The Molotovs live at The Brook, Southampton (26.1.2026) with South Street supporting.
It’s raining again. It’s dark. It’s Monday night in Portswood, Southampton and as we approach The Brook, I see the biggest queue I can remember outside this venue. The Molotovs are in town, riding on a wave of positive publicity and TV appearances. The new LP, Wasted on Youth, is out at the end of the week.
Exciting times for this teenage brother and sister duo, with a drummer, live tonight. It’s Matt (17) and Issey (19) Cartlidge and they are upstairs wandering and chatting to people before they are due on stage. Without bringing down any image of Southampton gig goers, Matt and Issey stand out a mile as they are wrapped in style…. I even found myself admiring Matt’s shoes in the bar as I sipped my Guiness Zero in one of the leather settees near the upstairs bar.
Support band, South Street, are a well selected support – mod sounds and a Jam song to finish. It is absolutely rammed in The Brook tonight and as it’s my third standing gig in five days, I sit back and listen to South Street but see nothing through the bodies at the upstairs balcony rail.
I pop down the back stairs to emerge at the back of the downstairs area. So busy. I’d left it too late. I took a few pics and had to retreat back upstairs. A 600 capacity here (capped at 550 for comfort I read). It is reassuring to see it full. Genuine excitement buzzes through the place with this new band’s visit. I say new. New to most of us but they’ve been playing live at one hell of a pace, clocking up 600 gigs I read somewhere, over recent years. This is their breakthrough – the new LP.
I was supposed to see them support Adam Ant in 2024 but Adam cancelled due to ill health and they were nowhere to be seen when he returned a year later. Then last November I caught the end of their support set with Palaye Royale in Birmingham (link to that blog here).
It’s fast and frantic from the outset – very little slow down or lull, from the off. In the first few songs Matt cuts his lip on the mic but after a brief mention realises there’s nothing to do but keep ripping through the setlist.
I do like being upstairs here. It is quite hard to get a clear full view but the sound is great and you can peer over, through and wander and certainly zoom through the railings effectively. Anyway no choice tonight as we weren’t downstairs early enough, with people packing the back downstairs near the door.
It is impossible not to pass over any Weller/early Jam reference. The songs have that excitement and rapid guitar strum – their sounds have their roots in mod revivalism but there’s a punky edge.
Issey’s stage movement is incredible, strutting and ducking, singing backing vocals while playing bass throughout. So much energy goes into the show from the pair of them… not to mention the drummer keeping them firing (I didn’t catch his name anywhere.)
As I write these notes, the LP, Wasted on Youth, has been out a week. It made it to no.3 in the UK Album Chart and no.1 in the UK Download Chart. There are the rewards for hard live gig work and a touch of rock’n’roll class.
They play Rhythm of Yourself early in the set. This has a slightly slower bass and drum beat, I mean slightly, and is one of my favourites from the album, and a previous 2025 single.
Bowie’s Suffragette City is the only cover in the set and I don’t doubt they have an extensive bag of 60s and 70s faves to pluck more from. Their music is soaked in the best of influences, in my ears.
The title track earns that mantle as a mid-set choice, but not sure it’s my favourite or most familiar yet. New album numbers Geraldine and the rousing More, More, More, shine – maybe I’ve just heard it more as it’s another 2025 single. The LP has a very live sound to it and playing my fresh pinky blue coloured vinyl copy brought the gig to my living room.
After an intense set the trio disappear through the little door in centre back of stage to re-emerge minutes later with two more from the album to finish, including the latest single from the album, Get A Life. Another anthem.
What is interesting about The Molotovs is they have captured a massive age range with their sound. That age range is represented here tonight. The grey haired gig goers, youth and everyone in between.
A rainy Monday January night in Southampton – and one not to be forgotten. The Molotov’s fire is burning.
Gigs with Ivan 