If Britpop is having a second wave, these guys are riding front and centre. The Molotovs, made up of brother and sister duo Mathew and Issey Cartlidge, are hot off the heels of releasing their first single, More More More, in the midst of touring the UK and recently warmed up the Royal Albert Hall for the Sex Pistols.
The Royal Albert Hall performance was part of Teenage Cancer Trust’s run of gigs earlier this year, and wasn’t the first time The Molotovs had rubbed shoulders with the Sex Pistols.
“It was a massive show, one of the biggest venues we played, it was great. It was a privilege to play such a historic venue and a privilege to be affiliated with the show and to support the Pistols again. They couldn’t have been nicer to us.
“Paul Cook had come to one of our gigs before at Shepherd’s Bush, and that led to the Teenage Cancer Trust gig,” explained Mathew.
The band aren’t the only stars to be supporting Mathew and Issey, who have garnered support from music legends such as Blondie, the Libertines, Paul Weller and Paul Cook. “It’s all been really organic, it just seems like these people kind of dig it. Because they’re our inspirations, I think they can kind of see that and try to pass on the baton where they can.”
Any advice from the stars? “Well, Paul Weller said make sure you get paid,” says Mathew. Sound advice, guys.
The Molotovs new single, More More More, shot to number one in the Official Vinyl Singles charts following it’s release, something the siblings couldn’t be happier about.
But as we talk to the young rockers this week, they admit it’s not easy being on the road with your sibling, something they’ve managed to channel into their work. “We get on each other’s nerves in the van on tour, but we have enjoyed it all in al. We’ll kind of channel it in the gigs, we’re pretty aggressive and intense when we’re on stage so it’ll just be us throwing each other looks across the stage.”
While they may have just released their debut single, The Molotovs aren’t new to the game, and have built up a loyal fanbase for their raucous gigs.
“We’ve been going around for like 5 years now and we’ve just been gigging. We’ve done around 500 gigs in total together, so we’ve been taking a different, more retro approach to making it in music,” explained the duo.
This has also led to many of their shows being sold out, an impressive achievement for a band who have only just released their debut single. “It feels really good that the gigs are selling out, it feels like there’s definitely some momentum building up around around the group,” says Mathew.
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