Wet Leg, O2 Forum Kentish Town review - eclectic glee from an emerging band | reviews, news & interviews
Wet Leg, O2 Forum Kentish Town review - eclectic glee from an emerging band
Wet Leg, O2 Forum Kentish Town review - eclectic glee from an emerging band
Madness and mop men abound
Saturday, 26 November 2022
The time of their lives: Wet Leg's sense of fun is contagiousHolly Fernando
Arriving to the second night of two shows in the same venue, you would expect it to be a little quieter. But Wet Leg’s second outing at the O2 in Kentish Town was anything but – their burgeoning reputation (they are supporting Harry Styles next year) ensuring an excellent and enthusiastic turnout.
The crowd was mixed, but with more than a smattering of the bald(ing) 6 Music dads that are now standard fare for any emergent alternative pop acts.
There were two warm-up bands, described by one of the two frontwomen of Wet Leg with glee as the chance to organise their own mini festival. The first, Coach Party, had the thrill of a driving bass and the crash of good guitars, but were slightly let down by loud drums that drowned out the lead singer’s voice. The second, Lava La Rue, was led by a frontwoman who clearly loved being on stage, interacting more with her band and with the audience. They had a vogueish Nineties flavour with more than a hint of funk, going so far as to bring out a sax.
Wet Leg came onstage to what is apparently their usual tune – Howard Shore’s ‘Concerning Hobbits’ – and in a great array of costumes. Four of the nine onstage were wearing white milkmaid dresses and straw hats. One of the singers, Hester, was in a gauzy black dress, and the other, Rhian, who sang most of the songs, sported the black bat ears that decorate their merch.
They opened with the swell of ‘Being in Love’, with a softly hazy guitar, before ripping into ‘Wet Dream’, the audience clapping and singing along to one of their best known and deliciously cheeky songs. ‘Supermarket’ demonstrated something that was clear throughout the gig – that although Wet Leg are relatively new, with just one album and one tour to their name, they are excellent musicians, playing a tight, exhilarating set. At times, it did feel like they were just playing through their album, but, of course, this was a slight inevitability.
At this point, Rhian stepped away from centre stage for Hester to sing ‘Convincing’, soft and lovely but perhaps a little quiet. Rhian primarily engaged the crowd throughout, chatting and asking them to scream in ‘Your Mum’, which everyone enthusiastically and deafeningly did. She theatrically performed ‘Obvious’, backlit, with a smoke machine blowing into the light, a lilting guitar, and the glitter ball turning slowly overhead.
The sense of fun was present throughout, impressive for a band who are coming to the end of their first tour. For ‘Oh No’ they brought Mop Man onstage (from the music video of the song), who lost his hat, which Rhian then tripped over. Their lyrics are dripping with bathos that is a great expression of contemporary life, the mournful beauty of ‘Too Late Now’ undercut with bubble baths and shaven rats.
For the final song, Rhian and Hester left the stage and reappeared in graduation gowns and mortar boards to sing about their big d(egree)s, confetti canons showering into the crowd as they crescendoed out. As the audience screamed along, the stage flooded with friends and family, in blowsy, blue dresses, with lobster hats and claws. A very fitting end for a gig by a band who are clearly having the time of their lives – as, clearly, were their wildly cheering fans.
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more New music
Album: FaithNYC - Love is a Wish Away
Wonderfully produced off-piste music
English Teacher, Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow review - Mercury winners step up in size with style
The Leeds quartet's set was varied in genre but thrilling when punchy
Album: Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
The flawless union of style and substance
Kenny Barron Trio, Ronnie Scott's review - a master of the cool
Eloquent story-telling from jazz giant
Album: Body Count - Merciless
Ice goes on autopilot
Music Reissues Weekly: Magazine - Real Life, Secondhand Daylight, The Correct Use of Soap
The first three albums from Howard Devoto’s post-punk marvels hit the shops again
Bob Dylan, Royal Albert Hall review - cracked ritual from rock elder
A glorious mixture of mask and authenticity
ARK: United States V by Laurie Anderson, Aviva Studios, Manchester review - a vessel for the thoughts and imaginings of a lifetime
Despite anticipating disaster, this mesmerising voyage is full of hope
Album: Linkin Park - From Zero
California metal icons mark new era with captivating eighth album
Rachel Chinouriri, Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow review - a formidable and genre-hopping talent
The singer lifted elements from throughout pop history during an exciting set
Album: Jon Batiste - Beethoven Blues
Beethoven's hits reimagined by the American musical celebrity
Album: Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens - American Railroad
American railroad history retold in a song cycle
Add comment