On Friday, Isle of Wight’s Wet Leg will release their eagerly anticipated self-titled debut album. Since unleashing their first single in June last year, things have moved at lightning speed for Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – from selling out all their live shows in minutes, performing on US TV three times, being crowned number 2 in BBC’s Sound of 2022 to racking up 40M global streams and 9M YouTube views as well as been touted, most recently, by Dave Grohl, Lorde and Jack White. Before all twelve tracks from Wet Leg are revealed, today the duo share new song “Ur Mum”.
“Ur Mum” opens with a spectacular insult lobbed in the direction of an ex-boyfriend: “When I think about what you’ve become, I feel sorry for your mum” but the song also nods to outgrowing the slow pace of life and small town energy of the island: “When the lights go down on this fucking town, I know it’s time to go” and results in Rhian letting out her “longest and loudest scream” for 11.02 seconds. Teasdale says of the song: “I was pretty angry at way things had gone in this particular dynamic. It’s just a diss song I wrote to make myself feel better. It worked.”
The video directed by Lava La Rue who says: “The Ur Mum video was all about bringing the viewer into the Wet Leg world – sprinkling details throughout the visual that not only reference at least 4 songs off the album but also plenty of inside jokes within the band too. Artistically it shows where the aesthetic of American indie films like Napoleon Dynamite fit perfectly in the scape of rural British settings – this concept first came to me when the band took me to IOW for the first time – I saw the connection and it all clicked into place.”
The band have just completed an extensive round of touring in North America including roadblock SXSW showcases, an Academy Awards pre party for YSL, performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with James Corden.
They’ve also confirmed their UK touring plans for November including 2 dates at London’s O2 Forum which are already sold out. Fresh from their appearance at BBC 6 Music Festival on the weekend, they’ve been announced for Radio 1’s Big Weekender in May and also as the only addition to Radio 1’s Brit List.
Listen to Wet Leg’s previous singles: “Chaise Longue”, “Wet Dream”, “Too Late Now”, “Oh No” and “Angelica”.
Wet Leg is available to pre-order on exclusive clear vinyl (with a 7” of two non-album tracks) via the band’s webstore, standard vinyl, cassette, CD and digitally. A variety of merch (T-shirt, print) is available as a pre-order bundle too. Pre-order: Wet Leg Store | Digital
Upcoming live dates
Thursday 7th April – Banquet @ PRYZM, Kingston (early & late) – sold out
Friday 8th April – Rough Trade East, London (matinee & evening) – sold out
Saturday 9th April – Resident, Brighton – sold out
Sunday 10th April – Rough Trade, Bristol – sold out
Monday 11th April – Rough Trade, Nottingham – sold out
Tuesday 12th April – HMV, Birmingham – sold out
13th April – Bear Tree Records out-store at The Foundry, Sheffield – sold out
16th April – Newcastle University, Newcastle – sold out
17th April – The Mash House, Edinburgh – sold out
19th April – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – sold out
20th April – Gorilla, Manchester – sold out
21st April – Trinity Centre, Bristol – sold out
23rd April – o2 Institute, Birmingham – sold out
24th April – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich – sold out
26th April – Electric Ballroom, London – sold out
27th April – The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth – sold out
14th May – Point Ephemere, Paris – sold out
15th May – Le Nuits Botanique @ Botanique Rotonde, Brussels
16th May – Jaki, Cologne
19th May – Doornroosje, Nijmegen
20th May – Rotown, Rotterdam – sold out
21st May – London Calling @ Paradiso, Amsterdam
23rd May – Milla, Munich
24th May – Milla, Munich – sold out
25th May – Berghain/Kantine, Berlin – sold out
28th May – Neighbourhood Weekender @ Victoria Park, Warrington
16th June – Isle of Wight Festival, Newport
23rd June – The Louisiana, Bristol – Independent Venue Week/sold out
9th July – TRNSMT @ Glasgow Green, Glasgow
25th August – Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver – sold out
23rd October – Strom, Munich
25th October – Magazzini Generali, Milan
26th October – Mascotte, Zurich
29th October – Mojo Club, Hamburg
4th November – Trix, Antwerp
5th November – Vera, Groningen
6th November – Astra Kulturehaus, Berlin
7th November – Kantine, Cologne
9th November – Elysee Montmartre, Paris
10th November – Rockhal Club, Esch-sur-alzette
11th November – Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam
13th November – UEA, Norwich – sold out
14th November – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol – sold out
15th November – O2 Academy Liverpool, Liverpool – sold out
17th November – SWG3, Glasgow – sold out
18th November – Leeds Beckett Students Union, Leeds – sold out
19th November – O2 Ritz, Manchester – sold out
21st November – O2 Institute, Birmingham
23rd November – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – sold out
24th November – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – sold out
25th November – Rock City, Nottingham – sold out
27th November – Limelight, Belfast
28th November – Academy, Dublin
Tickets
Wet Leg have partnered with PLUS1 on their November UK tour so that £1 from every ticket goes to War Child to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war. www.warchild.org.uk
