More about: Teenage Cancer TrustCMATWet LegTeenageCancerGigs

Once a year, Royal Albert Hall opens its doors to something really special. Hosting a week of concerts as an annual collaboration with Teenage Cancer Trust, it’s rare to walk into a venue that historic, and posh, and think ‘ah, isn’t the atmosphere here so lovely.’ But in March each year, that’s exactly what it is - lovely. Charity buckets rattle with generosity, people smile and laugh in the foyer, making their way into the stunning hall, knowing it’s going to be fun and that fun is going to do good. It’s a win, win. 

With a varied line up every year, The Who’s Roger Daltrey oversees the bookings, picking a mixed bag of icons, chart toppers and nostalgia trips. Tonight was the night of the chart topper apparently, as trendy duo Wet Leg make their london return following a BRITs sweep. Hours earlier, as I put on my makeup, i decided i better acquaint myself with the music, realising that i hadn’t once pressed play on their award winning debut since release day. I remember thinking ‘meh’ at the time but singles like ‘Angelica’ and ‘Too Late Now’ really have a way of getting under your skin don’t they. They sure know how to create ear worms, so i do my liner and sing along to ‘Chaise Longue’, it’ll be a good night regardless. Acknowledging I was in it for the hits, the wine and the charity - I grab my bag and started the long journey west.

“If CMAT has no stans, I’m dead.”

Okay maybe that’s not true. In all honesty, i’m in it for one thing; CMAT. Arriving in just enough time to grab and drink and quite literally run to our seats, I lean over and whisper to my housemate,, “If CMAT has no stans, I’m dead.” She agrees, “Same.” Put simply we’re obsessed. 

If My Wife New, I’d Be Dead is my shower album, meaning it is a perfect, skipless release that prompts a sing along regardless of what track shuffle lands on, so she really could’ve pulled out any song during her brief support slot and i’d have been screaming it from the balcony. Launching in with ‘Lonely’, there she is in all her sequined glory. Dancing around the stage with her key player with the exact energy of you and your siblings choreographing in your living room. Regularly falling to the floor and at one point actually doing the splits - CMAT is the definition of a showman. And I don’t think you’d expect it when you hear her songs for the first time as her back catalogue houses good old fashion country tunes with lyrics about communion dresses, vine references and stories of your friends begging you to please stop dating virgos. She’s Dolly Parton for gen-zs, or based on my reaction, you’d honestly think I was sitting there seeing Elvis back in his hey day as every high kick prompts a scream from me. Rounding off with ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby’, i start to wonder how people begin an encore chant. Surely someone has to start it, someone has to be the first to yell out “MORE!”. I try my best but it’s weak. Riling up a crowd is a skill best left to the pros and as much as i might try, said pro, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, has already left the stage. 

By now I’m three wines in and feeling great. I have another, accepting the impact it might have on my Thursday. ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ plays overhead, the floor is filling up, i’m ready for a good time, weekday sensibility be gone! Before the next set, we’re shown a film about Callum’s story with cancer and his experience with Teenage Cancer Trust. It’s a story of hope, of endurance and the way young people seem able to access an unholy level of strength. As Callum steps onto the stage, he gets the biggest scream of the night, as he deserves. The atmosphere hasn’t dipped for a second, staying warm, open, genuinely joyful as i look around the oval of seats in the busy hall. “Isn’t music great”, i think, witnessing the actualisation of the way music unites us all, all the ways it can help. 

And believe me, i try my best to hold onto the thought. I try my best to remind myself what i’m here for; CMAT, Chaise Longue, cancer trust and chardonnay. But within the first note or two of Wet Leg’s set, following an odd morning-song intro, I’m remembering my house mates words on the tube, “you know i don’t think i know any Wet Leg songs other than that big one”.

It seems to be a shared experience which feels weird for a headliner, and for a band that are apparently huge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the atmosphere and impression is entirely different down on the floor where fans shuffled in early and stayed stuck to their spot to jump up and down at the front - but as they begin with ‘Being In Love’, no one else really moves. And then it ends, it just ends. A pattern i notice throughout the night, it seems the Wet Leg approach to songs is to write genuinely catchy hooks and throw some nonsense on top, with the ethos that if we play it fast enough and end it quick enough, no one will notice. But with most songs simple ending with no real resolution to the song, the structures feel broken.

By song two there’s a moment of pick up as they dive into ‘Wet Dream’, their second huge hit thanks to a Harry Styles cover. It’s a catchy one again, i’m swaying in my seat, i’m open to the idea of enjoying it, willing myself to in fact - but again it ends too soon, and without satisfaction.

While the mid section of album tracks goes past quietly and unremarkably, i start to realise my relationship with Wet Leg isn’t rare. We all only seem to know the singles, which is pretty baffling for a band that are picking up major accolades, bagging gigs like this and are generally considered to be ‘big’. Their self titled debut has been out nearly a year, everyones had a whole year to get to know these tracks and it’s not like they’ve released anything since then to distract us - surely for a band of this scale, more people should know the songs right? 

Standing in stark contrast to my experience of the TCT concerts last night, when YUNGBLUD had every single person up on their feet from song 1 to the encore, or even from any other headline gig i’ve been to recently, where the crowd usually comes prepped with the lyrics of most if not all songs - there’s a part of Wet Leg that feels like an elaborate joke played against us all. Like an experiment to see if you act like a band is big, will everyone eventually start believing it. 

"It’s music that seems to make you move whether you like it or not"

Occasionally between tracks they’ll whisper something or giggle to each other, and i’m sat there craving the charm of CMAT. They thank Teenage Cancer Trust for having them, but other than that, nothing they say affects the audience at all really - rare to see a popular band with so little charisma. Is that mean to say?

It picks up at the end, i’m back to swaying and singing along as the band save all their singles for last. Racing through ‘Ur Mum’ which is my favourite because the audience get to indulge in an all out scream (a rare treat), ‘Too Late Now’, ‘Angelica’ and finally ‘Chaise Longue’, all the singles are good. Even the whole way through, the music of Wet Leg is great with it’s detailed layered guitar and jangling sound, it’s fascinating to watch how they split it up, trying to figure out who is playing which bit to great so many textures. But as the songs end just as you’re starting to really get into it, and the lyrics regularly make you squirm (“you’re so woke / diet coke / i feel gross”), i remember why I probably haven’t hit play on the album again. 

But looking down at the floor, people are jumping. People are swaying. People are enjoying it. It’s music that seems to make you move whether you like it or not, explaining why their festival crowds are so massive as the tunes have great sway-ability. You can enjoy it for what it is and not overthink it like me. They can fill Royal Albert Hall. They can help raise loads for charity, whether we know the songs or not. So I can allow it.

Wet Leg performed as part of the #TeenageCancerGigs. To donate to Teenage Cancer Trust, visit: www.teenagecancertrust.org/

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More about: Teenage Cancer TrustCMATWet LegTeenageCancerGigs