The Molotovs

The Molotovs will play a concert on Monday 12 October 2026 at 6:00 PM at Le Ferrailleur in Nantes. The rise of The Molotovs may seem sudden, but their path wasn’t built on viral algorithms; it was forged through blistered hands, street performances and hard work: some 600 gigs to their name. The teenage brother-and-sister duo, Matt (vocals/guitar) and Issey Cartlidge (bass/vocals), accompanied by drummer Noah Riley, have fought their way from shopping streets across the country to the official charts and to prime-time television. In February 2026 the band proved that guitar music is very much alive. Their debut album, Wasted On Youth (released on Marshall Records), climbed to third place in the charts. In a week dominated by pop artists such as Lily Allen and Olivia Dean, that success was driven by sales of physical records to their live audiences.

For Matt, this achievement is the culmination of years on the road: releasing Wasted On Youth is a major milestone. "We lived these songs on the road, and seeing that energy captured on record is powerful," he says.

The band’s reputation was cemented after a performance of "Today's Gonna Be Our Day" on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV. The Molotovs’ story began when the pandemic forced London venues to close. Unable to find a stage, Matt, then 14, and Issey, 16, took their instruments out onto the streets of Oxford Street and Camden. Those early busking sessions became the foundation of their identity. "If we weren’t playing in the street, we had nowhere to play, but we couldn’t accept that," Matt recalls. It is that refusal to be sidelined that defines their sound: a blend of new wave, punk and indie sleaze. Their aesthetic favours mod-inspired outfits and a visual style that nods to The Jam and the Sex Pistols. They’ve shared stages with The Libertines, Blondie and Iggy Pop, and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols joined them on stage for a rendition of "God Save The Queen."

For Issey, the mission goes beyond music: she champions an active musical youth and rejects cultural pessimism and societal divisions. "We want action, not apathy," she says. "Our passion is forging connections with people who love music as much as we do."