Flush is a four-piece rock band from Helsinki, Finland that plays a dark blend of alternative, punk, and hard rock, with elements of pop and metal thrown into the mix. The band thinks their music will sound familiar to most listeners, but still not directly like any other band out there. The Penguin Rocks spoke with Lasse for this interview with Flush.
How long has the band been around? Is there a story behind the band name?
The origins of Flush can be traced back to the mid-90s, but the current line-up and the current active phase goes back to approx. 2017-2018 when Eero (bass) joined the band and we decided to take everything a little bit more serious. The name does unfortunately not have any exciting story behind it. We liked it because it is short and ambiguous, and sort of got stuck with it.
Who are the members of the band and what instrument do they each play?
Flush is Lasse (vocals, guitars, songs), Börje (drums), Eero (bass) and Janne (guitars, vocals). Straight-forward guitar rock band set-up here, no frills.
Tell me about your latest release. What songs are you most proud of ?
We just released a new EP called ‘Conspiracies, Threats and Chaos’ (November 2021). It is a self-produced follow-up of our debut album ‘It Began as a Mistake’, which came out in 2020. The new EP has four songs and we only picked the best ones for the EP, so they are all special unicorns to us. ‘Kings and Queens’ probably best represents a newish heavier side to Flush, and we like how the song – and the video – turned out. ‘Weak and Wrong’ is one of the best punk rock songs we’ve ever done, and people seem to really dig it.
How many records, eps, or singles has the band put out in total? How has the band changed over time?
Proper official releases are only the new EP (‘Conspiracies, Threats and Chaos’) and the full-length debut album (‘It Began as a Mistake’) from 2020. Before that we had done a bunch of demo tapes and one self-produced, digital-only EP called ‘New Beginnings’. From the new EP we released 3 singles and from the 2020 debut album we also released 3 singles.
What was one of your favorite gigs? What made it memorable?
Many of them are special in some way. On top of head right now, because we have not been able to travel much, is our mini-tour to Slovakia, where we played in this dungeon club in Bratislava. Hot, sweaty, intense, and fun.
Where does the band regularly play shows? Where would you like to play if you could?
Our typical venue is a 50-200 person rock club, of which there are a decreasing number here in southern Finland. People just don’t go out to live shows that much anymore and the clubs find it hard to make it work economically. We’d like to play some festivals in the summer and also see some new places in Europe. The type of venue is less important, as long as people have a good time there.
What would be the “next step” that you’d like to see the band take?
We kind of already know what it is but cannot talk about it yet – sorry! Let’s just say that we have some contracts in the works... Check out our website flush.rocks or connect on our socials to stay updated on what happens next on our journey.
Finally, if the band does any cover songs. What artists do you cover?
We don’t usually play cover songs that much. Sometimes, if it’s a longer set, we might throw in one or two covers, but we always pick cover songs from outside our own genres. We feel that is the only way to make sense and make a cover version interesting. So, we’ve done Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Electric Six, among others. There really isn’t any specific artist we’d like to cover, as we always pick by the song, not by the artist. That said, if we were ever to form a tribute band that did covers of one band only, the answer is very simple: Bad Religion.
The Artist Spotlight series features interviews with artists and bands from around the world. If you would like to be considered for an interview, email info@thepenguinrocks.com and provide a link to your website or socials for us to check out. There is no cost to being part of the series. Interviews run at The Penguin Rocks and NewJerseyStage.com
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