Wet Leg's Rhian Teasdale on their sudden rise to fame (2024)

It began with a hit single about a sofa, but British indie rock band Wet Leg aren't lounging around after a sold-out show in Auckland.

Retro yet modern, 'Chaise Longue' is a thumping little deadpan anthem that became one of the big viral hits of 2021.

Wet Leg is a British indie rock band from the Isle of Wight, founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They released their first self-titled album in April.

From the Isle of Wight to Glastonbury Festival, Wet Leg's sudden rise to fame hasgained them fast fans all across the world,including Dave Grohl and Harry Styles, who has invited them to support him on his upcoming world tour.

Music 101's Charlotte Ryan spoke to Rhian after their sold-out show at the Tuning Fork in Auckland about their sudden rise to fame.

Rhian said the band's meteoric rise to fame and travel to the other side of the world has been pretty disorienting.

"It's like, lots of highs and lots of lows. And then when you do have the lows you're like, you don't even allow yourself to feel it because obviously we're so lucky to be here.

"So it's a real strange kind of low where you're like 'Oh, I feel a bit down and homesick but how dare I, because this is like incredible!"

While the band has quickly gone viral, Teasdale spent years performing solo around the Isle of Wight and Bristol. She was actually ready to toss in the towel at one point.

"I just really wasn't enjoying it. Around me all of my friends were becoming lawyers and working these proper jobs and they were able to buy nice things and live a normal life.

"And they'd have weekends off and I would always be working on the weekends because I'd always be in hospitality jobs.

"I was like okay, doing music is making me really unhappy in my lifestyle."

But when Rhian joined up with longtime friend Hester Chambers, she found inspiration again.

"When we started Wet Leg we were like this is a thing we're going to do as a hobby for ourselves, for no one else and that's what made it fun again."

Rhian and Hester only gave up their outside jobs at the end of 2021, and a few months later the band was playing at Glastonbury, where Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl became a big fan.

"It's so surreal to hear the words 'Wet Leg' come out of Dave Grohl's mouth," Rhian said.

"I feel like it's so fast and I feel like I haven't put the time in and I haven't grafted and there are so many other bands making such good music, and sometimes it's hard to feel like deserving of your own success."

The sold-out crowd at The Tuning Fork last Sunday welcomed Wet Leg with open arms.

"It was our first proper show of this tour," Rhian said.

"At one point one guy shouted from the audience 'How does it feel to have people on the other side of the world know all the words to your songs?' Pretty cool, very strange."

* Read RNZ's review of Wet Leg's Auckland gig here

The show at the cozy Tuning Fork might be the last chance to catch Wet Leg at a small venue - they're back in Aotearoa in March, but this time opening for one of the world's biggest pop stars - Harry Styles - at Mount Smart Stadium.

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