Fresh off the back of achieving a number one album with their eponymous debut, Wet Leg had the crowd at Leeds’ famous Brudenell Social Club exactly where they wanted them.
Fumbling nervously onto the stage, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers barely glanced at the sold out crowd before launching into their album opener, ‘Being In Love’. They seem taken aback almost by the fact that everyone knows the words despite the album only recently being released. You can tell by the smiles and winks that they share that this is all relatively new to them.
The Isle of Wight duo have enjoyed a meteoric rise since they crept onto the scene in 2019. Their quirky and tongue-in-cheek nature is certainly not lost on their live performances as they coyly deliver their innuendo-ridden set as if they were being asked to perform it in front of their headteacher. Whilst musically they are one of the tightest bands I have seen, they still seem incredibly shy on stage – addressing the audience with a whisper just once throughout the entire set. This became a secondary concern though as they ripped through standout tracks like ‘Wet Dream’ and ‘Oh No’ with precision and ease like no other, prompting Teasdale and Chambers to twirl on stage like two excited children whilst still executing each riff perfectly.
The band then showcased tracks off of their number one debut album, which saw them fend off alternative heavyweights like Father John Misty and Jack White to gain the top spot. All in all, the album is a concise yet hooky affair which steers away from the novelty of their earlier singles but still has fun with itself. Tracks like ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’ and ‘Ur Mum’ are angsty and emotional in contrast to the more throwaway moments on the album like ‘Chaise Longue’. Each track is met with the same enthusiasm, especially their surprise cover of Ronan Keating’s ‘Life is A Rollercoaster’, from the audience at Brudenell as they’re happy to be in the presence of one of the most exciting new bands in the country.
And at last, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The rumble of the bass induces a cheer that drifts across the venue like a Mexican wave. “Mummy, Daddy, look at me” is bellowed in unison by everyone in the room – I suspect even the bar staff understood exactly what time it was. The song has fast cemented its place as an indie classic and it is not hard to understand why. It has everything from a catchy chorus to a call and response section. The song ramps up to its eventual climax and the band leave the stage in the same manner that they arrived in.
Wet Leg is playing at this year’s Neighbourhood Weekender
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Tags: Brudenell Social Club / neighbourhood weekender / review / Wet Leg