In Conversation: The Entitled Son

Fresh from a raucous performance at The Great Escape Festival and ahead of the release of their powerful new single Epitaph (Not There), The Entitled Sons are showing no signs of slowing down. The independent five-piece have just announced an intimate record store tour, giving fans the chance to hear new music and get up close with the band. With sold-out shows, a headline date at Frome’s Cheese & Grain, and more live announcements on the horizon, 2026 is shaping up to be their biggest year yet.



If Epitaph (Not There) had to be described using only three completely random words, what would they be?

Raw, Vulnerable, Sad.

What's the strangest place you've ever come up with a song idea?

Most recently, Lidl! Bill came back from shopping in Lidl and said, "Quick, have a listen to this." It was just bare bones at the time, but it's turning into something pretty special and might be our next release. We are on the road a lot, so we write in some pretty weird places – but mostly in the van.

Which member is most likely to forget lyrics during an acoustic in-store performance?

Backing vocals are pretty basic, so definitely Charlie.

If No Clue was turned into a movie, who would play each of you?

Everyone says that Charlie looks like a young Heath Ledger (Rest his soul) Laurie was compared to Austin Butler once, which he reminds us of all the time! Raff would need to be someone crazy like Rhys Ifans or Charlie Sheen; Bill – he's got the same hair and wispy beard as Shia LaBeouf, so that would fit; and Graham probably someone really old like Eddie Redmayne.

What's one song in your catalogue that surprised you most with fans' reactions to it?

Honestly the live response we had to Epitaph (Not There) was more amazing than we could have ever imagined. We were surprised by how it resonated with so many people; we knew it was sad and raw but there were a lot of tears in the audience.

You print your own merch—who would you trust the least to operate the printing equipment unsupervised?

Raffey! (said the band in unison!)

What's the most memorable thing a fan has ever shouted at one of your gigs?

Someone who should know better shouted something unrepeatable at our bassist!




If you could go back and give your pre-Glastonbury competition selves one piece of advice, what would it be?

Everybody, get a haircut.

Which song is the most fun to play live, and which is the hardest to get right?

We normally open our shows in blackout with our song Lover Boy. It was written for that exact purpose, and when the lights first hit the stage, all the pre-nerves disappear, and we feel like we have arrived every time! Win Some Lose Some is the most difficult to get right; if you miss a beat by a fraction, it loses all its swag.

What's one behind-the-scenes band habit that fans would be shocked to learn about?

Trying to stop Raffey from drinking loads of Monster before we go on… Oh, and we also do a one-minute plank right before going on stage, no matter how small the backstage area is!

If These Days hadn't become the breakout hit it did, what song do you think would've introduced people to The Entitled Sons instead?

I think we’ve got a few songs that have overtaken these days now. I think Still Smiling and Lover Boy are a pretty good representation of where we are now.

You seem to do everything yourselves—writing, recording, merch, touring. What's been the biggest DIY disaster so far?

Raff has crazy ADHD, and he left his pedal board at home for a great slot at a festival once. That was a big deal with a tight festival turnaround!

Which member would survive the longest if the band got stranded overnight in a record store?

Billy definitely, because he wouldn't be able to prove how underground all the bands that he’s forcing us to listen to are!

After selling out bigger and bigger venues, what still gives you the same buzz now as it did when you first started?

Playing live is what it’s really about for us, wherever we go. We played on a tiny stage at the Great Escape in Brighton, not knowing if anyone would turn up, but a packed, relatively small, sweaty room with everyone singing back your songs is just as exciting as a packed O2 Bristol Academy or Shepherd's Bush Empire.

When fans hear Epitaph (Not There) for the first time, what's the one feeling or thought you hope they take away from it?

It might sound a bit earnest, but I hope it makes them think how unexpectedly fragile life can be, to make the most of every second, and not create future regrets by not doing something that you'll wish later you had done.