HotWax are an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

trio based in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, consisting of members Tallulah Sim-Savage, Lola Sam, and Alfie Sayers. They released their debut album ''Hot Shock'' in March 2025.

Members

Tallulah Sim-Savage, a vocalist and guitarist, met bassist Lola Sam at secondary school in

when a music teacher placed them in a group together, and the pair became close friends. As of 2017, they were members of a band called The Kiffs along with Honor Wilson, who would go on to be HotWax's initial drummer. Sim-Savage and Sam later met drummer Alfie Sayers at a music college in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, forming the current trio in 2021.

Career

In 2020, HotWax began self-releasing singles, including "Stay Cool", "Pat the Killer Cat", "When We're Dead", and "Barbie (Not Yours)". The band signed to record label

Marathon Artists Marathon Artists is a London-based independent record label founded by Paul-René Albertini, Philippe Ascoli and Jimmy Mikaoui in 2012. The label also runs its own publishing and management divisions. Artists on the label include Courtney Barn ...

while publishing via

Transgressive Records Transgressive Records is an independent record label based in London, founded in 2004. Its founders, Tim Dellow and Toby L, first met at a Bloc Party gig organised by Toby's Rockfeedback website. The label's debut release was "1am" by the Su ...

. They then released their debut EP ''A Thousand Times'' in May 2023 with its lead single "Treasure", and subsequent EP ''Invite me, kindly''. Then they had a gig supporting the Pearl Harts. In spring and summer 2023, the band went on to perform at a number of festivals, including the

Great Escape Festival The Great Escape Festival is a four-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and hosts roughly ...

Mad Cool Mad Cool is a music festival held annually in Madrid, Spain, since 2016. It chiefly features pop, rock, and indie music, as well as various DJs and electronic music performers. The 2016 and 2017 festivals took place in the Caja Mágica. The or ...

Louis Tomlinson Louis William Tomlinson ( ; born 24 December 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Doncaster, England, Tomlinson auditioned for British singing competition ''The X Factor'' as a solo artist in 2010, w ...

Away From Home Festival Louis William Tomlinson ( ; born 24 December 1991) is an English singer, songwriter, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Doncaster, England, Tomlinson auditioned for British singing competition ''The X Factor'' as a solo artist in 2010, w ...

in Italy,

All Points East All Points East is an annual music festival held over two weekends in London's Victoria Park, run by AEG Presents. The 10-day event comprises one festival weekend, four days of free entry and community activities known as "In the Neighbourhood" ...

, and the

Reading and Leeds Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festi ...

. They then opened for

Royal Blood A royal descent is a genealogical line of descent from a past or present monarch. Both geneticists and genealogists have attempted to estimate the percentage of living people with royal descent. From a genetic perspective, the number of unp ...

that autumn on tour in the UK and North America. At the end of 2023, HotWax were named one to watch in 2024 by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''.

Artistry

Sam grew up listening to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

, and

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

, while Sim-Savage grew up listening to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

, before developing an interest in rock music through Blondie's ''

Parallel Lines In geometry, parallel lines are coplanar infinite straight lines that do not intersect at any point. Parallel planes are planes in the same three-dimensional space that never meet. '' Parallel curves'' are curves that do not touch each oth ...

'' (1978) album. Sim-Savage and Sam took inspiration from

Karen O Karen Lee Orzolek (born November 22, 1978) is a South Korean-born American singer, musician, and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Early life Karen Lee Orzolek was born in Seoul, So ...

Starcrawler Starcrawler is an American rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2015. The band consists of lead singer Arrow de Wilde, guitarist Henri Cash, bassist Tim Franco, drummer Seth Carolina, and pedal steel/guitar player Bill Cash. They ha ...

, and

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compleme ...

when formulating their vision for HotWax. Sim-Savage primarily writes the band's lyrics. The trio's debut EP ''A Thousand Times'' drew comparisons to

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

, and

Wolf Alice Wolf Alice are a Rock music, rock band from London. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo made up of singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey since 2012. Wolf Alice playe ...

. In March 2022, John Robb of ''

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by the English musician and journalist John R ...

'' described HotWax as "ripping up the template and stages with a thrilling deconstruction of their grunge roots into a post-punk landscape." In May 2023, Ed Power of ''

'' identified HotWax as part of a phenomenon of young artists reviving 1990s indie rock trends, despite being too young to remember the decade. HotWax stated these influences were framed by their parents and mentors, but that they were not defined by them.

Discography

Studio album

* ''Hot Shock'' (2025)

EPs

* ''A Thousand Times'' (2023) * ''Invite Me, Kindly'' (2023)

Singles

* "Stay Cool" (2020) * "Pat the Killer Cat" (2020) * "Baked Beans" (2020) * "When We're Dead" (2021) * "Barbie (Not Yours)" (2022) * "Treasure" (2023) * "Drop" (2023) * "She's Got A Problem" (2024) * "Wanna Be A Doll" (2024) * "One More Reason" (2025) * "Strange To Be Here" (2025) * "Tell Me Everything's Alright" (2025)

References

{{reflist 2020 establishments in England English musical trios English alternative rock groups English grunge groups English post-punk music groups Musical groups established in 2020 Rock music groups from East Sussex