FEATURE: Spotlight: HotWax — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

HotWax

_________

SIGNED to Marathon Artists…

the mighty HotWax are one of the most exciting young bands coming through. They have recently got a huge nod of acclaim from the likes of NME. I have known about their music for quite a while (here is an interesting interview from a couple of years back) but, until relatively recent, there wasn’t a lot in the way of interviews. Now that a few have come up, I wanted to present and spotlight the phenomenal HotWax. Here is what you need to know about one of the most promising acts of the moment:

“Raw punk powerhouse HotWax are ripping up the template and ripping up stages across the UK. With a handful of self released tracks, and barely out of school, Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals and guitar), Lola Sam (bass) and Alfie Sayers (drums) are already confirmed to share festival stages with Queens of the Stone Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes this summer and their rarified live energy and sound has already won them the support of Nova Twins, Wolf Alice and Jack Saunders. Forging post-punk, grunge and alternative rock, HotWax have created a sound that is both unique and familiar, from the expressive, explosive snarl of vocalists like Karen O and Courtney Love, to the youthful, irreverent zest of Wet Leg, and the unruly, down-low guitar sound peddled by grunge greats Nirvana and Mudhoney. HotWax will be taking their show on the road throughout 2023 with a mini tour in March then supporting Pearl Hearts across UK and Europe in May. This summer they’ll be appearing on high-profile bills including London’s All Points East (alongside The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs), as well as releasing their first EP ‘A Thousand Times’, a blistering hit of searing riff-led rock. HotWax harness the firepower of the grunge pioneers, with great songwriting and musicianship, they possess the imaginative brilliance to stake out a new landscape in guitar music”.

A lot of articles and interviews are declaring HotWax and the hottest new band around. Proclaiming their brilliance and originality, it does seem that we are seeing a very special trio emerge. This is what Maximum Volume Music wrote about HotWax back in March:

“Raw punk powerhouse HotWax are ripping up the template and ripping up stages across the UK. With a handful of self released tracks, and barely out of school, Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals and guitar), Lola Sam (bass) and Alfie Sayers (drums) are already confirmed to share festival stages with Queens of the Stone Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes this summer and their rarified live energy and sound has already won them the support of Nova Twins, Wolf Alice and Jack Saunders.

Forging post-punk, grunge and alternative rock, HotWax have created a sound that is both unique and familiar, from the expressive, explosive snarl of vocalists like Karen O and Courtney Love, to the youthful, irreverent zest of Wet Leg, and the unruly, down-low guitar sound peddled by grunge greats Nirvana and Mudhoney.

HotWax have been building their stagecraft since their early teens, delivering high-energy and dynamic live performances with a powerhouse of a rhythm section, bass lines that twist and turn, and superfuzz guitar. Having cut their teeth locally in Hastings, and later in Brighton’s punkier scene, HotWax’s earliest incarnations began when Tallulah and Lola were 12, both from musical families they were thrown together to form a band so they could take part in a competition in their hometown.

Fast forward to 2023 and they’re a fully formed trio with huge riffs and dynamite lyrics that pull from Tallulah and Lola’s relationship and their own experiences and thoughts about guilt, love, contraception, global warming, teenage years and womanhood. Tallulah and Lola hope to be known first and foremost as musicians who “love playing live”. Tallulah explains, “I can’t think of anything that makes us feel more excited. I really really change. I completely feel like a different person.”

HotWax will be taking their show on the road throughout 2023 with a mini tour in March then supporting Pearl Hearts across UK and Europe in May. This summer they’ll be appearing on high-profile bills including London’s All Points East (alongside The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs), as well as releasing their first EP ‘A Thousand Times’, a blistering hit of searing riff-led rock.

HotWax harness the firepower of the grunge pioneers, with great songwriting and musicianship, they possess the imaginative brilliance to stake out a new landscape in guitar music”.

The group’s E.P., A Thousands Times, is out on Friday (19th May), and I will get to a review soon. You can buy it here. I would suggest that you flow HotWax on social media. In readiness for the E.P. being huge and crowds wanting to see them live, HotWax are touring the U.K. In terms of dates - 19th May – Bristol, The Lanes (Pearl Harts tour); 20th May – Hastings, Printworks (support from Snayx and Borough Council DJ set); 1st June – Manchester, 33 Oldham St (Alien Chicks support); 2nd July – Newport, Rebel Fest; 7th July – Madrid, Mad Cool Festival; 22nd July – Hackney, Visions Festival; 25th August – London, All Points East Festival; 9th September – Torquay, Burn It Down Festival – they are pretty busy, and more will be added soon I know – as HotWax are one of the best and most sought after live acts in the country right now. It is amazing that the same question comes up on numerous artists: Are HotWax the hottest new band right now? There is slightly different wording maybe but, rather than declare that they are, there is that query. Of course, most are firmly asserting that HotWax are something very special! I am going to come to that NME interview in a bit. Before that, an article from The Independent observed how there is this new resurgence of quiet-loud songs inspired by groups such as Hole, Pixies, and Nirvana. Maybe a nod back to Rock and Grunge brilliance of the 1980s and 1990s, a young wave of groups are clearly finding flexibility, meaning and truth in a sound and dynamic that is compelling media and listeners alike:

“Courtney Love’s voice vaulted rasping and raw from the speakers and, for an instant, Tallulah Sim-Savage forgot she was breathing. “My mind was blown that a woman was singing that sort of music,” says Sim-Savage, frontwoman of up-and-coming indie band HotWax.

The singer and guitarist was just 11 when her mother introduced her to Love’s group, Hole, and their angst-packed 1994 album, Live Through This. Released in the shadow of the suicide of Love’s husband, Kurt Cobain, the record was a pile-driving mix of trauma and rage. That blend of quiet and loud had a life-changing effect on Sim-Savage, growing up in Hastings, East Sussex, and, seven years later, as she and her bandmates prepare to release their effervescent, punchy debut EP, A Thousand Times, she remains devoted to the 1990s indie aesthetic.

A Thousand Times is a zinging calling card from a trio just out of school – their GCSEs were interrupted by Covid – and going places in a hurry. It also marks HotWax as part of a wider movement of Gen Zers who have fallen hard for that classic early 1990s indie template of detonating hooks and whispered verses – a formula pioneered, from the late 1980s onwards, by underdogs such as Pixies and then turned into a commercial steamroller in the following decade by Nirvana.

It is an ever-expanding club. Alongside HotWax, there are American artists such as Soccer Mommy, Beach Bunny and Snail Mail – and, with her new LP, Blondshell’s Sabrina Teitelbaum, who also name-checks Courtney Love as an influence”.

Last month, NME’s Sophie Williams caught up with HotWax. With a sub-headline that reads, “The Hastings-via-Brighton trio's electric debut EP encapsulates their journey from early, DIY gigs to supporting The Strokes”, this is a trio that are going to be headlining festivals soon. I do like the fact that we have these bands with real grit, power and potency. With inventive and fresh riffs blending old-skool Grunge/Indie with something of the moment, HotWax are going to go far! Tallulah Sim-Savage, Lola Sam, and Alfie Sayers sat down with NME:

“Unfurling their origin story in conversation with NME, HotWax are like live wires off stage too, exuding a frenzied blend of mild anxiety and excitement as they talk over each other. When we broach their upcoming slot at The Strokes’ All Point East show in London this August, all three members rush to speak in wide-eyed bursts. “We almost feel guilty for being on the lineup poster,” says Sayers, laughing. “But equally, we want to relish the challenge: we’re currently unknown, and need to prove ourselves.”

Sayers has been drumming before he learned his times tables, having been taught by a childminder at a young age. Sim-Savage and Sam, meanwhile, are childhood friends who have always had a firm grasp on their narrative. Before they met Sayers at music college in Brighton, they grew up in tandem, plotting local gigs, analysing YouTube videos of their heroes Karen O and Starcrawler’s Arrow de Wilde, and immersing themselves in Hastings’ tight-knit creative scene. “We literally had each other, and no one else,” affirms Sim-Savage.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Denny

Their bond would soon strengthen in the face of adversity; the pair were bullied in high school and had food thrown at them during lunch breaks, but continued to focus on pursuing their dreams as soon as they finished their studies. Today, they radiate an inseparable, sisterly dynamic, often directing their answers to each other rather than NME. “Many people leave school with nothing, but we knew we had something really special with our band,” Sim-Savage says. “We just needed to work out how we were going to get out there.”

The fact that HotWax have never really had a plan – only a lot of vim and dedication – has been written into their own folklore. At college, they bonded over a shared resentment for the hyper-critical nature of their classmates, many of whom had learned their instruments via a more traditional musical education. “You can’t be taught something that you know you want to do in your own way,” says Sayers. “There’s no way we could have followed their critiques and what they had to say about what we’re doing.”

Fed up with the “narrow-minded environment” of her bass guitar course, Sam eventually quit her degree and encouraged her bandmates to start channeling their frustrations and nonconformist spirit into their songs. “I don’t have anything else in my life besides music,” she says with a trace of pride, flicking her orange-red hair behind her. “So, when we started the band, we made a commitment to each other. It’s amazing that we are willing to give up our lives so that we can work together.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Denny

It’s clear, then, that HotWax have taken their friendship and set it to music. The resulting ‘A Thousand Times’ EP feels perfectly attuned to the conflicting uncertainties of young adulthood, all skittish, fierce, Wolf Alice-style guitar breakdowns and growled vocals that are immediate without being repetitive. The entire EP was written before they landed a deal with Marathon Artists [Pond, Lava La Rue], and there’s a delicious, no-pressure energy to it; before they began songwriting sessions, they’d already fostered an informal network of local promoters and industry heads off the back of their incendiary live show.

Yet HotWax’s ascent has been so fast and steep, that whenever Sim-Savage tries to describe it, she circles back to the same mantra: this is a band built solely on self-belief, and they’ve had to learn how to unlock the uber-confident, extroverted performers deep within them in order to survive. “I used to be so shy, but now, when I see someone in the crowd that looks like they aren’t interested, I’ll make sure that I look right into their eyes. I want them to listen”, she says, allowing a smirk to slowly curl across her face. “And for them to feel uncomfortable”.

I am going to wrap up soon. There are going to be a lot of reviews out there for HotWax’s A Thousand Times. It is the best debut E.P. of the year, and proof that all the hype and buzz around the band is warranted and hardly an exaggeration! Being so young and with their bets years ahead, they have the potential, stamina and legs to be one of the major bands of their generation. This is what Louder Than War wrote when they sat down to investigation the five-track beast that is A Thousand Times:

“HotWax finally release their first EP and it’s a five song romp of modern grunge that is surely the best debut of the year reckons Wayne AF Carey…

Just to bore you from the start… LTW discovered this band way before the so called big boys got their hands on them. With a little help from my friends (Beatles shit quote there) Evil Blizzard, I was nudged into the direction of this: Stay Cool. Boss man John Robb was a little slow on the uptake but caught up here. But it’s not about us. It’s about the best new band around and we have a little review.

Fuck me! This is a twat to the ears from the start! A proper grunge attack from the opener Treasure which has what it says on the tin. A massive riff with sensual vocals that drag you in. It’s got some of best drumming and riffs I’ve heard for a while. A fuck off unit I’ve not heard for a while. Think Throwing Muses, Hole and a massive crunch of arena rock that could shit all over you’ve heard. Accomplished musicianship from a band that are slaying it. All I Want is a psychedelic grunge romp that kicks you in the nether regions like a horses hoof with a fury that commands attention.

Mother has the dirtiest mental riff I’ve heard for a while with a sleazy bass line and some tight as fuck drums from the elusive Alfie crunching throughout. Lola and Tallulah are an immense two piece that are going to wreck your heads with their mental minds that meld into the best thing I’ve heard for ages. Check out that enticing guitar riff in the middle of the song! Huge as fuck! They make Hole sound like the fucking Carpenters! A Thousand Times is amazing. One of my favourite albums ever is The Real Ramona and this could have slotted in as a highlight. A beautiful slice of grunge that sounds elephantine massive!

Last track Rip It Out is a slow groover that turns into a proper Riot Grrll number that goes ape shit with a skill that most bands can’t match. A massive grunge assault that fucks up everything you can listen to on your daily boring commute”.

This is only the start of things for HotWax. With a wonderful and highly anticipated E.P. about to come out, they will be looking ahead. They have some great live dates in the diary. I am sure that they will push forward and already have foundations for a debut album. Rightly hailed as one of the hottest and most important bands coming through, do go and follow HotWax. I hope that this exciting and exceptionally talented trio’s light…