Beyond Quintessential Englishness: Wet Leg’s idiosyncratic rendition of the Isle of Wight

Abstract

One of the most successful new acts in the international anglophone music scene in 2022 was Wet Leg, an indie (i.e. independent music label) ensemble led by singer- guitarists Hester Chambers and Rhian Teasdale. The band attracted attention for its effective pop-rock compositions and arrangements, the sardonic tone of lead singer Teasdale’s delivery of their debut single ‘Chaise longue’ and the band’s inventive music videos. One element that was prominent in the band’s biographies was its origin in the Isle of Wight (IOW), a diamond shaped island lying off the south coast of England, close to the major port cities of Portsmouth and Southampton. The island provided both an insular context for the development of the band and an element of ‘domestic exoticism’ within the UK market. The latter aspect was also manifest in the band’s decision to employ a female Morris (traditional folk dance) troupe to accompany its performance at the 2023 BRIT Awards, where it was awarded prizes for best group and best new artist. This article focuses on the role of the IOW in the band’s biography, perception and oeuvre, with particular regard to its self-produced music videos, and the nature of the island as a repository of what might be regarded as quintessential English sensibilities that the band has inflected in ways that appeal to both domestic and broader audiences.