HotWax turn Gorilla into a sweaty, chaotic pressure cooker, ripping through ‘Hot Shock’ cuts with feral energy and leaving Manchester completely floored…

Words & photos by Sabrina Ramdoyal (sabrinaramdoyal)| March 27, 2026

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On a damp night in Manchester, the Gorilla club transformed into a vibrating hub of wild energy as the packed room was immediately swept up by three driven alternative rock musicians, who delivered a relentless display. Hailing from Hastings, HotWax unveiled nearly all from their 2025 debut, “Hot Shock,” while also featuring hits like ‘Tell Me Everything’s Alright’, Lie There’ and ‘Paint It Nice.’ Cleverly opting for an explosive start over a gradual build, the trio opened with high-energy, moving tracks such as ‘Hard Goodbye’ and ‘Wanna Be a Doll’.

Commanding the stage with an undeniable charisma, lead singer Tallulah Sim-Savage unleashed a barrage of grit-heaviness as her vocal performance transitioned effortlessly between a biting, aggressive tone and one of profound fragility. Bassist Lola Sam provided a solid foundation for listeners through powerful, groove-oriented rhythms and vocal harmonies with precise quality. From his position in the back, drummer Alfie Sayers drove the music forward, maintaining the group’s cohesion while suggesting that the entire arrangement might descend into madness at any moment.

During the concluding portion of the show, the band’s remarkable inventiveness was put on full display for all to see. Presenting ‘Pharmacy’ in a raw, acoustic fashion that utilised a very simple arrangement, it was a choice that gave Tallulah’s otherworldly and crystalline vocals the perfect platform to take centre stage. Following this, the audience was drawn into ‘One More Reason’ by its deep bass sequence, while the song’s recurring lyrical hook “I hate, I love” created a sense of growing unease. When Manchester finally felt they had recovered their balance, the three musicians dove headstrong into ‘Rip It Out’, which caused the entire venue to erupt into a frantic mass circling back perfectly to conclude with ‘One More Reason’. 

At the end of the night, those in attendance were completely soaked with sweat and felt emotionally overwhelmed, almost as if they were recovering from a significant physical blow. HotWax moved on from Manchester in high spirits, leaving behind an evening that is now incredibly keen to discover the next steps in the journey of this talented rock trio.