Most of the bands I saw in last month's Release Festival were old favorites: I've seen Siouxsie, Echo & The Bunnymen and Madrugada many times each; I was looking forward to more of the same, and wasn't disappointed. On the other hand, there were bands whose albums I liked but hadn't had the chance to watch live yet. Interpol was one such case, and a relative disappointment: an apathetic stage presence, with the singer murmuring into the microphone, almost not moving and making no effort to connect with their audience. To be fair, I only heard maybe 5 songs before heading to the other stage to catch The Bunnymen. True to form, Ian MacCullogh didn't step in the spotlight once. He spoke little, in a strong Scouse accent which few understood, but he at least sounded like he enjoyed being on stage and playing his songs. All in all, it was a good festival; most of the bands performed very well, but the one I enjoyed the most were probably Wet Leg; maybe because it was such a nice change from seeing too many bands by 50- ,60- , or 70-year old dudes in the last couple of years.
Wet Leg is a young band from Isle Of Wight, who surfaced recently with a couple of singles written during the pandemic lockdown. When I saw them in the festival last week, I had had their LP only for a month or so and wasn't overly familiar with the way they sound on record. Going back to it now, the record sounds just a tad too clean; live, the songs sounded noisier and harder. Onstage, singer Rhian Teasdale proved to be a confident and communicative performer, while guitarist Hester Chambers was more shy but seemed to enjoy her role just as much. The same goes for the 3 guys in the band; although they are mostly not the ones who played on the record and they are nominally tour musicians rather than full members, it's obvious that the whole gang has bonded well and enjoy their time together. I'd bet that they'll gradually form into a real band. Wet Leg (the album, as well as the band) was a tremendous hit with music critics, winning multiple awards. I hate to join the crowd, but I'll have to agree with the general sentiment. The attraction is obvious; the album is the product of two young women who refuse to take themselves too seriously. Their lyrics are irreverent and funny, and the music full of hooks. Style wise, they seem to be updating 90's - 00's indie pop for the Tik Tok generation, combining post punk riffs with playful synths and sweet girlish vocals. First single "Chaise Longue" is upbeat , featuring an intro that reminded me of The Fall, and a repetitive and nonsensical but effervescent chorus. The second hit from the LP "Wet Dream" combines a disco beat with indie guitars reminiscent of The Breeders and sweet vocals a la Lush. And let's not forget that other obvious 90's reference, since songs like "Ur Mom"and "Oh No" surely sound like a poppier version of Elastica. Opener "Being in Love" is another upbeat highlight, one I think I'd like more if the girls' voices didn't sugarcoat too much. But I guess that's what makes this album a hit; a couple of sweet sounding females singing about whatever comes to their minds, spouting funny and irreverent one-liners. "Angelica" shows more variation excelling in the quiet/loud department, with occasional noisy guitar bursts and a more rhythmic part reminiscent of M.I.A. "I Don't Want to Go Out" is a nice melodic rocker, and "Loving You" the closer the album gets to a ballad. Another relatively subdued track is "Piece Of Shit". At times it reminds me of Pixies - which is, of course, a good thing. The next two tracks are both mid-tempo: "Convincing" is -excuse the pun- the least convincing track here (nothing seriously wrong with it, but nothing memorable either) while "Supermarket" sports a bluesy sing-along chorus. Album closer "Too Late Now" gets off to a slow start but picks up pace along the way for a bright and jangly Lemonheads-like ending. All in all, this LP is fresh, and has "fun" written all over it. I did enjoy the humorous jabs and occasional foul language, especially when mixed with emotional candor. Also, while the upbeat and poppy singles are the most accomplished songs here, it's the more subdued and complicated stuff that make me more eager to hear what Wet Leg will do next; one plainly sees that they have not only mastered the art of writing hit songs full of great hooks, but that there's room for growth as well. In that respect, I have the same feeling I got by the Fontaines DC debut a few years back: that the accolades may be a bit premature but that this is a band to watch, for sure.
**** on Being in Love, Chaise Longue, Angelica, I Don't Wanna Go Out, Wet Dream, Ur Mum, Piece of Shit, Supermarket, Too Late Now
*** for Convincing, Loving You, Oh No
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