BBC Sounds

Week 15: Wet Leg- Wet Leg

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Yes, I know it is yet another cliché moment. I DID discover Wet Leg while watching Later…with Jools Holland in November last year. 

They performed their famous hit ‘Chaise Longue’, which I found extremely funny for its lyrical content, but I also loved its raw, punky sound, and the ladies singing had those typical punk vocals.

The duo hails from the Isle of Wight and consists of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Of course, other members feature on the album, but they are regarded as session musicians and touring members. 

Going back to ‘Chaise Longue’, it was refreshing to hear a track that wasn’t by some fucking idiot who has no business in music just because their song went viral on TikTok because of some shit dance craze. ‘Chaise Longue’ is known for its bassline and guitar riffs instrumental-wise, but the lyrics are delivered with deadpan by leading vocalist and guitarist Rhian taking quotes from the film Mean Girls. Like I said earlier, I found some of the lyrics quite funny, especially the one about going to school and not learning anything but having sex (Listen to the song. You know what I mean.). The chorus wasn’t that great, with “On the Chaise Longue” repeated throughout, but somehow, it becomes a catchy hook that adds to the track.

I then listened to the band via live performances on YouTube during the earlier part of this year, and I was highly impressed by what I heard. The songs are short, but whereas some might describe them as Indie, they have more of the punk spirit. Funnily enough, I felt like I was listening to Amyl and the Sniffers sans the Australian accents.

I saw a tweet from the duo saying their self-titled debut was about to go to number one, and I was delighted to hear what the album sounded like. Unfortunately, I didn’t have to listen much because I had already heard the songs featured on their promotional tour. However, I checked out the streaming figures on Spotify and was amazed that they had amassed 13 million streams! I could not believe just how widespread this duo was when most of the videos on YouTube were them playing in dinghy bars and pubs. Although they have yet to do any significant events or play at big venues, they have done the Late night chat shows in America and were voted runners-up in the BBC Sounds of 2022 poll. Because of ‘Chaise Longue’, many will say that Wet Leg might not be more than just a fleeting moment. However, I disagree with them. The duo have other songs in their arsenal. Okay, they might be on the same level sonically and lyrically, but it is more than just one hit.

Okay, I may have gone overboard saying they are punk. They are like a soft version of punk. You can’t even say they are pop-punk because they sound nothing like bands like Green Day. They remind me of Lush, who were around in the 90s (If you can’t remember, there are videos of their performance of ‘Lady Killers’ on the short-lived Channel 4 show, the White Room. They have that same element of punk. I wouldn’t call them energetic rebellion as I have done for IDLES or shame. Staying with punk, their producer for the debut happens to be Dan Carey, who has produced for Fontaines DC, no less. You’re always onto a winner when Dan is involved. I recommend it if you have yet to hear Fontaines DC’s first two albums. The only difference between Wet Leg and Lush, I will even throw in Shampoo (Remember ‘Trouble’?) into the mix, is that the lyrical content is more based on 21st-century themes. 

For example, ‘Being in Love’ over punky guitars turns to delicate strumming as the song changes the subject mood. So, the music goes from, I imagine, Rhian/Hester or both being infatuated to them suffering from anxiety about the possibility of being hurt. The second example is ‘Too Late Now’, which, funnily enough, closes the album, whereas ‘Being in Love’ started it. This time, however, the girls feel alone and fret about missing out on opportunities. There is even a breakdown in the track where Rhian says, “I’m not sure if this is a song/I don’t even know what I’m saying/I’m not sure if this is the kind of life that I saw myself living” Now, I am not sure if she is talking about that music wasn’t the planned destination of her career, but it is powerful nonetheless.

You then have the psychedelic element on ‘Don’t Wanna Go Out’, like David Bowie’s ‘Hallo Spaceboy’.Although, Rhian talks about being in their late 20s and still living it up. ‘Angelica’ is about a girl at a party who thoroughly hates the idea of being there, and ‘Oh No’ seems to be about an individual trying to control a panic attack.

There are, of course, the punk tracks, which I mentioned earlier (Not the tracks. The element.) ‘Supermarket’ made me laugh because who hasn’t been stoned while shopping in one? Especially when you got the munchies. Then there is ‘Wet Dream’. That one doesn’t need a genius to work out the theme. Songs like these are more sinister than ‘Chaise Longue’, but their wit remains. One line that made me laugh on ‘Loving You’ was “I hope you choke on your girlfriend”. 

I also have to big up ‘Ur Mum’ just for the title alone, but the song is hilarious and reminds me of when I was young and using it as a light-hearted insult. That was my favourite, and it has been my favourite since I watched them perform a whole set via YouTube. 

I loved their debut. Okay, I didn’t have to listen to much of it because I had heard most of the songs performed live before its release. But it is an enjoyable, witty, sarcastic, punky record. The only qualm for me is that it needed to be longer.

Song recommendations: ‘Ur Mum’, ‘Supermarket’, ‘Loving You’

8/10

Week 6: Celeste- Not Your Muse

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I might put this in the bio somewhere because this is getting to be something of a soundbite on my reviews (Albeit it is utterly authentic.), but once again, it was through Later…with Jools Holland that I discovered Celeste. I remember she performed “Lately” and “Strange” with just her incredible vocals and the piano to accompany her (I’m pretty sure that Jools joined her on one of the tracks.). At the same time, the likes of Liam Gallagher looked on, on that October night in 2019 at the original home of the Later series. From there, Celeste would go on to more extraordinary things. In the year just past, she won BBC Sounds Artist of the Year, joining the likes of Adele, Ellie Goulding, and Michael Kiwanuka, and that’s an excellent accolade to claim to look at the success it has brought for the artists. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Celeste followed their path. Since her debut, she has featured on Later twice to discuss the music she likes and what inspires her in the lockdown edition of the last series and the socially distanced 2021 Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve.

Of course, this long-awaited album has seen her popularity soar, and you hear her songs everywhere, from the supermarket to the radio to the television. If anyone complains about that, I don’t know why; she has such a fantastic voice and reminds me of a rising star back in 2006 called Corinne Bailey Rae, who was heading to the top until a setback put her career on hold. She is now steady in her career and will soon release an album that attracts mainstream listeners. My point is that Celeste sounds like her, and I will also throw in Lianne La Havas. I hear that when Celeste sings a mixture of Corinne Bailey Rae and Lianne La Havas, respectively. It’s not a bad combination if I say so myself.

When I was referring to Celeste’s tracks being pretty much everywhere, here are two examples I mean: You have “Stop This Flame”, a track with a piano riff that, when I heard it, felt very familiar to Rhythm is Rhythm’s “Strings of Life”, which in turn inspired Noel Gallagher to write “AKA…What a Life!”, so, yeah, the track sounds like those two combined. It is also very commercial, and one might be categorised under pop. It is also very different from the kind of music Celeste has sung or put out in the past. The uplifting tempo and optimistic lyrics encouraged Sky Sports to use it to open their Super Sunday programme since the start of the 2020/2021 football season. Of course, an advert was released in October last year to promote the Christmas period. The advert in question was for John Lewis/Waitrose, and the company chose Celeste’s “A Little Love”. You can certainly hear Lianne La Havas coming through in that one. The fantastic thing about Celeste is even if you are unaware of her, I guarantee you have listened to her wherever you have been, heard on the radio, or watched on the television. You might have bought a magazine, and there’s been an interview, article, or even an advert promoting her music. She is very much like her fellow winners of BBC Sounds because she can cause an earthquake with her vocals, be tender with almost a whisper, and sound fragile while delivering a song about heartbreak. For example, “Stop This Flame” shows off her ability to sing with passion and loud, “A Little Love” to sing very quietly and softly, and “Strange” where she can sing with a fragile voice and appear broken-hearted to match the song’s subject.

I disagree with the comparisons to Adele in terms of the vocals. I think elements of this album sound more like what the late Amy Winehouse would do (I should have mentioned her earlier in what this record sounds like. I felt it had Amy Winehouse-esque songs, sonically.), I can also imagine Mark Ronson teaming up with Celeste at some point and producing an album with her. Jamie Hartman is one of the producers on the album and has worked with the likes of Rag n Bone Man. The only comparison I can draw with Adele is how the record goes from pop to ballads with Celeste, just like Adele, singing with just an acoustic guitar to accompany her. Funnily enough, the album starts just like that. Celeste is singing “Ideal Woman” over just an acoustic guitar. Another comparison would be her ability to be melancholic and tracks of that nature. She doesn’t fake the delivery on the more sombre tracks. Just like an actor, she goes into character effortlessly.

Some have argued that this album is too safe and Celeste hasn’t taken any risks, but I beg to differ. I never expected her to try something like “Stop this Flame” or “Tonight Tonight”. I didn’t expect a Mark Ronson-inspired production with “Love is Back”. It was an outstanding effort by Celeste, and there are a few surprises along the way on the album. I listened to the deluxe edition, so the record ends on her rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, which is an unusual way to end an album, but it works. I recommend buying or listening to “Not Your Muse” because Celeste is an incredibly talented artist, and more is to come from her.

Song recommendations: “Stop This Flame”, “Ideal Woman”, “Strange”

9/10