Combining the talents of Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals and guitar), Lola Sam (bass) and Alfie Sayers (drums), HotWax is an exceptionally cool trio painting the music scene with their very own post-punk, grunge and alternative rock sound. HotWax took the time to chat with us about all things music, from sweet beginnings to a lively new EP Invite Me, Kindly. Read more about HotWax below!
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. How are you all doing?
We are doing great thank you! How are you?
I read that HoxWax was born when Tallulah and Lola were 12 and had to form a band so they could take part in a competition in their hometown. Here we are years later in 2023, and HotWax us a fully formed trio. What did that journey look like for you all, from the early beginnings to where you are now? Was there a moment when you solidified the lineup and realized “This is HotWax?”
When me and lola met we were just so excited to have met someone our age that was into guitar music and bands. We wanted to play live all the time and write new songs, so that's what we did. We played in local venues and pubs all around the south, went through a few drummers and later met Alfie at music college in brighton. Alfies drumming style definitely complimented our sound the best, wasn't too much or too little, and he plays attention to the intricacies. After playing a few shows as this line up it felt good, HotWax has felt like HotWax since the beginning but this line up feels solid and right.
Your new EP, Invite Me, Kindly is due out October 18th, congratulations! How are you all feeling in anticipation of its release? Could you tell us about any of the recurring themes that are found on this project?
Yes! Our EP has just released, leading up to it we just wanted it to come out, it feels alot more current to our sound at the moment and we are absolutely loving playing the songs live. The EP consists of more driving bass lines and melodic guitar hooks, which was fun for us and different to our debut EP A Thousand Times. Invite me, kindly looks at themes such as - guilt, relationships, control and mainly feeling free and letting go of anything that has brought you down, especially as we are turning 20 next year and moving into our next chapter of life.
You’re about to hit the road joining Royal Blood on the west coast leg of their North American tour. In addition to that, you’ve also announced headlining dates in New York and Los Angeles, which is very exciting! Tallulah and Lola, I read that you hope to be known first and foremost as musicians who “love playing live,” so what is it about performing live that you enjoy the most?
Ahhhh yes, we are so so excited, we’ve never been to America and we can't believe we are now here! Performing live has been a massive release for us and a chance to develop and feel confident for a while. As a child I was extremely shy but always wanted to perform, having my guitar gives me confidence and something to feel safe behind. Playing on stage with your best friend every night is a dream ! Being able to connect with people and make people feel something whilst you're all in the same room with the same energy is special.
With Invite me, kindly releasing just before you leave for tour, I’m sure you all are excited about playing some of these songs live for the first time! Is there a song off of the EP that you’re most looking forward to playing live?
We always test our songs out live before recording them so we have been playing them for a while but we are super excited for people to start to know the songs and hopefully love them like we do. Playing E flat live is super fun and one of our favorites in the set, it has a big guitar solo at the end which is fun and the chorus is easy for people to sing so i hope people join in.
This EP is fueled by the sounds of grunge pioneers like Nirvana, Karen O, and Courtney Love, yet you are still producing an incredibly unique and fresh sound. Being able to study the work of some iconic musicians that came before us like these, what did you find yourself drawing from their sound?
100% Karen O is my biggest inspiration, her and Courtney Love are the artists that really turned me onto liking heavier music, the intimacy in their voices and lyrics fascinates me and excites me. We definitely draw that from their sound as well as the rawness that they portray. Also the energy in there songs is unmatchable, Nirvanas songs are so intimate and emotional but also so huge and raw and live sounding so that is defo an inspiration for some of our eps.
Were there any songs that didn’t make it onto the final project? If so, what made you decide to stick with the ones that ended up on the EP that we were given?
Every song other than drop we wrote really close together all in the same burst of creativity, I think this way they work together well and feel cohesive as a piece. There are some songs that didn't make it because they didn't fall together and almost write themselves like the other songs did. We will definitely come back to these ideas and develop them further for future
Playing a stacked summer of festivals and shows at Mad Cool, All Points East, and Reading & Leeds, HotWax has already drawn lots of attention and turned a lot of heads. What are some of the items on your bucket list as a band? Do you have a dream venue or collaboration in mind?
We would love a headline tour at some point soon! That would be really cool, its defo non the horizon for us.
Keep up with HotWax
Listen to Invite me, kindley here
Words by Sara
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