Waax (band)

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]

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]

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]

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.