We caught up with sibling duo The Molotovs a couple of hours before they took to the Arts Club Theatre stage at Sound City in Liverpool. Issey and Matthew Cartlidge are growing an impressive fanbase around the UK and beyond, after releasing their debut album Wasted on Youth in January.
So what is the duo’s musical background? The ukelele was Matthew‘s first instrument at school, but when he picked up a guitar at the age of eight he hasn’t looked back since. Issey started off by learning guitar, before moving onto bass when the band was formed in 2020. Their parents were massive music fans which clearly had an impact on them both: “Bands such as The Buzzcocks, Squeeze and of course The Jam and Blondie influence our music,” Matthew explains.
The Molotovs kicked off 2026 with the release of their debut album Wasted on Youth and their sold-out UK tour, proof of how much their fanbase has grown over the past year. The only way is up for Issey and Matthew, who are set to have a massive future ahead of them, especially considering they are both still in their teens. Matthew tells us that it was really exciting to see so many people come out to the gigs in January and that the fans are loving the debut record, which reached number three in the UK album charts.
On top of this, the band’s upcoming Welcome To Urbia UK and Ireland headline tour takes place in September, with some dates already sold-out and low tickets elsewhere – so if you are planning to see The Molotovs live this year you had better grab those tickets now. Issey tells us that it’s fantastic how quickly the tickets have been selling for this tour, as Matthew reveals “we have been in the studio working on more new songs so you can expect at least a couple of new ones in September.” We cant wait! Issey adds that the band wants to work on visuals for the tour, which we’re excited to experience in these bigger venues.
The Molotovs have toured with some pretty big bands recently, including The Sex Pistols & Frank Carter, Blondie and most recently Yungblud on his UK arena tour. To round things off, we’re curious to find out which tracks they enjoy playing live the most. Matthew goes for Johnny Don’t Be Scared, while Issey chooses More, More, More.
A couple of hours after the interview we get to see The Molotovs live for the first time at the Arts Club Theatre. When we walk in we are stunned at how busy the place is. The crowd reaction is superb too, making their set one of the highlights of our weekend at Sound City. The cheeky cover of David Bowie‘s Suffragette City is a great takeaway memory from the performance.
We honestly can’t wait for the September tour – The Molotovs are here to stay.
Written by: Alan Brown
The Molotovs will be touring across the UK and Europe in September and October 2026 – head HERE for a full list of dates and remaining tickets.
