Brooklyn indie R&B group Wet showcased their acclaimed debut to a sold-out crowd at The Garrison. It has been a long time coming for the New York trio. Inspired by 90’s R&B groups like TLC and folk acts like Cat Power, the band combine both genres to create some magic. More than nine months ago, Wet released their lead single “Deadwater which generated much buzz-worthy praise for the group.
They’ve toured with hot indie acts like CHVRCHES and played at several festivals like SXSW which earned them a cult following. At long last, their debut album Don’t You is here, quickly crystallizing the music scene. Now, Wet is ready to captivate us with their live shows as they hit the road this winter.
Opening for the trio is newcomer, Kelsey Lu. The indie singer-songwriter and cellist have a voice like Billie Holiday and a soul of an urban flower. Watching this modern blues singer is like a breath of fresh air. Her poetic lyrics go perfectly with the beautiful melancholy sound that comes from her cello and mixer. With only couple songs under her belt (“Morning After Coffee”, “Forget”) her artistry cannot be denied. Despite some technical difficulties and a very noisy audience, it didn’t stop Lu from belting out those exquisite pipes of hers.
It was time to witness the beauty that is Wet. Starting their set with the opening track to their record, “It’s All In Vain”. The moment when the band hit the stage, you could feel the excitement fill the room. The pitch-perfect vocals performed by Kelly Zutrau sounded beautifully over theatrics instrumentation played by Joseph Valle (production), Martin Sulkow (guitarist) and their tour drummer.
After performing a couple of songs including hit single “Deadwater” and “Small and Sliver”, Zutrau took a minute to thank crowd for coming out. “Toronto is my favourite city, it’s pretty fun here” Zutrau said. She announces that she has an infection (bronchitis) but is working through it. And like a champ, she did.
Zutrau airy vocal-work wasn’t affected by the infection. Throughout the night, her voice manages to seduced those in attendance. While most of the crowd including myself were getting a first glimpse of the group in concert, Wet’s smart blend of rippling beats and dreamy lyrics wowed everyone. It’s no wonder critics considered them to be one of the most exciting groups to emerge from the Brooklyn underground. Before playing their encore “Weak”, the humble performers thank the crowd once again for spending the evening with them.
