NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
It’s been four years since Wet Leg seemingly exploded out of nowhere, filling our senses with catchy tunes and tongue in cheeks lyrics. It seemed like their debut hit single “Chaise Longue” was heard everywhere you went! The band from Isle of Wight, UK, at the time consisting of the extroverted Rhian Teasdale (lead vocals, guitar) and her introverted counterpart Hester Chambers (backing vocals, guitar), had become an instant sensation, selling out tour dates all over the world (including Toronto at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on August 2, 2022), and earning them several Grammy, Brit and Libera awards! Their self-titled debut album was a collection of great songs with no skips amongst them. They spent most of 2023 and 2024 supporting Harry Styles and the Foo Fighters on their respective tours as well as hitting the festival circuit while their fans eagerly waited for new music to drop, expecting them to strike the iron while it was hot. Just when it seemed like they were out of luck for another year, in April of this year, Wet Leg teased a new single “Catch These Fists” and a new look, with the sweet and innocent Teasdale replaced by a buff one with faded pink hair, bleached eyebrows, and bejeweled teeth! Also, backing band members Henry Holmes (drums), Josh Mobaraki (guitar), and Ellis Durand (bass) became official members of the band and their sophomore album Moisturizer quickly followed in July together with a tour announcement. They have said that Moisturizer is an album of love songs, although with Teasdale’s deadpan delivery and crazy lyrics, it’s hard to tell if they’re love songs or if she’s just “taking the piss”. Either way, the album grows on you quickly and ends up on repeat. In the midst of their North American Moisturizer tour, they made a stop at History in Toronto and we were there to party with the band!
The opener was another UK indie rock band, Mary in the Junkyard, formed during Covid and released their debut EP This Old House last year.. With Clari Freeman-Taylor on vocals and guitar, Saya Barbaglia on bass and viola, and David Addison on drums, they describe their music as “angry, weepy, chaos rock” and, while I can see the chaos and weepy parts, enhanced by sometimes jarring minor key changes and Freeman-Taylor’s airy voice straining to reach…something, I’m not sure I see the angry. Throw in Barbaglia’s switch between bass and viola and you have an eminently enjoyable set so, for those of you attending the later shows in the tour, make sure you get to the venue early to catch this excellent young band! The only downer for these guys was that they weren’t able to bring their tour merchandise over the border (probably due to recent changes in tariffs/duty) so I wasn’t able to snag a copy of their EP or a t-shirt.
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The venue was absolutely packed when Wet Leg took the stage in darkness, with a few small lights showing Rhian Teasdale in a double biceps pose. I took that to mean the first song would be “Catch These Fists” and I wasn’t disappointed! As we got to the chorus, dazzlingly bright white light flooded the stage, almost to the point where we couldn’t see anything. This type of lighting would continue throughout the show with either Rhian in dim lighting and the rest of the band in shadows or strobes flashing brightness. Unlike their previous tours where Teasdale and Chambers shared the front of the stage, Teasdale was flanked by Mobaraki on her right and Durand on her left, with Chambers hiding out towards the back of the stage with her back to the audience half the time. She has, in effect, removed herself as much as she can from the public eye, hopefully not because of the actions of sometimes too enthusiastic fans the last couple of years. Another interesting thing I noticed was that the demographics of the crowd skewed a bit younger than their 2022 tour. Back then, the crowd was typically Gen X, with Wet Leg reminding them of bands from the 80s. The audience this time was a great mix this time with many more fans in their 20s but, regardless of age, everyone was singing and dancing so a good time was being had by all!
But back to the show….what a banging way to open the show as the crowd got into it right away! They followed up with three songs from their debut album: “Wet Dream”, “Too Late Now”, and “Being in Love” (still my favorite), satisfying those who have been with the band since the beginning. The setlist was everything you could ask for as a fan, with the band playing eleven out of the twelve songs from Moisturizer and eight out of twelve songs from their first album. The screaming portion from “Ur Mom” was a bit of a disappointment in Toronto since it didn’t have the volume or full participation I had expected. Perhaps the much larger venue was less conducive for the crowd sound to carry or perhaps it’s starting to get a bit old for some fans but it didn’t feel as fun as it did their previous visit to Toronto. Nevertheless, the overall mood of the crowd was joyful and I don’t think I saw anyone just standing around. Almost everyone was bouncing or dancing while singing along to their favorite song.
When Teasdale announced that there were only three songs left, those in the know understood that there were truly only three songs left and no encore. I was surprised that “Chaise Longue” was the first of those three songs since it is their most well known and many fan’s favorite. However, I couldn’t complain as two other bangers “Mangetout” and “CPR” closed out the set. Wet Leg has evolved since they burst onto the scene yet they’re also still the same, a really fun band that puts on an awesome show. While many of their North American tour stops are already sold out, there are still some tickets to be had so hurry! After they’re done here, Wet Leg heads back over the pond for a tour of EU and UK. Lots of opportunity for those who desire!
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