Waax (band)


Waax 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 and Wild & Weak. Their debut album, Big Grief, was released in 2019. They also won the Triple J Unearthed BIGSOUND competition in 2014. Their single "Labrador" won the No. 1 spot on the independent Brisbane radio station 4ZZZ's Top 100 in 2018. In 2019, the single was voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018 at No. 88.

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 May 23, 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.
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. 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 September 29, 2014 with no prior announcement. The EP was met with praise from fans and positive reviews from critics. On December 14, the EP was made commercially available as a digital download and on CD. Also in December, the band embarked on their first headlining tour throughout Australia.

Restructuring and ''Wild & Weak'' (2016–2017)

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

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. Signing a label deal with Universal imprint Dew Process, Waax released their single "Labrador" on April 27, 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. 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. In December, Waax performed at all three dates of the inaugural Good Things festival.
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 February 24, the band posted to their social media accounts hinting at a new single release. Later revealed to be titled "FU", the track was premiered a day early on Triple J's Good Nights program. On April 9, a music video for the single was released. On April 18, the band announced their debut North American tour, which was scheduled for July 2019. For unknown reasons, the tour was quietly cancelled.
On April 21, 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. On May 10, the band announced that they had parted ways with guitarist Chris Antolak. 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.
On May 14, 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 June 18, and the following day, the band's debut album was officially announced with the title Big Grief, and a release date of August 23. The band also announced their new lead guitarist, James Gatling. 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. Big Grief premiered on the ARIA Charts at #11.
At a secret performance in Brisbane on September 6, WAAX debuted a new song titled “However”. 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.
On 22 April 2020, Waax released a cover of Julia Jacklin's "Pool Party".

Musical style

Frontwoman Marie DeVita describes the band's style as "a mixture of post-punk and alternative rock".
DeVita is the band's primary songwriter with prior assistance from then-lead guitarist Chris Antolak. 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 that's what has inspired the record. Really emotive both lyrically and musically."

Members

Current members
Former members
Former touring members

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos