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Start with The Struts’ song All Dressed Up (With Nowhere To Go), and you might hear a powerful guitar riff throughout that’s similar to Hot Blooded by Foreigner. Pay attention to how much energy Spiller puts into singing his vocals, with an emotional and smooth rasp.
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“Best New SXSW Artist” –The Rockhound South By Southwest returned in March after two years without an in-person conference. The event featured a handful of notable acts—the most memorable being indie-rock sensation Wet Leg.
Wet Leg
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ost-punk minimalism mixed with puckish lyrical innuendo: It’s Wet Leg. The breakout British indie-rock duo grew out of the 10+ year friendship of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers and was born at the top of a Ferris wheel on the Isle of Wight. With a mutual love for The Ronettes, Jane Birken, Ty Segall and Björk, the two started a band for the fun of it. In 2019, they signed to Domino Recording Co., and in 2021, they became an overnight sensation when their debut single Chaise Lounge went viral, racking up millions of streams. Before releasing their first album, the duo sold out shows across the United
WET LEG, PHOTO CREDIT: HOLLIE FERNANDO
in a way that will remind people of The Struts, not Queen. Going on nearly 10 years and three albums, the band just recently switched over to Big Machine Records from Interscope, and Spiller says it is setting them up for an exciting new chapter—one that includes new music on the horizon. In 2020, the band put out Stranger Days, a 10-song album written and recorded in just 10 days. Like every other band, The Struts halted their strenuous five-year streak of touring and recording when the pandemic struck. They used the downtime to their advantage, though, by staying and recording in the same space. They went in thinking they would come out of it with an EP, three or four songs. But on the first day alone, they wrote three songs, and the energy to keep writing and recording intensified. Every morning, Spiller would wake up early and listen to what they recorded the night before and write lyrics to it. Then they’d all get together in the studio to shoot more ideas around and record. It went like that every day, and Spiller recorded vocals on the last three days. “It was this rhythm that we really didn’t break out of, which is why I think it was productive,” Spiller says. The album also features renowned artists such as Albert Hammond Jr., Tom Morello, Joe Elliot, Phil Collen and Robbie Williams. With new music in the works, Spiller says the next album is going to be a “hard-hitter.” As far as influences go, Spiller wasn’t brought up with “dad rock,” as he says, and it wasn’t until his early teens that he discovered older music that blew his mind. He quickly formed obsessions with the likes of Queen, AC/DC, The White Stripes and The Darkness. He says he’s had a love affair with the past ever since, noting that while he researches it, he doesn’t listen to much modern music—which is likely why he can be found wearing headphones at a music festival after playing a set. It’s no wonder the band has opened for greats such as The Who, Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe and Foo Fighters. And though they’ve made a name in the More U.S., it wasn’t until Strange The Struts Days when the band finally got All Dressed Up (With radio play in the U.K. Nowhere To Go) With a new chapter ahead for The Struts and a number of live shows coming up, including an appearance at Welcome to Rockville and a U.K. headline tour, the band is just going to get better, sonically moving in the right direction, as Spiller would say.
Luckbox | May 2022
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4/8/22 9:58 AM
