FUNGALPUNK INTERVIEWS

Leighton, Callum and Flynn of

ENTROPY

 

1. So, Entropy, fine stalwarts of the DIY realm methinks, and may I add, darned attractive lads with the promise of a career in one-eyed porn (or do I suggest too much).  Anyway - tell us about yourselves, your coming together and the ethos, aims and joys and pains of being in the band?

Leighton : The ethos of Entropy have always been the same straight forward and no nonsense, we are just a bunch of lads who got together who love to write and play music. The joys are always the gigs we love to play whenever we can and pains …. there’s a few but by far it’s the drummers cowbell. 
Callum : Originally me and Flynnston tried multiple incarnations until we found Fletch who then brought in Leighton and the rest is history. Aims is just to have fun, be ourselves and don’t conform to any norms. Pains is amps dying mid set, Fletch’s farts and stairs.
Flynn: Me and Cal got this going about 10 years ago and we bonded over our love of music and we both always wanted to be in a band. I was doing home recording and Cal started coming round, we jammed out the worst cover of “I Wanna Be Adored” ever, we recorded it and it sounds worst now than it did then! We knocked about for a bit until Fletcher walked into my girlfriend’s barber shop. We needed a drummer and he wanted a discount on the haircut so he met up with us and we jammed as a three piece until Fletch introduced us to Leighton, who we adopted and Entropy was born! 
  1. As a fan of the band I have many songs on my fave list but what are your individual pick of the pops and of course, why?
Leighton : My favourite is ‘Jawbreaker’ -  it’s fast and hard hitting although some new songs are contenders to take its place we just might have some new material for you soon. 
Callum : ‘Sad Boy’ is my personal fave it has everything we can offer as a band but also has a message.  
Flynn:  It’s always changing for me but ‘Side Effects’ from the first EP. I think that’s song is all of us at our best, a new song called ‘Breathe’ because I wrote it about my mate and ‘Rock n Rolleri it’s about basically what we do as unsigned musicians. Special mentions to ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Universally Broken’.
  1. Tell us about some of the best bands you have played with and the best gigs to date folks - what makes them so memorable?
Leighton: We’ve had the pleasure of playing many a good gig with some great bands, highlights for me were the EP release show at The Station and a gig we did outside at the Alma Inn truly punk DIY spit and spirit. 
Callum : Best band I personally have played with has to be……….either the Thirteenth Turn, XIII Rats or Dry Retch for me. 
Flynn:  Hospital Food is always a top one for me, class musicians and mint songs! We’ve played with the GoGo ponies a few times and they are fucking nuts, always a top gig! The last gig at The Alma was something special. The gig at The Big Tree and a packed out Station is always mint.
Leighton : Stealing is considered wrong however I would grow my personal collection of different seagull ornaments and shortbread biscuits, because money is overrated these days isn’t it. 
Callum: I would steal……the confidence of the local aggressive geese. 
Flynn:  I’d be a shoplifter for hire called the Willy Bandit, nothing would be safe! 
5. As individual musicians what are your main targets in life and do you play other instruments other than the ones you are assigned to in the band?
Leighton : I want to release good music and gig and have fun whilst doing it. There’s enough stresses in modern day life so being with these lads is what I enjoy. 
Callum : My aim as a musician is just to enjoy what I do, not take it too seriously and don’t let the bastards drag you down. I use it as a release and I also play a little bit of guitar and drums but bass is my fave. 
Flynn : I just want to write songs that the other lot like. The other 3 are all fucking mega talented so I’ve had to proper work on my lead guitar to try to keep up. The others can plays all sorts. I play the harmonica as well but I have too many chins to wear the brace to play that and the guitar at the same time. 
6. As you may have noticed, the scene at all levels is divided, invaded by self-absorbed nobrots and seems to be just one free-for-all with many unattainable niches.  How do you propose to make headway in the scene/s and are you concerned about fitting in to one of these suffocating labels?
Leighton: Fitting in is something I don’t think none of us have ever been good at ha, ha! We like to think we are mixed in between a few different genres but we have no interest in fitting into some corporate label. We love what we do and if people like it and wanna support us that’s brilliant. 
Callum : No concerns about fitting in at all. One thing I’ve noticed after spending a few years as both a punter and a band member is the majority of the punk scene is so scared of anything new if you don’t sing about Thatcher they don’t want to know which is sad as there are so many great bands making headway that could fill spaces on bills but it seems to be the same collection of bands doing the rounds. Also fuck labels they are for clothes. 
Flynn: We just do our own thing and play music we’d want to listen to and if people like it mint and if they don’t we’re not bothered. If you change your style to suit a certain scene you’ll never produce anything that means something to someone. 
7. The song writing process - please explain who you get from a blank canvas to a full on end arrangement?
Leighton : I’d turn to my friend and song writing guru Flynny for this one, all of us contribute in our own ways, some songs end up in completely different places from where they started. We like to take time on the writing process and only bring a tune to the live setting when we think it’s ready. 
Callum: Flynn is the man to thank for the lyrics. He’s a fantastic song writer in my opinion, really pours his heart out into his songs and we do our best to give them justice.
Flynn:  I’ll come up with the chord progression, lyrics and basic structure. Me and Leighton will run through it and trim it and then when it goes in the room we can proper feel it out and Cal and Fletcher do their magic. We’ve had it where a song takes an hour and we’ve had songs that take ages. We’ve always got to serve the song! 
8. Twinkletoes Titmilk has started promoting gigs - she has asked Entropy to play and you are allowed to pick 3 bands to join in the fun - who would you put on, where and why?  Also would you be OK if all beer was band and it was just breastmilk for sale along with Farley's Rusks and Jelly Nipples (Lime flavour of course).
Leighton: Twinkletoes Titmilk sounds like a band somewhere out there ha, ha. The Rad Lads were a blast when we saw them a few months ago along with Hospital Food and the P45s - all are great bands. 
Callum: 3 bands would be Twisted Wheel, Guilt Trip and Malevolence if I could have anyone and Breast milk is our go to, we’re just too shy to ask at the bar. 
Flynn: Mavis, not around anymore but top lads and kindred spirits in the style of music. Hospital Food, they’re just fucking top and Stone Cold Sweet Hearts, one of the best bands we’ve played with and proper up our street. I draw the line at anything Lime flavoured not having that! 
9. Pressure on, can you describe each other using only 3 words apiece?  Be kind or cruel - but be honest!
Leighton: 
Flynny - Writer/Musician/Manc 
Callum - Dad /Caring/Bassist 
Fletcher - Loud/Proud/Cowbell Enthusiast 
Callum: 
Fletch: Massive drumming prick 
Leighton: Guitar singing prick 
Flynn: Songwriting guitar prick 
Flynn:
Leighton: Voice, octaves and shoelaces
Callum: Heart, organiser and (sickly) talented
Fletcher: Sweat, pigeons and renegade
10. Tell us about your 3 best CD's in your personal collections and also, who are the 3 best bands you have seen?
Leighton : We all have such different music tastes but it’s these for sure 
Guilt trip - Severance 
Knuckle Puck - Copacetic 
Nas - Illmatic 
3 best live bands I’d have to say 
Malevolence / Airborne / While She Sleeps 
Callum: My top 3 albums are
Terror - Keepers of the Faith
The Smiths  - The Queen Is Dead
Sum 41-  Chuck
Top 3 bands I have seen has to be Malevolence, Oasis and Mr Johnny Marr 
Flynn: Top CD’as - Twisted Wheel - Self Titled, Oasis - Definitely Maybe and The Clash - Self Titled but it’s forever changing! Off the top of my head best bands seen - Cage The Elephant, Johnny Marr and, people will scoff at this, but Oasis last summer - it was just something else. Me and Cal spent years traipsing round going to any gig we could so it’s a tough one!
11. Oak underpants or pasta based socks - which one would you prefer to wear when going on a date with top gaylord Gilbraith Stickleback?
Leighton: Tough decisions but pasta based socks although you’d have to ask our drummer on that one I believe Gilbraith Stickleback was his lover for a while. 
Callum: Oak underpants to reinforce my natural wood. 
Flynn: Oak underpants would be itchy as fuck! Got to be pasta socks! Easy to get off in a crisis.
12. And finally - the idlers the socialites, the strangled scene dwellears and those with ears clogged by everyday piss-bilge - why should they come forth and catch up with Entropy and why should they listen in and feel the vibes of some good DIY noise?
Leighton: As cliched as it sounds we’re just everyday people, we don’t like to pretend we are anything that we’re not. We have no need for fancy costumes but we try and stay true to our values and enjoy music just like everyone else in this scene.
Callum: You’d be supporting local lads who love music of all shapes and sounds. You would be helping the local scene and you’d have a top time and you could pick up a t shirt and a CD and fall head over heels with us as we are mediocre at best.
Flynn: We’ve just recorded our new EP ‘The Long Way Round’ which I think shows how we’ve progressed from the first EP with some top songs on there! If not that, the drummer is a good looking lad who we are not scared of exploiting.