Introduction
If you want to listen to a band that lets you live life at it’s most intense then HotWax is for you! The band like to tour extensively and have shared the stage with industry giants Royal Blood and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes!
They recently released their debut album “Hot Shock” to massive industry acclaim! Read all about it and much more in this interview!
Interview
As tradition demands… where did the name for the band come from?
The band name came from a few things, I had an electro harmonix drive pedal that was called hotwax, at the time the band formed we used to listen to King Gizzard a lot and their song hotwax, but mostly it came from Beck’s song hotwax.
Beck is a massive influence of ours, the contrast in different genres and production wise the super lofi mixed with the clear lush sounds is something we really love.
We saw that you have had shows with both Royal Blood and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. What were those experiences like, and which song by each band is your favourite?
Both of these experiences we feel so lucky to have had, our first proper tour was supporting Royal Blood, we did the Uk and then the west coast of America which was just insane. they really took us under their wing and went above and beyond what we thought they would be like as a band we where supporting after hearing stories from other support bands of bigger bands.
It was a big shock for us seeing how massive their crew was and playing these big stages in front of big new crowds. Every night I joined them on stage for their song waves which was crazy, I was so so nervous at first but by the last shows was on bens rider haha. The tour definitely taught us so much and improved our show as a live band. seeing America was unbelievably inspiring, we loved the crowds there and being in such a massive country really makes you realise all the opportunities in life.
It was a similar situation with Frank Carter, the whole band where so so kind to us and getting to tour with them and mysteries together was another incredible experience. Might be an obvious choice but Devil Inside Of Me is my favourite Frank Carter song and One Trick Pony is my favourite Royal Blood song, they would do it in soundcheck a lot and I thought it was really cool how Mike would use a slide.
Your Debut album Hot Shock got released earlier this year! What has the immediate reaction been to it, and how excited were you to finally get it over the line?
Yes! I was so so nervous for it to come out and I really had no idea what people would think, the month of it being out has been incredible though and really validating. We where rough trades album of the month and did a tour around the album including a bunch of in stores which felt so so special!
What song are you most excited about fans listening to on the new album?
A song I am excited for people to hear and one that is going down well live too, is chip my teeth For You. The lyrics in that song really speak for the album, chaotic, self destructive but passionate and loving.
What do you like most about being a 3 piece band? Is there anything you think adding another member could add?
Being a 3 piece band has lots of limitations which often makes for more experimentation. Sometimes we write lead parts that we love and sound great but we can’t use them live because we don’t have the extra member or enough arms to play.
“Drop” is an absolute anthem… Is it clear when you write a song that is going to be popular, or is it a case of waiting and seeing for you as a band?
Definitely not! I think to be honest it’s always the ones we aren’t sure on that become peoples favourite, which can make it kind of hard to navigate. That one does go down well live though I think it’s the intensity of the bass.
We hear you all have pretty vastly different influences. Could you go into who inspired each of you and how you think those influences has effected your collective sound?
Lola listens to a lot of groove orientated things and pop, as well as lots of rock and alternative music because she plays bass and growing up learning bass lines from those sort of songs.
Alfie likes to DJs he likes beats based music like drum and bass he listens to lots of jazz too and it’s really into rhythms.
Where as I have always loved songs where the lyrics really feel meaningful to me and I love lots of artists similar to PJ Harvey. All together I think it re enforces our roles in the band and can relate our music to a wider range of genres.
What is more important, fans at shows , or fans who only stream your music?
Both are really important, we wouldn’t be able to be a band without either. But as our live shows are our main thing, having people there is crucial and is what we feed off of.
We noticed you played Orange Blossom Festival 2024! We covered the event this year , what can you say about the festival?
It was just before our first Europe tour and we were feeling really excited and it all felt quite new. They had a really cool selection of bands and the crowd were so receptive! It was so nice hanging out there and was really cool playing a festival that had so much physical music on sale.
There is a delicious fuzzy sound to your music , was this by design or did it just occur naturally?
It occurred naturally, growing up when we were in secondary school we would listen to lots of Ty Segal and fuzz and where into that big psych big muff kind of sound. And then listening to artists such as Jack White or St Vincent with the tighter fuzz sound was influential too.
We first heard your music through our friends at Dingir Zu! Their radio show really highlighted your band to us. What can you say about them?
They’ve been so supportive from early on, it really means so much this kind of support. It means we can travel around and get our music out there.
Would you be able to go into some detail about what the song “Rip It Out” is about?
Yes! Rip It Out is about the contraceptive implant. I had an awful experience with it and it drove me mad. I had to stop everything even the band for a while and couldn’t leave the house, I wanted it and this horrible feeling out of me. I remember always reading forums with other women for support and this one woman said she tried to actually rip it out her arm. That stuck with me so much and I sat on the floor and wrote all the words so quickly.
Finally as a band what activities do you like to do outside of music to relax?
Outside of music I love to cook food, lie in the sun and do drawings or paintings or anything visually creative. Lola likes to cook too, not with me though or we argue, she games but not in an intensely nerdy way. Alfie loves to be in the sea and go surfing he is also obsessed with planes.
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