Few indie rock bands have seen explosive success in the last few years like Wet Leg, whose
new album Moisturizer redefines their sound while maintaining all of the tongue-in-cheek
humor of their first record. And if their stunning performance at the Salt Shed on Wednesday is
any indication, the sky is likely the limit.
Opening with “catch these fists” from Moisturizer, the band sailed through nearly both albums’
worth of material in just seventy minutes, showing off their penchant for short, punchy guitardriven
tunes that often mix up huge, singalong choruses with singer/guitarist Rhian Teasdale’s
cheeky monotone. “Wet Dream” from their eponymous 2022 debut followed, and from there,
the Isle of Wight quintet was a breath of fresh air—too often, the indie rock aesthetic tends to
be a little precious and a little too serious.
None of that was on display as Teasdale struttedaround the stage, having traded her cottage-core dresses for a two piece outfit that wouldn’thave been out of place at a pop show, which is ultimately what Wet Leg have succeeded indoing—the mainstream quality of their music can’t be ignored, and they know it.
Much likeU2’s transition from earnestness to irony in 1992, Wet Leg has pivoted sharply away from theirprevious image and stage setup to one that can own a big stage, and own it they did, from thedebut of new tune “11:21,” to that cathartic scream in the breakdown of “Ur Mum,” to the calland-responses of “Chaise Longue”—the ‘song that got [them] here,” according to guitaristJosh Mobaraki in his introduction.
“Excuse me, Chicago?” Teasdale quipped during the second verse, grinning madly at the roar
that came back from the sold-out crowd before ripping into the chorus. Equally affecting were
the slower tunes like new single “Davina McCall,” the lush melodies of which at times called to
mind Scottish indie-popsters Camera Obscura.
Wet Leg’s performance was wholly, unabashedly fun, and the band oozes an effortless kind of
confidence in what they’re doing—something that the current crop of pop artists have figured
out, and something that the current indie-rock scene could use a whole lot more of.