Waax (band)

Waax (stylised as WAAX; pronounced "wax") are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, formed in 2013. The band consists of guitarists James Gatling and Ewan Birtwell, drummer Tom Bloomfield, bassist Tom Griffin, and vocalist Marie 'Maz' DeVita. Waax have released two independent EPs: Holy Sick (2015) and Wild & Weak (2017). Their debut album, Big Grief, was released in 2019. They also won the Triple J Unearthed BIGSOUND competition in 2014.[1] Their single "Labrador" won the No. 1 spot on the independent Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ's Top 100 in 2018.[2] In 2019, the single was voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018 at No. 88.[3]

Waax
OriginBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genres
Years active2013 (2013)–present
LabelsDew Process
Associated actsBernard Fanning
Websitewaax.band
Members
  • Marie DeVita
  • Ewan Birtwell
  • Tom Bloomfield
  • Tom Griffin
  • James Gatling
Past members
  • Ariana Pelser
  • Elijah Gall
  • Chris Antolak

History

Early years and Holy Sick (2013–2015)

Waax was formed in 2013 by Marie DeVita on vocals, bass and keys; Elijah Gall on lead guitar; Ewan Birtwell on rhythm guitar; and Tom Bloomfield on drums. Shortly after forming, DeVita moved into a strictly vocal role, and the band recruited Ariana Pelser as their full-time bassist.

Their debut single "Wisdom Teeth", released on 23 May 2014, earned the band a spot on the Triple J Unearthed stage at that year's BIGSOUND festival and lifted the band to national prominence.[4]

Pelser left the band in February 2015, followed by Gall shortly thereafter. The pair were replaced with Tom Griffin on bass and Chris Antolak on lead guitar. Waax's next single, "I For an Eye", was released in June and added to the band's popularity. An accompanying music video was released a month later.[5] Their newfound visibility in the mainstream also landed them opportunities to perform as a support act for Australian bands such as Kingswood, The Delta Riggs, Ecca Vandal, Emperors and Stonefield, and international bands like Guitar Wolf and Upset.

Throughout their touring, the band found time to record and release their first EP, Holy Sick. The EP was released to SoundCloud on 29 September 2014 with no prior announcement. The EP was met with praise from fans and positive reviews from critics. On 14 December, the EP was made commercially available as a digital download and on CD.[6] Also in December, the band embarked on their first headlining tour throughout Australia.[7]

Restructuring and Wild & Weak (2016–2017)

After a brief period of restructuring, Waax released the single "Same Same" on 21 November 2016, with a music video following on 6 February 2017.[8] Another single, "Nothing Is Always", was released on 8 March,[9] followed shortly thereafter by the title track from their second EP, Wild & Weak. The EP was released independently on 7 June. Drummer Tom Bloomfield described the band's new sound as "something spicy, like a really hot burrito".[10] To promote the release of the EP, the band performed a ten-date national tour.[11]

Antolak's departure and Big Grief (2018–present)

During Fall Out Boy's Australian Mania tour, Waax opened for them as a support band at four shows from February to March 2018.[12] Signing a label deal with Universal imprint Dew Process, Waax released their single "Labrador" on 27 April, a month after announcing they would perform a twelve-date national tour in its support. They also supported Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro on their Australian tour.[12][13] During Waax's performance at Splendour in the Grass in July, former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning joined them onstage to sing "Don't Wanna Be Left Out" by Powderfinger.[14] In December, Waax performed at all three dates of the inaugural Good Things festival.[15]

In January 2019, during the band's performance at the 2019 UNIFY festival, DeVita announced that their then-untitled debut album would be released in June. On 24 February, the band posted to their social media accounts hinting at a new single release.[16][17] Later revealed to be titled "FU", the track was premiered a day early on Triple J's Good Nights program.[18][19] On 9 April, a music video for the single was released.[20] On 18 April, the band announced their debut North American tour, which was scheduled for July 2019. For unknown reasons, the tour was quietly cancelled.

On 21 April, during a performance at The Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle, frontwoman Maz DeVita was reportedly assaulted by a crowd member. She later took to social media to discuss her outrage.[21][22] On 10 May, the band announced that they had parted ways with guitarist Chris Antolak.[23][24] In an interview with Australian Guitar Magazine, guitarist Ewan Birtwell refused to answer a question regarding Antolak's departure. "I’m sure in the future something will be said, but I don’t really know how to tackle that one right now," he said.[25]

On 14 May, Waax released a new single, "I Am". DeVita described the song as being "about wanting to please someone so much that you forget who you are in the process." A music video for the track was released on 18 June,[26] and the following day, the band's debut album was officially announced with the title Big Grief, and a release date of 23 August.[27] The band also announced their new lead guitarist, James Gatling.[28][29] During the week leading up to the album's release, it was spotlighted as Triple J's Feature Album, which saw all 12 of its tracks receive airtime.[30] Big Grief premiered on the ARIA Charts at #11 (#3 Australian album, #2 on vinyl).

At a secret performance in Brisbane on 6 September, WAAX debuted a new song titled "However" (or "One Good Day").[31] Written following the release of Big Grief, the track alludes directly to the struggles faced by the band in the months preceding the album’s release and in the aftermath of Antolak’s firing. A studio version has not been confirmed; however, a live recording of the song surfaced on YouTube shortly after the performance.[32]

On 22 April 2020, Waax released a cover of Julia Jacklin's "Pool Party".[33]

Musical style

Frontwoman Marie DeVita describes the band's style as "a mixture of post-punk and alternative rock".[34]

DeVita is the band's primary songwriter with prior assistance from then-lead guitarist Chris Antolak.[35] On the creation of their Wild & Weak EP, drummer Tom Bloomfield shared how DeVita, while writing the lyrics, "was really getting into delving into her internal struggles and [he thought] that's what has inspired the record. Really emotive both lyrically and musically."[10]

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[36]
Big Grief 11

Extended plays
List of extended plays
Title EP details
Holy Sick
Wild & Weak
  • Released: 2 June 2017
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CD-R, digital download, streaming

Singles
Title Year Album
"Wisdom Teeth" 2014 Holy Sick
"I for an Eye" 2015
"Holy Sick"
"Same Same" 2016 Wild & Weak
"Nothing Is Always" 2017
"Wild & Weak"
"Labrador" 2018 Big Grief
"FU" 2019
"I Am"
"Pool Party"
(Julia Jacklin cover)		 2020 Non-album single
"Cheap Seats"
(Illy featuring WAAX)		 The Space Between

Music videos
Year Song Director
2014 "Wisdom Teeth" Jaymis Loveday
2015 "I for an Eye"
"Holy Sick"
2016 "This Everything" Chris Antolak
2017 "Wild & Weak" Pernell Marsden
"Same Same" Gregory Kelly
Pernell Marsden
2018 "Labrador" Waax
2019 "FU" Marty Moynihan
Jeremy Hancock
"I Am"

Awards and nominations

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018[37][38] WAAX Live Act of the Year Nominated
Best New Act Nominated
Queensland Live Act of the Year Won
Best Live Voice of the Year - People's Choice Marie Devita (WAAX) Nominated
2019[39][40] WAAX Live Act of the Year Nominated
Live Indie / Rock Act of the Year Nominated
2020[41] WAAX Live Act of the Year Nominated
Queensland Live Act of the Year Nominated
Tom Bloomfield (WAAX) Live Drummer of the Year Nominated

References
  1. "WAAX". Triple J Unearthed. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  2. "4ZZZ - "#ZedHot100 2018 #01 WAAX @waaxband "Labrador" CONGRATS! New #01 Band in #ZedHot100 history… "". Twitter. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  3. "Hottest 100 2018". Triple J. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  4. "WAAX Release Debut Single". AAA Backstage. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  5. WAAX (15 July 2015). "WAAX - I For An Eye - (Official Video)". Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via YouTube.
  6. "Holy Sick EP | WAAX". BandCamp. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  7. Doonar, Jack. "Review: WAAX Debut EP "Holy Sick"". AAA Backstage. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. WAAX (6 February 2017). "WAAX - Same Same (Official Video)". Retrieved 9 July 2019 – via YouTube.
  9. "Nothing is Always | WAAX". Bandcamp. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  10. Wainwright, Clair (24 May 2017). "WAAX: On Calling For Help & Tom's Drunken Mistake". LunchBox TV. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  11. Brown, Paul (24 June 2017). "Get 'Wild & Weak' with WAAX". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  12. Sloane, Shannon-Lee (17 September 2018). "Get To Know The Good Things 2018 Line Up – WAAX". Overdrive Mag. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  13. Williams, Tom (26 March 2018). "WAAX Announce 2018 'Labrador' National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  14. Edsall, Rudi (22 July 2018). "Bernard Fanning Popped Up For A Surprise Cameo At Splendour In The Grass". Triple M. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  15. "Artist: WAAX". Good Things Festival. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  16. "WAAX - 27.02.2019". Facebook. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  17. "WAAX - 27.02.2019". Twitter. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  18. "WAAX - Tune in to @triplej Good Nights w/ @BHustwaite tonight from 6pm to hear our new single 'FU'". Twitter. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  19. Brown, Paul (26 February 2019). "WAAX finally debut that 'FU' song they've been playing at shows recently". Wall Of Sound. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  20. WAAX (9 April 2019). "WAAX - FU". Retrieved 10 April 2019 – via YouTube.
  21. Langford, Jackson (22 April 2019). "Kira Puru, Alex The Astronaut & WAAX Were All Harassed/Assaulted At Their Gigs This Weekend". Music Feeds. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  22. "W A A X on Instagram: "PSA"". Instagram. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  23. "WAAX - Hey everyone, Just wanted to flag a change within..." Facebook. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  24. Brown, Paul (10 May 2019). "WAAX part ways with guitarist Chris Antolak". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  25. "WAAX: Good Grief". AVHub. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  26. WAAX (18 June 2019). "WAAX - I Am". Retrieved 21 June 2019 – via YouTube.
  27. "WAAX - "📞well, this is emotional: we finally have the pleasure of announcing that our debut album..." Twitter. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  28. Brown, Paul (19 June 2019). "WAAX FINALLY Announce Debut Album 'Big Grief' + Reveal New Member". Wall of Sound. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  29. "WAAX - We are really stoked to introduce our newest WAAX..." Facebook. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  30. "WAAX - Big Grief - Feature Albums". Triple J. ABC. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  31. "WAAX Setlist at Crowbar Black, Brisbane". setlist.fm. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  32. WAAX - "One Good Day" (Live at Crowbar Brisbane, 06/09/2019), retrieved 10 September 2019
  33. Gallagher, Alex (22 April 2020). "Listen To WAAX Covering Julia Jacklin's 'Pool Party'". Music Feeds. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  34. "Meet WAAX". The City Sounds. Visit Brisbane. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  35. Doria, Matt (23 October 2017). "WAAX: The Wild, Wild WAAX". AV Hub. Retrieved 17 December 2018
  36. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  37. "NLMA announce 2018 nominees and Live legend". NLMA. 2 October 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  38. "Winners of the 2018 NLMA". NLMA. December 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  39. "HERE ARE YOUR 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES!". NLMA. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  40. "AND THE WINNERS OF THE 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS ARE…". NLMA. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  41. "Nominees announced for 2020 National Live Music Awards". NLMAs. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
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