Wet Leg Manchester review: ‘Tight musicianship and effortless swagger’
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Wet Leg made their triumphant return to Manchester on Wednesday evening as they performed their biggest-headlining show in the city in front of 8,000 people at Castlefield Bowl.
From a project that initially began “as a joke", according to frontwoman Rhian Teasdale, the “joke” has gone better than either Teasdale or Hester Chambers could have possibly imagined. Wet Leg has become one of the most commercially successful bands in the UK in recent years after their “joke” took a serious turn when their hit ‘Chaise Longue’ went viral. The band’s self-titled album debuted at No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart in 2022, saw them shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and claimed a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Alternative Music Performance for ‘Chaise Longue’. ‘Moisturizer’ - their sophomore album - transformed the band into a muscular five-piece with Henry Holmes, Ellis Durand and Josh Mobaraki joining Chambers and Teasdale. The album was major success, charting at No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart and garning Grammy and Brit Award nominations.
“The joke” has turned into serious critical acclaim, and their headline shows are just getting bigger and bigger.
The performance at Castlefield Bowl marked the start of a three-date run of outdoor shows, which will see the five-piece perform their biggest headlining shows to date, including a hotly anticipated set at London’s Alexandra Palace Park, where they’ll perform in front of up to 15,000 people. On the eve of releasing a deluxe version of their chart-topping ‘Moisturizer’, Wet Leg made their Castlefield Bowl debut, rolling into the amphitheatre with the confidence of a band that knows they’re in red-hot form.
The five-piece opened the performance in a sea of smoke as they performed a muscular rendition of ‘Catch These Fists’, muscular in a figurative and literal sense as Teasdale flexed her biceps. ‘Oh No’, fuelled by Durand’s driving bass line and Holmes’ propulsive drumming, is irresistibly danceable. ‘Wet Dream’ sparked a raucous singalong; ‘Supermarket’ was driven by Teasdale's and Chambers’ twin-guitar harmonies and Holmes’ powerhouse drumming.
‘Being In Love’ was delivered with soft vocals that felt almost conversational in Teasdale’s delivery; the jangly guitars in ‘Jennifer’s Body’ were a highlight in the arrangement; ‘Liquidize’ was delivered with Durand’s aggressive, low-end bass and Holmes’ steady, driving drums; and ‘Pokemon’ was performed with the unusual sight of an 8,000-strong audience waving at a passing train driver on a train track above the venue.
“This is crazy,” Teasdale said. “This is probably the most we’ve had at a show. Thanks for buying a ticket. This is monumental,” the five-piece’s soft-spoken frontwoman added. ‘Ur Mum’, fuelled by crunchy guitars, thumping drums and a heavy bass line, before Teasdale invited the audience to scream. So much so, the screams could be heard across the city. ‘Pillow Talk's hard-hitting wall of sound felt grittier and heavier in a live setting, and the introductions of ‘Davina McCall’ saw Teasdale ask if there was anyone in attendance who was in love. Noticing one or two people raise their hands, “There’s got to be more than that. Oh dear,” she said with a giggle.
A euphoric ‘Chaise Lounge’ paved the way for ‘CPR’, which saw Teasdale sing into a handheld landline phone before ‘Mangetout’ wrapped up a performance that didn’t rely on any cinematic visuals or extravagant production to shine; the performance relied on their tight musicianship and effortless swagger, and it’s safe to say that the venues are going to continue to get bigger and better for Wet Leg. Next stop, AO Arena on their next visit?
If you’re planning to head to Leeds or London to see Wet Leg at Millenium Square or Alexandra Palace, tickets are available here.