Wet Leg preview their bold new chapter at London's O2 Academy Brixton

Sure, a few fans were worried about the lack of new music showcased last summer, but punchy comeback track ‘Catch These Fits’ quickly calmed any concerns about a difficult second album.

Tonight’s gig at London’s O2 Academy Brixton starts with that same swaggering statement. Rhian Teasdale slowly marches towards centre stage as the thundering electro-punk track picks up where the pre-gig playlist of Justice’s ‘We Are Your Friends’ and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Heads Will Roll’ left off. It’s as playful as anything from ‘Wet Let’ but has a fierce self-assurance.

If you need more proof of their confidence, just look at the setlist – six unreleased tracks from their upcoming album ‘Moisturizer’ make the cut over fan-favourites ‘I Don’t Wanna Go Out’ and ‘Loving You’, but each one is cause for excitement. The frantic ‘Pillow Talk’ is a stadium-sized rock anthem that sees the five-piece band operating at full power, while the poppy ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is less intense but just as huge – clearly written with mass singalongs in mind.

As big as those new songs are, there is still plenty of space for Wet Leg to toy with surreal and bizarre. Their backdrop is the inside of a cave, and sounds of what can only be described as a whimsical forest break up the set. ‘Liquidize’ is a soft, romantic slice of jangly Britpop, the lush ‘Davina McCall’ could soundtrack a coming-of-age road trip, and there’s more than a hint of country to ‘Mangetout’, which already feels like a hit despite the name.

All that self-belief feeds back into the classic tracks. As Rhian explains, “We have old songs now we have two albums.” ‘Oh No’ used to flirt with angular alt-rock, but tonight is fully committed to mean and muscular, while the touches of psychedelia in ‘Being In Love’ are amplified, creating a groove-driven wig-out. The folksy ‘Piece Of Shit’ is playfully venomous, and the screaming angst of ‘Ur Mum’ is longer, louder and more cathartic than ever.

In between songs, there’s still a touch of bewilderment to Wet Leg. Rhian calls the gig “crazy” and can’t quite believe they’re headlining a venue they used to come to as teenagers. This is almost as big as their biggest-ever London headline show at The Royal Albert Hall, after all, and they’re playing it twice. Still, the closing attack of searing anthem ‘Angelica’ and the rowdy ‘Chaise Lounge’ is undeniably brilliant, as the band make the venue feel intimate.

Instead of ending things there, Wet Leg close out the set with upcoming single ‘CPR’, a slinking, grunge-inspired declaration of love. It’s fitting because with ‘Moisturizer’, it feels like the world is about to fall head over heels all over again.