Five years ago, two teenage siblings stood side‑stage at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, nervously waiting to play their first ever show as The Molotovs. They were the unknown support act, buskers with big dreams, opening for The Libertines. On Saturday night, they returned to the same room — this time as headliners — and walked straight into the kind of moment bands spend whole careers chasing.
Because halfway through their second sold‑out night at the Forum, Carl Barât stepped out of the wings and joined them for a riotous, grinning run through What A Waster. The crowd detonated. The band looked stunned. And suddenly, the story of The Molotovs wasn’t just about momentum — it was about lineage.
For Matt (18) and Issey Cartlidge (20), the significance was impossible to miss. Their first gig was here. Their first co-sign came from Barât. Their first belief that this band could be something more than a busking dream started in this building.
Barât captured it perfectly afterwards:
“The Molotovs are a true force for good for music today… selling out two forums on their own, they’ve managed to carve their path the old school way.”
It’s a rare thing for a band this young to be spoken about in “old school” terms — but it fits. The Molotovs have done the miles, the graft, the rain‑soaked street corners, the support slots, the relentless gigging. 600 shows in five years. A top‑3 album. International tours. And now, two sold‑out Forums of their own.
The band’s national ‘Welcome to Urbia’ tour is winding down, but the next phase is already locked in. Their second album — also titled Welcome to Urbia — is available for pre‑order now via Marshall Records and lands 9 April 2027.
On Saturday, Issey took a moment to acknowledge the journey:
“So here we are, 600 gigs later… This isn’t a final destination, this is only a stop along the way.”
It’s the kind of line that feels less like stage banter and more like a mission statement. The Molotovs aren’t arriving — they’re accelerating.
Before album two drops, The Molotovs head straight back out — this time supporting Razorlight on a major UK run, including a huge night at OVO Arena Wembley on 4 December.
Full dates:
Thu 26 Nov — O2 Academy, Glasgow
Fri 27 Nov — O2 City Hall, Newcastle
Sat 28 Nov — The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Mon 30 Nov — O2 Academy, Leeds
Tue 01 Dec — Rock City, Nottingham
Thu 03 Dec — O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
Fri 04 Dec — OVO Arena Wembley, London
Sat 05 Dec — The Prospect Building, Bristol
Sun 13 Dec — Telegraph, Belfast
Mon 14 Dec — 3Olympia, Dublin
The Molotovs’ rise has always felt fast — but Saturday night made it feel earned. A band who started by busking in the rain were welcomed onstage by one of the architects of 2000s indie, in the same room where their story began. It wasn’t nostalgia. It wasn’t ceremony. It was recognition.
And with a new album incoming, a major support tour ahead, and a fanbase growing gig by gig, The Molotovs are stepping into a future that suddenly feels much bigger than the venues they’re selling out.
This isn’t a stop along the way. It’s the moment the way forward lit up.
