Before all was said and done at Q101’s Twisted Xmas kickoff Tuesday night, there was a marriage proposal at the Aragon. Shockingly, it wasn’t for any of the members of Wet Leg who opened the festivities on a bill with AJR and walked away as the total band crush of the night.
The brash British act have been fluttering hearts since propelling into the alt-rock space with the viral hit “Chaise Longue” in 2021, accompanied by a hearty dose of sardonic wit, cheeky humor and head-swiveling riffs.
As expected, the five-piece played the track during their too-brief 45-minute set along with other early calling cards like “Angelica” and “Wet Dream.” While those radio hits may be most recognizable, it was the material off their 2025 whopper “Moisturizer” that commanded the bounty of attention.
“It’s one of the best albums this year,” Q101 DJ Lauren O’Neil declared to introduce the band to the stage, adding to the choir of voices praising Wet Leg and the band’s sophomore album. The heavy fuzz of “Pillow Talk” and catchy snark of “CPR” infuse even more guitar grit, songwriting glory and take-no-prisoners attitude than the last.
As the latest single “Catch These Fists” dutifully warns, singer Rhian Teasdale looked ready to fight when she entered the stage. Dressed like a Tank Girl fever dream with fatigues and bikini top, Teasdale hoisted up her best double bicep warrior pose for a solid few minutes with a gaze that said, “try me.” If her message wasn’t clear, the sentiment was vocalized in the lyrics, too.
“This always happens late at night,” she sang with her conversational candor, adding that she “threw up in her mouth” as some guy tried to ask her out. Clearly, Wet Leg is on the same page as Sabrina Carpenter who recently said her ticket to writing a good hit is to “call men stupid in as many ways as you can.”
With Twisted now in its 31st year (soldiering on for a total of four nights this week), some of us can recall early incarnations of the annual holiday blowout and noticed the through line of where Wet Leg fits in with the ’90s indie rock goddess milieu that was once a cornerstone of the radio station. There’s some Courtney Love, Liz Phair and Shirley Manson in the bones of Teasdale and fellow founding member Hester Chambers, a throwback that draws nostalgic middle-aged fans to their light. The segment of the crowd at Aragon for Wet Leg was a sharp contrast to the all-ages bunch waiting for the fanatical pop wizards AJR to start their headlining set. But you can only hope the kiddos took some notes and will take up the same torch in the generations to come.
AJR was the whimsical foil to Wet Leg’s power punch. The only message the band wanted to communicate was simply to have fun, and they set the example from the get-go with a layered, high-tempo assortment of songs like “Bummerland” and “Weak” that seamlessly merged the worlds of musical theater and experimental pop. All 13 tracks were a Broadway-worthy affair, performed with a sensory overload of surround sound acoustics, Technicolor graphics and the frenetic energy of singer Jack Met, who jumped and twirled across the stage like a marionette gone rogue.
Started by Jack and his two brothers (Adam and Ryan) 20 years ago, the multi-instrumentalist troupe cut their teeth as animated buskers in parks throughout New York City where they enthralled with a grab bag of covers. They pulled just one out at the Aragon, an oddly thoughtful take on Smash Mouth’s “All Star” that made the song feel like a self-help mantra.
Beyond tributes, AJR’s originals are experimental gobsmackers with samples and found sounds that they somehow record all from their living room; during the show, Ryan gave a mini-tutorial to understand how the magic of a song like “100 Bad Days” is made.
Their passion has fostered a solid, nearly cult-like following that turns every show into a nonstop sing-along. In fact, not knowing the words might even get you called out by Ryan Met who playfully scorched a guy named Greg in the crowd for fudging “Way Less Sad.” Jack was paying attention to fans too, and soon enough invited a couple to the stage after spotting their handmade sign challenging the band to a cat drawing contest. The band lost and the fan, Grace, walked away with a pair of signed drumsticks.
Noticeably missing from AJR’s lineup was brother Adam Met — the band’s rep did not respond to an inquiry as of press time. To be fair, he may have been off saving the world. In addition to his role in AJR, Adam is a climate change activist who teaches at Columbia University and was on his own tour this year for his social movement book, “Amplify.”
But rounding out AJR’s ensemble was drummer Chris Berry and trumpet player Arnetta Johnson who added to the group’s everything but the kitchen sink musical approach. Come to think of it, they deserved a proposal too.
Wet Leg Set List for Dec. 9, 2025 Q101 Twisted at Aragon
Catch These Fists
Wet Dream
Liquidize
Jennifer’s Body
Pond Song
U and Me at Home
Davina McCall
Pillow Talk
Too Late Now
Angelica
Chaise Longue
CPR
Mangetout
AJR Set List for Dec. 9, 2025 Q101 Twisted at Aragon
Bummerland
Sober Up
Way Less Sad
Karma
The Big Goodbye
All Star (Smash Mouth cover)
Bang!
Inertia
World’s Smallest Violin
Wow I’m Not Crazy
Burn the House Down
100 Bad Days
Weak