, little, one-time gig, but we had a great time, people turned up, and thankfully so as the break turned out to be much longer than anticipated. We are playing a show a week from now, in Helsinki, with our friends, Ninetyfive50. Hopefully, that show goes ahead and a decent amount of people turn up.

METAL ANARCHY: Are you planning to play any livestream concerts during this time?

FLUSH: We were considering these, especially for what was supposed to be our record release party (it got cancelled), but for a band without resources and our volume, it is not an easy thing to do. You need a proper stage, good equipment, and a few extra hands to help with the execution. We don’t have the funds for this type of a production. We also did not want to play our music acoustically before the real versions were available for people to hear.

METAL ANARCHY: Do you think the live entertainment industry will ever recover?

FLUSH: It definitely will, as live music is a fundamental need for people. However, lots of small venues were struggling already before the pandemic, and they will have to fight hard for survival. As said, people want and need music, but the concern is that large and greedy corporations will take over the live music scene completely and mostly offer easy-going, highly commercial background music (“music as a service”) for people to drink and dance to. This is one big part of what is killing music as an artform today. What are the platforms for truly creative artists that make original art?

METAL ANARCHY: Lastly, is there anything fans can do to help your band or others that may be struggling during this time?

FLUSH: In no specific order, do these things:

– Support your local music venues, as they have an incredibly important role in keeping music vibrant, creative, and interesting.

– Promote your favourite bands and artists to your own network. Share their streams and videos, leave reviews, etc.

– Support us and your other favourites by buying albums and merch, and just in general being there and visibly showing your support. We cannot see you at the shows so unless you make it visible in some other way, we cannot see if you are still out there supporting us.