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.
Add comment