Wet Leg at Electric Ballroom

So many superlatives have been spilled over Wet Leg since they emerged last year that a reviewer might run out. But their gig on Tuesday at the Electric Ballroom in Camden demands them.

Fresh off the release of their acclaimed self-titled number one album – and the announcement they are set to support none other than Harry Styles on tour – the duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers’s Electric night felt like something of a coming-out party in one of indie’s spiritual homes. The venue was packed to the rafters (including the odd famous face) and the pair did not disappoint.

After a Lord of the Rings inspired intro, it was straight into their album’s dreamy opener, Being in Love, and the similarly matched Convincing. Although both showcase the group’s floatier, more psychedelic side, here they had a more raucous heavier guitar sound that would become a theme of the evening. Their second single Wet Dream’s driving rhythms then truly dialled things up.

Beyond a musical palate that stretches from the 1960s through post-punk to today, and the zeitgeist zest of minimalist viral hits, what has won Wet Leg many fans is the late-night wit of Teasdale’s lyrics, encapsulating both the joys and disappointments of being young. It’s there on tracks like Supermarket, Piece of Shit, Too Late Now and the slower brooding non-album song Obvious, but truly comes into its own when it combines with their rockier approach on quirky fan favourite Oh No and Ur Mum. The latter’s marvellous spacey conclusion featured a screaming Teasdale startling fans with her energy in a way that rather sums up the new things we learn about Wet Leg from this performance – that the plaudits and experience of success have given these talented but initially mild-mannered indie darlings an assurance that means they now can be classed as genuine rock stars.

The conclusion of the gig, with Angelica, an ode to bad house parties, and their ubiquitous signature song Chaise Longue, is something of a victory lap: having wowed fans with a repertoire that would grace most groups with two or three albums, the band then sent them off into the boozy Camden night with their offbeat lyrics ringing in their ears.

Given the justified hype, Wet Leg tickets in venues like the Electric Ballroom may be like gold dust for a good while – but if you can, they’re certainly an act to make a beeline for on the festival circuit this summer.

Mark Worgan
Photos: Miguel de Melo

For further information and future events visit Wet Leg’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Ur Mum here: