“Strange To Be Here”: On The Line with HotWax
Hot Shock Is Here
HotWax, a thrilling new British alt-rock trio emerging from the coastal town of Hastings, England, is igniting the underground with their fiercely energetic sound, a potent mix of grunge grit and post-punk urgency. Formed in 2021 by the dynamic lineup of Tallulah Sim-Savage on vocals and guitar, Lola Sam on bass, and Alfie Sayers on drums, the band has captured attention for their live shows and powerful songs, arriving with a timely relevance. Their debut album, Hot Shock, released in 2025, perfectly bottles their live energy, positioning HotWax as a vital force with a bright future. We were happy they took the time to let us into their world for the latest installment of "On The Line."
Where did you grow up and where are you currently based?
Lola and I are currently based in Hastings, a small town on the south coast of England. It was a great place to grow up and very influential, as it’s full of music and art, which meant we were always playing gigs from a young age.
Who was the person that got you into music?
I’d say personally, it was my parents. My dad plays instruments and plays shows; he taught me the basics of guitar, and my mum is a big music fan and used to work in music. It was always on around the house. My dad would be playing gigs in Hastings, and we’d have their friends who were often musicians at the house and things, too.
The "Strange To Be Here" video is great! You directed the video, right? Have you done any film work like that in the past? What was the decision to do it on your own?
That was so much fun and so satisfying to do. With our music videos, I always have a vision with them and want to be as involved as I can. We used to create all our videos by ourselves, and then a couple of times, like “Phone Machine” and “A Thousand Times,” we made by ourselves too, but never with any budget. I had a really vivid idea for this song, and a week before we shot it, my friend Ellie and I sat down and planned it all out together one night. We co-directed it with the amazing help of Jude Harrison, who’s been shooting on the road with us too. He has such an amazing eye and really nailed what was in my head.
How did you link with Stella from Warpaint and how was your experience in Joshua Tree?
Our first show in the US was at the Wiltern in LA with Royal Blood. Stella and Courtney came to the show and we met them there, being fans of Courtney and Warpaint, it was so amazing that they came down. Stella mentioned us doing some writing or recording at her studio, and then a few months later, we made it happen. It was a crazy sandstorm when we were there, and we all had face coverings on. It was the most beautiful place, and the memories feel so special to look back on. Recording with Stella and her engineer Omar was such a relaxed experience, and what we got out of it sounds so natural. I think the surroundings really had an influence on the sound, changing it up from the rest of the album being recorded in London.
“Being able to tour has been the most amazing thing. When we started releasing music, we were just playing locally around Hastings and Brighton, and now our music has taken us all over Europe and America, which has been such a privilege and an incredible feeling.”
What's been the biggest non-music inspiration for you lately?
I think the way the seasons feel, the stillness of winter really influenced a lot of the lyrics and sounds I was making and thinking about for a while, and now with spring coming, I feel a lot more optimistic and exhilarated. When the seasons start to change, it’s always a weird, on edge feeling too of re-adjustment and change; that uncomfortableness has been influencing me.
What is the biggest challenge you've had to face as a band thus far?
To be honest, it’s probably navigating our relationships with each other! Lola and I have been best friends for years, and going through different stages of our friendship, all through teenagehood, falling in and out of arguments and intense sisterly love for each other, has probably been the biggest struggle. Learning how to be best friends and business partners has been interesting, but as we are now a bit older, we have worked out our roles well.
Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with? Other artists to appear on a song or even a visual artist for an album cover or merch?
I would love to work with someone like Nadia Lee Cohen; her style is so memorable and really inspires me. To work with someone like Beck on a song would be incredible. We named our band after one of his songs, and he’s done so many incredible collaborations with people.
What's been the best thing that's happened since you started releasing music?
Being able to tour has been the most amazing thing. When we started releasing music, we were just playing locally around Hastings and Brighton, and now our music has taken us all over Europe and America, which has been such a privilege and an incredible feeling.
When touring America, did you have a favorite venue/city and was there anything that stood out to you?
Everything we saw and every place we went to in America was honestly mind-blowing to us; it was so exciting and made us realize how big the world is and how much there is to experience and achieve. We toured the West Coast and then flew to New York to do a headline show. I think a highlight was Austin—it was so creative, plus MARGARITAS AND TACOS hahaha. Going through Texas was super surreal. I saw zebras in someone’s garden.
What platforms have been the most helpful with getting your music heard? Bandcamp, YouTube, IG, etc.
Bandcamp, YouTube, IG, etc., plus playing support shows so often has been the best way of getting our music heard for sure.
What's the biggest difference with the band between now and 5 years ago?
Five years ago, we had pretty much just formed the band, just started college, had probably only done our first few shows as HotWax, and our confidence was low. I barely sang, and our whole show would pretty much be improvised with a load of wah and phaser pedals. It was fun and naive, and we were just learning to start to properly write songs, messing around with lyrics. We would have to just make up dumb, made-up stories to write about because we didn’t really have many experiences, and it was pretty much lockdown.
How would you define success?
I think success is on levels, I’d say there’s things we have done that are success; toured loads and loads, signed to our label, and released our first album that we are happy with. To achieve a higher level of success, I would say that we want to do more of that, write music we are even happier with, and grow our following.
Can you share one of your lyrics from your songs that sums up your state of mind RN / feels representative of you?
Right now, we are on tour and putting everything into the live shows, sticking as a unit and being there for each other on the road. ‘I’d chip my teeth for you, would you chip your teeth for me too?’ Feels pretty representative, I’d get into scrapes and go that extra mile for the band.
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