Interview: The Molotovs
- Sam McNaughton
- Mar 24
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 25
"Wasted On Youth" Album Cover from The Molotovs
The Molotovs, consisting of Matthew and Issey Cartlidge, are a sibling fronted band that deliver a fresh take on Jam inspired mod-revival rock.
Their debut album "Wasted On Youth", charted at Number 3 in the UK charts, buoyed by the band's electrifying live shows and thrilling singles such as "More, More, More".
As the band keep their momentum going with a high profile TV appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show to publicise their largest headline tour yet this September, they were able to take a moment with Latch Magazine to discuss how the whirlwind of the past few months has felt.
Latch Magazine
Last time we talked, your debut album had yet to be released, and since then, you've had your first top-three album, sold out venues across the UK, and it's all just the beginning of everything. How has the reception been to your debut "Wasted On Youth" for you guys?
Matthew
Well noticing the things that have been happening to us, since the release, everything's just going up and up, and you know, it's nice. I've seen like a physical record to have out that people can actually like read the lyrics to and come to gigs and then like singing and things like that.
And obviously, we've only done like a few gigs since the release of it, because it came out on the 30th. I'm really excited to see the reception of it. Especially in September when we do our massive UK and Ireland tour.
Issey
It feels very gratifying because we've been around for six years and going from venue to venue, pub to pub, pub to club, and each person that's then bought the record, it's kind of this very real display of their loyalty to the band.
The fact that it was in the top three with Olivia Dean and Lily Allen, huge single-pop artists. It's just a token that rock music is still here kicking and that people are still hungry for it.
Latch Magazine
That actually leads to the next question very well, how do you feel about the health of guitar music and rock within the UK as a whole?
Issey
I think coming out of lockdown, we saw this huge wave on a grassroots level, a huge wave of bands coming through. Kids had finally had the time to hone down and boredom had overtaken them and then they finally got into watching music documentaries or getting into bands, started picking up the guitar for the first time or drums, whatever it was. And so when we started going out and seeing bands, going to our local music venues, there were so many new bands in the circuit, everyone seemed to be in a band and was a photographer or a fashion designer, everyone was kind of doing everything. But when you look in the mainstream, obviously there hasn't really been the propulsionof guitar music we'd like to see it's very much still dominated by R&B or single- pop artists. But I mean, with the rise of Yungblood, who we're supporting next month, at least he's kind of dragging it that way and doing bigger and bigger tours. There's always been an audience, but it's just until the the mainstream recognises it and we can make a reckoning.
Latch Magazine
And so now that you guys have had time to kind of percolate with the album,, get it out in front of crowds. Which song would you say is your favourite, either performing live or just that you feel has been received really well by the fans?
Matthew
I mean, we always like playing "Today's Gonna Be Our Day", which was our second single, and whcih went to number one in the physical singles sales chart. And yeah, it's the one we do on Jonathan Ross as well. We always like that one and we always like playing "Johnny Don't Be Scared", which isn't actually on the album, but it was our third single.
Issey
Yeah, I mean, I would agree with "Today's Gonna Be Our Day", if there's one that the moral of the album, that would be it. It's a track that's kind of leaving it in the audience's sense to take action, to fill themselves with agency.
Latch Magazine
And it always goes down a treat live!
You guys have rocked venues up and down the country for the "Wasted On Youth" release Tour. You played at The 100 Club where, nearly every iconic name in music has played. What was your highlight of that release tour, if you're able to narrow it down to just one?
Matthew
I don't know. I mean, the London dates were great, although they were smaller than our full shows we've done before. But it's always nice to see your friends and things like that. And you know, since you've been away so long, it's sort of nice to just like touch base at home. We have a really good time in Glasgow it's always great for us. Newcastle, Bristol were also great.
Issey
Yeah, I was going to say Bristol was brilliant. We played at the Thekla. It was a great, great venue. The one that's in the boat on the canal.
Matthew
Yeah, Manchester was good as well, wasn't it?
Issey
Oh, Manchester at Gorilla, that was fabulous. And that was with Chris Hawkins as well. He's like, you know, the radio DJ. We're already feverish to get back on tour, we're eagerly waiting for September to roll around. Most people hate September if that means going back to the office and going back to school, but we're for it.
Latch Magazine
Have you guys had any time to recuperate and relax after your tour?
Matthew
There's not really been much relaxing. I mean, as soon as we came off tour, I was sort of right in the studio, getting the second album together. I mean, we don't put out a first album for it to get to #3 and then just, I don't know, go on holiday or have a lie down or anything like that, you know. been pretty well, you know, we did The Jonathan Ross Show last night. So rehearsing for that and all these scenes, it's all very full on.
Issey
Momentum's so hard to get to begin with, so to cut things short now, I think we're happy to forfeit like a holiday, whatever that means. I mean, everything we do anyway, fills back into the band. It really is a lifestyle, so It's like now that we've got this luxury of time or not being on tour and not being on the go, now's the time for us to really sit in the new songs and develop them, figure out what we want to, what our focus is going to be with this next album, what we really want to say and how we're going to present that to people.
Latch Magazine
Absolutely. You guys have built so much momentum it's good to know it's still full steam ahead.
You've been working away at making The Molotovs into this, this musical machine, keeping that momentum rolling on, gigging across the country. What is the best advice that you've received during these formative years, from the very beginning, through the busking and then through into the pubs and clubs and now onto your massive headline tour. What is the best advice you've received during those years that has helped you navigate everything?
Matthew
I don't know if I can really like pin it down to one, thing that one person said, but it's always just like, keep going, keep gigging, because we're a band that sort of has got our name for ourselves by gigging like all the time, and people would just say, Well, keep doing that. Paul Cook basically said, Don't get ripped off, make sure you get paid, keep going and don't compromise, that sort of thing. As well just we've been doing really good. So, you know, there's no reason to change the formula. That's a big thing that people say.
Issey
We've always, you know, been brought up with the number one priority as a trait being hard graft and being able to get your head down and do anything and not do anything with any half measures. So as soon as we were set on doing the band and making it successful and doing this for potentially the rest of our lives, we're dead set on that. So we said yes to every opportunity. We still, obviously we're a little bit more selective about what we take on, but we're never afraid to do, you know, a 36 day tour with no stops or, you know, do festivals in different countries back-to-back to back, you know, we'll play wherever, we'll do whatever, we'll write wherever.
Latch Magazine
Absolutely. And that actually leads into my next question there. After your Wasted on Youth release tour, you had some dates in Spain, I believe. How were those, just in comparison, because obviously you've played a lot in the UK and you're very like UK-based band. How was it playing in Spain?
Matthew
Well, the weather was the exact same!
Issey
So we went to Madrid first of all. We really loved it out there. It was for press, so we didn't do a load of gigs. We did one acoustic show at the Guitar Legends Hall.
Matthew
Yeah, we went like radio, radio gigs and that sort of thing.
Issey
So on Radio 3. Still big stuff, you know. Yeah, really great stuff. We had a big podcast with them for like an hour and some acoustic performances.
Latch Magazine
And finally, are there any surprises we can expect for the tour?
Issey
Well, they won't be surprised anymore then!
Matthew
Maybe a few like new songs and that.
Latch Magazine
Ah keeping an air of mystery.
Issey
One thing that we've been working on because we want to keep it, obviously a three-piece. We don't want to use backing tracks. We want to keep it as what you see is what you get. But thinking about how to develop the songs, we're adding in, well, hopefully, if the venues permit it and the space allows it, putting in like video additions to go with them. 100% brings out all the of meaning behind the songs and some of the inspirations. Some dramatic references, some literary, whatever helps match the songs.
End of Interview, Some responses have been edited for clarity
The Molotovs head out on tour supporting Yungblood in April before they undertake their biggest headline tour yet in September. Due to unprecedented demand, The Molotovs have added a second O2 Forum London date on the ‘Welcome To Urbia’ tour. To buy a ticket for September 26, go to https://themolotovs.os.fan/
