Isle of Wight five-piece Wet Leg returned to the streets of Manchester this week for a sold-out show at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Trafford, in support of their forthcoming album moisturizer, which is due to be released under Domino Records. This show comes not too long after a recent stint in the area, as they filled the support slot for Foo Fighters at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground with a performance which no doubt generated a lot of hype for their biggest-ever headline show in the city.
Entering the venue, perhaps the most striking thing was the sheer friendliness of the crowd. Having initially found mainstream success through the virality of their hits ‘Chaise Lounge’ and ‘Wet Dream’ on social media platform TikTok, many may come to expect that the band would attract a much younger audience. It was refreshing to see people from all walks of life, ages and demographics, all in attendance for the sole purpose of catching a glimpse into the band’s unique artistry.
O2 Victoria Warehouse is notoriously difficult to describe as a venue, in that it’s small yet has a stage that gives the impression of being almost arena-scale. It leaves plenty of room for set design, and can be an amazing place to see a gig when done right. It was slightly disappointing to see that the band did not utilise this; though dispersed around the stage from the first track, they did little to really utilise the stage as part of the show. Nevertheless, the first three tracks had the crowd roaring and truly set the pace for the night, with the audience already having their appetite fed by a stellar support set from London-based trio Mary in the Junkyard. Wet Leg wasted no time in getting to the hits, with ‘Wet Dream’ being the third track. Lead singer Rhian Teasdale knows exactly how to grab an audience’s attention with only her presence; she’s a warm personality with an entrancing vocal range.
Wet Leg are insanely talented: it’s almost unfathomable how good they are at what they do. The variety within their discography showcases their massive levels of musical growth as a band in the four years since their debut in 2021. Having your debut album top the charts could easily stump a band on what to do next; luckily Wet Leg have several tricks up their sleeve. New tracks like ‘catch these fists’ and ‘liquidize’ were met to rave reactions from the crowd, with the standing section almost feeling like it could open up for a mosh pit.
A track that particularly stood out was ‘jennifer’s body’, a song so quintessentially Wet Leg that it will almost undoubtedly inspire a viral moment. Another track, ‘davina mccall’ was so British that the crowd couldn’t help but fall in love. What also stood out was the synergy of the band; each member hit their note precisely to create a performance that varied little to the studio recordings. Wet Leg proved that they are more than worthy of the three Grammys and two Brit Awards they have under their belt.
Overall, the band provided everything you would expect from a Wet Leg show: hits, new material, and a lot of serotonin. The lit-up faces of the crowd leaving the venue proved that the show was in no way tainted; Wet Leg still managed to fabricate an intimacy that touched the hearts of each of the 3,500 fans in the building. The band have a summer full of shows across the globe ahead of them, including a return to Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and a headline slot at Wildereness Festival in Cheshire. If an opportunity to catch one of these arises – do it. They will not disappoint.
