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Waax (stylised as WΛΛX; pronounced "wax") is an Australian rock band from Brisbane, formed in 2012. The band consists of guitarists James Gatling and Ewan Birtwell, drummer Tom Bloomfield, and vocalist Marie 'Maz' DeVita. Waax have released two independent EPs: Holy Sick (2015) and Wild & Weak (2017). They have released two studio albums, Big Grief (2019) and At Least I'm Free (2022).

Waax
Origin	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Genres	Alternative rock Indie rock Punk rock Post-punk
Years active	2012 (2012)–present
Labels	Dew Process
Members	Marie DeVita Ewan Birtwell Tom Bloomfield James Gatling
Past members	Ariana Pelser Elijah Gall Chris Antolak Tom Griffin
Website	waaxband.com

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] In 2022 they again won the No.1 spot on 4ZZZ's Top 100 with their single Most Hated Girl.

History

2012–2015: Early years and Holy Sick

Waax was formed in June 2012 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]

2016–2017: Restructuring and Wild & Weak

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]

2018–2020: Antolak's departure and Big Grief

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 2019, 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]

2021–present: At Least I'm Free

Confusion surrounds the departure of bass player (Griffin), who no longer appeared in press photos leading up to "At Least I'm Free" and there's been no statement or clarification from the band. On 12 August 2022, the band released their second studio album, At Least I'm Free.[34]

Musical style

Frontwoman Marie DeVita describes the band's style as "a mixture of post-punk and alternative rock".[35]

DeVita is the band's primary songwriter with prior assistance from then-lead guitarist Chris Antolak.[36] 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 [37]
Big Grief	Released: 23 August 2019 Label: Dew Process Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming	11
At Least I'm Free	Released: 12 August 2022[38] Label: Dew Process Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming	20 [39]

Extended plays

List of extended plays

Title	EP details
Holy Sick	Released: 29 September 2015 Label: Self-released Format: CD-R, Digital download, streaming
Wild & Weak	Released: 2 June 2017 Label: Self-released Format: CD-R, digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artists

List of singles, with year released and album name shown

Title	Year	Album
"Wisdom Teeth"[40]	2014	Holy Sick
"I for an Eye"[41]	2015
"Holy Sick"[42]
"Same Same"[43]	2016	Wild & Weak
"Nothing Is Always"[44]	2017
"Wild & Weak"[45]
"Labrador"[46]	2018	Big Grief
"FU"[47]	2019
"I Am"[48]
"Pool Party"[49]	2020	Non-album singles
"Fired Up"[50]
"Most Hated Girl"[51]	2021	At Least I'm Free
"Dangerous"[34]	2022
"Help Me Hell"[34]
"Read Receipts"[52]
"No Doz"[53]

As featured artists

List of singles, with year released and album name shown

Title	Year	Album
"Cheap Seats" (Illy featuring Waax)[54]	2020	The Space Between

Videography

Music videos

List of music videos, with year and director shown

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"
2022	"Dangerous"/"Help Me Hell"
2022	"Read Recipes"
2022	"No Doz"[53]

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[55][56]	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[57][58]	WAAX	Live Act of the Year	Nominated
		Live Indie / Rock Act of the Year	Nominated
2020[59]	WAAX	Live Act of the Year	Nominated
		Queensland Live Act of the Year	Nominated
	Tom Bloomfield (WAAX)	Live Drummer of the Year	Nominated

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[60]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result (wins only)	Ref.
2018	"Same Same" by Waax (directed by Gregory Kelly, Pernell Marsden)	Video of the Year	Won	[61]
2022	"Most Hated Girl"	Rock Award	Won	[62]

References

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