Wesley Gonzalez

British singer/songwriter Wesley Gonzalez first made a name for himself as the enigmatic leader of Let's Wrestle, a sharp-witted London trio whose tuneful and eccentric punk earned critical accolades and a small but devoted audience with three full-lengths, including 2011′s Steve Albini-produced Nursing Home. After disbanding the group, Gonzalez refashioned himself as a wry power pop solo act and released a pair of albums bearing the distinctive titles Excellent Musician and Appalling Human.
Gonzalez, along with bassist Mike Lightning and drummer Darkus Bishop, formed Let's Wrestle in 2005 when he was 15 years old. They went on to release their debut single, “Song for ABBA Tribute Band,” in 2007. They earned a somewhat fiery reputation both as a wily live band and for their three LPs, In the Court of the Wrestling Let's (2009), Nursing Home (2011), and Let's Wrestle (2014). Over the course of their ten-year run, the band achieved moderate commercial success, but earned the distinction as a reliable critic’s fave. Ultimately, Let's Wrestle decided to call it a day, playing a final show at London’s The 100 Club in 2015.
Gonzalez wasted little time forging a solo career for himself in the wake of his former band’s demise. He assembled a live band for his solo work that included Euan Hinshelwood from Younghusband and Meilyr Jones. Expanding from the guitar-driven music of his former band, he fielded an interesting concoction of classic ’70s-influenced pop, soul, and indie rock, which he described as being influenced by Donny Hathaway and Sly & the Family Stone. Gonzalez released his debut solo record, Excellent Musician, in 2017. A follow-up LP, Appalling Human, arrived three years later in June 2020. ~ Bekki Bemrose & Timothy Monger