Slag opened the stage with a high energy up-beat set full of captivating vocals as well as enticing guitar riffs. Throughout their set, it was evident how much they enjoyed playing together on stage as they all beamed from ear to ear. The crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy their performance as well. They played their upcoming EP in almost its entirety as well as previously released singles like ‘Ripped’ and ‘Heaven’ before ending with ‘Legs’ which descended into a series of rage filled screams at the end. I completely understand why they are one of HotWax’s favourite bands after seeing them live the other night!
As soon as HotWax hit the stage, they fully dominated the packed-out venue. They brought the energy from the get-go and kept it high all night, with the whole crowd dancing throughout. Tallulah Sim-Savage showed off her grungey riffs and gorgeous vocals switching between mics to give certain lyrics a more spaced-out sound while Lola Sam put down funky bass lines and occasionally jumped on backing vocals which harmonised perfectly. Alfie Sayers did a ‘smashing job’ on the drums, no pun intended.
Their set contained many walls of sound broken up by heavier breakdowns and slower vocally prominent sections. They played their 2025 album ‘Hot Shock’ in full, minus Lights On featuring Stella Mozgawa. They also added fan favourites ‘ Tell Me Everything’s Alright’ and ‘Paint it Nice’ to the setlist.
Contrary to most live shows, they started straight out the gate with their most energetic, angsty, anthemic tunes and gradually spiralled into their slower songs as if in a hypnotic trance. Their set began with ‘Hard Goodbye’, ‘Wanna Be a Doll’ and ‘Tell Me Everything’s Alright’ and ended with ‘A Thousand Times’ which was a slower more heartfelt song which they told us was one of the first songs they made together and even showed their matching tattoos of the title, as well as ‘Chip My Teeth for You’, before leaving the stage.
They returned for an encore which was intricately planned and fascinating to hear. Starting with ‘Pharmacy’ which was stripped back and allowed the ethereal vocals to shine through. Continuing with ‘One More Reason’ which had Tallulah chanting ‘I hate; I love’ over and over a groovy bass line before effortlessly transitioning into ‘Rip It Out’ which encouraged the fans to join in, chanting along to the chorus. They then reverted seamlessly back into ‘One More Reason’ to finish the end of the song.
Having seen them support Nova Twins recently, I wasn’t too sure about their music at first but after catching a headline show, they really won me over and I will be adding several songs to my playlists! If you’re looking for a fun night filled with good music, I highly recommend catching them at the shows below:
Tickets can be purchased here
