Music / Wet Leg

Rhian Teasdale (L) and Hester Chambers (R)

Hey you, over there,
On the chaise lounge in your underwear,
What are you doing sitting down?
You should be horizontal now.

"Chaise Lounge"

Wet Leg are a British indie rock band founded in 2019 by vocalist and guitarist Rhian Teasdale and main guitarist Hester Chambers, two best friends from the Isle of Wight who decided to form the band on a whim while riding a ferris wheel. After only playing four live gigs, they were swiftly signed to indie label Domino Recording Company (Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, among others) and became an overnight sensation with the release of their debut single "Chaise Lounge" in 2021, which exploded to prominence in various worldwide music charts, accompanied by a music video that quickly went viral on YouTube.

Their second single, "Wet Dream", solidified their instant success, and led to various high-profile tours, including as the opening act for Harry Styles on the Australian and New Zealand leg of his Love On Tour in 2023. Their Self-Titled Album was released in April 2022 to critical acclaim, establishing the duo as an exciting new force in indie rock.

Much of their music and image is decidedly tongue-in-cheek, combining catchy hooks with off-kilter lyrics and music videos and an undeniably goofy sense of humour. This has helped massively with their appeal, contributing greatly to their success.

Members:

• Rhian Teasdale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2019–present)
• Hester Chambers – lead guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals (2019–present)

Current touring musicians:

• Henry Holmes – drums, percussion (2020–present)
• Josh Mobaraki – additional guitars, synthesizer, backing vocals (2020–present)
• Ellis Durand – bass, backing vocals (2021–present)

Former members:

• Doug Richards – drums, percussion (2019–2020)
• Michael Champion - bass (2019-2021)

Discography:

• Wet Leg (2022)

All day long on the tropes lounge:

• Addiction Song: "Supermarket".
• All Men Are Perverts: At least, the ones Rhian encounters seem to be, if "Wet Dream" and "Piece of Shit" are any indication.

  You climb onto the bonnet and you're licking the windscreen / I've never seen anything so obscene / It's enough to make a girl blush

• Attractive Bent-Gender: The video for "Ur Mum" is primarily an unconcious dream that wannabe rocker Scotty has, with the girls following him around. It culminates in his performance with his band at the Town Hall, and features him alternating with Rhian at certain points, with Scotty being the one dressed up as her, and pulling it off pretty well.
• Big Girl, Little Girl: Tall brunette Rhian and petite blonde Hester.
• Break Up Song: "Ur Mum", "Loving You", "Piece of Shit".
• Call-and-Response Song: "Chaise Lounge":

  Rhian: Excuse me?

  Hester: What?

• Careful with That Axe: "Ur Mum", although Rhian at least pre-warns the listener that it's coming:

  Okay, I've been practicing my longest and loudest scream. Okay, here we go, one, two, three... *SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMS*

• Credits Gag: The end credits of the video for "Too Late Now" credits all of the wandering farm sheep. They're individually numbered (Sheep #1, Sheep #2 etc.) and played by either "Himself" or "Herself".
• Double Entendre: Apart from the "muffin" line, "Chaise Lounge" also has this gem:

  I went to school and I got a degree / All of my friends call it 'the big D' / I went to school and I got the big D

• Ear Worm: Good Lord, "Chaise Lounge".
• Looped Lyrics: They're quite big on doing this, using it in some way, shape or form on "Being in Love", "Angelica", "Wet Dream", "Supermarket" and, of course, "Chaise Lounge".
• Lyrical Dissonance: Most of their tracks, especially their Break Up Songs, combine jaunty, upbeat rock hooks and ethereal vocals with some suprisingly hard-hitting lyrical angst, covering toxic relationships ("Ur Mum", "Loving You", "Piece of Shit"), addiction ("Supermarket", "Angelica"), depression ("I Don't Wanna Go Out", "Too Late Now"), dissatisfaction with getting older ("Angelica", "I Don't Wanna Go Out"), even social media addiction ("Oh No"). Indeed, the rest of the album can come as one hell of a surprise to anyone who picks it up expecting the silliness of "Chaise Lounge" throughout.
• Self-Titled Album: Their debut, Wet Leg.
• Sense Freak: The video for "Too Late Now" features the band as humanoid aliens who come to Earth for one specific purpose: to have a nice bubble bath.
• Scatting: Makes an appearance on "Ur Mum":

  I give up / Upupupupupupupupupup / On you now

• Shout-Out:
  • "Chaise Lounge" famously quotes Mean Girls in its first verse:
    Is your muffin buttered? Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?
  • The guitar line driving the verses of "I Don't Wanna Go Out" seems directly lifted from David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World".
• Step Up to the Microphone: Hester takes lead vocal duties on "Convincing".