On Monday, hundreds of concertgoers crammed into The Basement East in Nashville to catch a glimpse of one of the most hyped-up bands of recent memory in indie rock. Wet Leg made a splash last year with the release of the addicting “Chaise Longue”, and since then have only accumulated more notoriety as they have geared up to release their debut self-titled album last month. It’s hard to remember the last time an indie band reached this precipice before even releasing their debut, but the duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers make indie music designed for the immediate moment that seems to have found a massive audience already — this show was originally at the original Basement, but high demand caused an upgrade to the larger room.
To put it plainly — the hype was immediately justified from the moment the band took the stage. With a faint illuminated sign behind that displaying their band name, the expanded five-piece opened with the unreleased “Being In Love” and didn’t look back for a second. Whereas the Wet Leg on record exists in a post-punk, angular realm inspired by The Chats and Franz Ferdinand, the live version of this band rocks hard and builds off of the chemistry between Teasdale and Chambers. Songs like “Wet Dream” and “Angelica” carried an immediate, propulsive energy that turned The Basement East into a full-on dance party, and the energy didn’t let off for a second. Though soft-spoken, the band let their music speak for itself as they played the entirety of their forthcoming album. The set concluded with “Chaise Longue”, the absurdist This band is FUN, and their infectious attitude and songwriting chops suggest their high placement on upcoming festival lineups will only serve as a launchpad to bigger stages in the future.
Atlanta’s Lowertown opened the show, displaying impressive songwriting prowess that was incredibly moving over the bulk of their thirty-five-minute set. The impressive chemistry between Olivia Osby and Avshalom Weinberg was incredible to witness, and their recent signing to Dirty Hit seems like a win for the burgeoning label.
