From West Sussex
I suggest checking out Hole, the White Stripes, and the Breeders if you enjoy their music.
Next on the horizon: First album release and a tour in the United Kingdom.
The members of the rock band HotWax claim that their 2023 has been incredibly eventful. At the beginning of the year, they had not yet embarked on a tour. However, when I spoke to them, they had just finished a month-long tour in the United States. Lead vocalist and guitarist Tallulah Sim-Savage shared her excitement, saying, “It was mind-blowing. Despite the long drives, it felt like we were watching a 12-hour movie filled with fascinating scenery.”
During the summer, they attended several music festivals. One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson invited them to Italy for his Away from Home festival. They also performed at Reading and Leeds, and had the surreal opportunity to open for their favorite band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, at All Points East. Sim-Savage shares that it was a dream come true and although they were nervous, they ultimately let go and enjoyed the experience. The feeling seemed to be mutual, as Karen O dedicated their song “Maps” to them during their set.
They have released two acclaimed EPs and been heralded as part of a new wave of incendiary guitar bands, including Spiritual Cramp, Lambrini Girls and Duvet. If you are looking for a vague pointer towards their raging sound, Sim-Savage has previously credited the sound of her mum playing Hole’s Live Through This as “the thing that changed everything”.
Things are moving quickly, but as bassist Lola Sam notes, it has been a long time in the making. She and Sim-Savage have been bandmates since they were 13 and formed HotWax two years later in 2019. They initially played gigs in their hometown of Hastings, with mostly improvised and instrumental sets that Sam describes as “wishy-washy psychedelia” (according to Sim-Savage, the type of music you might create when you’re 15, stuck in Covid, and smoking a lot of weed). However, their sound eventually evolved. “Now everything is more organized,” says Sam. “It’s more structured. It became heavier and more poppy at the same time.”
While attending Bimm music college in Brighton, the band came across drummer Alfie Sayer and recruited him. However, their time at the college was not successful as lead singer Sam only lasted one term due to the focus on jazz music. Despite dropping out and self-releasing singles, they lacked direction until their manager suggested they pursue music professionally. This idea initially surprised the band and lead singer Sim-Savage even turned it down. However, they never intended to achieve great success; they simply loved making music.
However, they are evidently thriving, challenging the commonly accepted notion that loud, guitar-driven music has become outdated. Sam believes the success may be linked to the impact of Covid, as many bands were gaining momentum before having to halt their plans. With people spending more time at home, there is now a renewed sense of determination to pursue their musical passions without hesitation.
Source: theguardian.com
