Former Wet Leg Member Airs 'Dirty Laundry', Seeks 'Recognition' For Claimed Musical Contributions

Doug Richards, a former member of the Isle Of Wight indie rock group Wet Leg and ex-partner with singer and guitarist Rhian Teasdale, has aired “dirty laundry” and alleged that he co-wrote some of the band’s hits and therefore deserved “recognition”.

Wet Leg, who rose to prominence with their cheeky, Mean Girls-referencing single Chaise Longue in June 2021, have gone on to win BRIT and Grammy Awards, opened for Harry Styles in Australia and at Wembley Stadium, their self-titled debut album hit #1 in the UK and Australia. They were joined by the one and only Dave Grohl at Coachella.

So, if you were a co-writer with the band, it’s fair to say that after watching your former bandmates find huge success, you’d want a piece of it too. But airing dirty laundry between you and your ex? That’s a bit messier.

In an interview with The Times, Richards claimed that he came up with the band name Wet Leg in a conversation with a friend, dismissing Teasdale’s and lead guitarist and backing singer Hester Chambers’ story about coming up with the name via a series of emojis.

Richards later claimed he wrote two songs on Wet Leg’s debut album, Oh No and Too Late Now, seeking credit and recognition by coming forward.

“I feel frightened to try and approach that subject,” Richards said. “But I did write [on those songs], and they are on the record. So I probably should get recognised."

Discussing his 2020 breakup with Teasdale after a seven-year relationship and alleging that the band kicked him out following the end of the relationship breakdown, Richards added, “I was really upset, actually. I had the sense of it maybe being quite successful. I also felt like I helped create it.”

At the time of writing, Wet Leg haven’t responded to Richards’ claims.

In a review of Harry Styles’ Love On Tour show in Perth earlier this year, The Music commented about Wet Leg’s set, “The dynamic and raunchy rock stars showed exactly why they were the perfect pairing to get the crowd hot and ready for Harry’s smooth stylings with such bangers as the classic Chaise Longue and the sexually charged Wet Dream.” You can read the review here.