HotWax are hardly out of their school uniforms, but we’re delighted to be able to say a huge ‘told you so!’ as we look at the live dates this three-piece indie-garage/grunge-rock phenomenon have already got lined up for 2024.
We caught them recently as they set fire to Camden Roundhouse as the opening act for Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes – where they took control of the stage from the very first number.
All photos by Sara-Louise Bowrey
Just take a peek at the number of major festivals who’ve taken the advice we were shouting all through 2023 by adding them to their line-ups…
HotWax Festival shows 2024
13TH MAR – BME X SXSW, THE BACKYARD, AUSTIN, US (supported by PRS International Showcase Fund)
16TH MAR – BME X SXSW, THE BACKYARD, AUSTIN, US (supported by PRS International Showcase Fund)
18-20TH APR – MOMO FESTIVAL, ROTTERDAM, NL – TICKETS
17TH MAY – LONDON CALLING, AMSTERDAM, NL – TICKETS
17-19TH MAY – ORANGE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, BEVERUNGEN, GE – TICKETS
23-26TH MAY – BEARDED THEORY FESTIVAL, DERBYSHIRE, UK – TICKETS
25TH MAY – LIVE AT LEEDS, DERBYSHIRE, UK – TICKETS
1ST JUNE – CEREMONY 4, BEDFORD, UK –TICKETS
15TH JUN – DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, DERBY, UK – TICKETS
1-4TH AUG – REBELLION FESTIVAL, BLACKPOOL, UK –TICKETS
2-4TH AUG – Y NOT FESTIVAL, PIKEHALL, UK – TICKETS
16 – 18TH AUG – BEAUTIFUL DAYS, DEVON, UK –TICKETS
31ST AUG – PSYCH FEST, MANCHESTER, UK –TICKETS
29TH AUG – 1ST SEP – END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL, DORSET, UK –TICKETS
1ST SEP – EDINBURGH PSYCH FEST, EDINBURGH, UK –TICKETS
…and these are just the festivals confirmed publicly…we’ve a sneaking suspicion that anyone lucky enough to have a Glastonbury ticket in their back pocket will also have a chance to catch them at Worthy Farm (if we were betting people we’d say Woodsies or the Park Stage would be likely stages to look for them on – or maybe Truth, if empresario Chris Tofu has been reading his messages from us!).
Over the past twelve months the teen-trio of Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals and guitar), Lola Sam (bass) and Alfie Sayers (drums) have shared stages with Queens of The Stone Age, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Strokes, and have only just recently come off their nationwide tour with Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. If this doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the trajectory they are on then we don’t know what would.
HotWax out of Hastings
We first encountered the band (or at least two-thirds of them in an earlier incarnation) down in our shared hometown of Hastings and we’re chuffed to say we helped them put together their first press photos in a front-room shoot where it was immediately evident that not only were they a mini force of nature on stage, but they also had a slightly coy ‘real world’ charm that we found totally endearing and engaging.
Then John Robb wrote about them in Louder Than War and with a few short lines referencing early Nirvana (something John knows more than a thing about) this saw their career accelerate exponentially…
“…you can never get tired of their visceral thrills and great songwriting cranked through the kind of explosive tension and noise that made early Nirvana such a rush. This is a comparison I can make because I saw early Nirvana several times and Hotwax are the closest I’ve felt to the intensity, sheer melodicism and intensity of Cobain’s crew.”
John Robb
And over the last few years we’ve seen that initial raw talent develop into something that we were more than happy to shout about from the rooftops last year, as we put HotWax up on our year-long roster of three ‘bands to watch in 2023’ – alongside VLURE (subsequently winners of Scottish Live Band of the Year, and runners up in the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition), and SNAYX (who you will have seen on an Amazon Music billboard if you’ve walked through Piccadilly Circus recently, or you’ll have noticed them if you’ve glanced at the national vinyl and download music charts in February…where they’ve spent time in the top ten with their latest EP).
Check out this video for ‘Treasure’ and a bunch of the band’s headline dates in advance of the festival season.
6TH APR – COVENTRY CENTRAL LIBRARY, COVENTRY, UK –TICKETS
9TH APR – FUTURE YARD, DIY NEXT TOUR, BIRKENHEAD, UK –TICKETS
10TH APR – DEAF INSTITUTE, DIY NEXT TOUR, MANCHESTER, UK –TICKETS
11TH APR – STEREO, DIY NEXT TOUR, GLASGOW, UK –TICKETS
12TH APR – CLUNY, DIY NEXT TOUR, NEWCASTLE, UK –TICKETS
13TH APR – WARDROBE, DIY NEXT TOUR, LEEDS, UK –TICKETS
