HAWXX are Anna, Hannah, Jessica and Julia
Writing songs that reflect self empowerment, the lies of the diet industry, mental health struggles and the challenges of being a sexy bastard…
Q. For those unfamiliar with HAWXX, how would you describe the band?
Banging! Also alternative metal with 4 part harmonies, djenty influences and a message
Q. Your music covers various hard-hitting topics, including setf empowerment, the ethics of the corporate diet industry and mental health struggles. Where do you find yourselves drawing inspiration? How does the lyric-writing process work for you guys?
We like to approach songs as extensions of ourselves, subjects that we can really embody on stage. We want our performances to be spaces where we as women can express our collective rage and joy, and this can only come from writing about what is true to us.
I find that when it’s the right time to write a song about something, that subject produces a really strong energy, an unstoppable force. And we all feel it when we write together.
There seems to be this magical awareness between all of us of when a lyric or a riff is ‘right’ and when it isn’t.
Q. What are your favourite parts of making music?
We’re writing for an album at the moment so I’ve had one of my favourite things happen this week. We write together in the studio but we also send demos or ideas on a shared google drive (since pandemic). So if you put a riff on the drive, Jess will send back her magical drums over it and the idea just comes alive! It’s brilliant!
Q. Tell us about your favourite performances so far
We had such an amazing time on the Tremonti tour – Tremonti and their crew were so welcoming and supportive, the whole tour was incredible. It was amazing to play bigger venues. Favourite night of the tour might be Dublin – the crowd was lary and on it- we loved that!
Q. What are your goals for this project and your career as a whole? Do you have an overarching strategy?
World domination really
Q. If you could meet any truly inspirational person, musical or otherwise, who would they be? And what would you ask?
I’ve recently been reading a book called We Are Nature Defending Itself, by Isabelle Fremeaux and Jay Jordan, two artists and activists who were part of defending a zone that was going to become an international airport in France. It’s a rare story where the people were too strong and after a 40 year struggle, the government withdrew their plans. This book has absolutely transformed me, and really got me thinking about how to genuinely combine art and activism. If I were to meet them I would ask their thoughts on how to achieve this as a metal artist who sees injustice and sings about it but doesn’t know how to take it further. I feel reflecting the times in your art isn’t enough and I want to know how to take it further.
Q. Lastly, what are your plans to support You’re Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now for the rest of the year, and what’s next for the band?
We’ve just played RADAR festival, which was amazing and we’re off to Germany next week for Summerbreeze festival, which will be our first German gig. We think it’s time for a HAWXX album, which is really exciting for us! We’ve got a GoFundMe up and running with some cool treats and rewards in place – for anyone who can support us, it means the world!
