FEATURE:
Spotlight
The Molotovs
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AN amazing…
sibling duo whose debut single, More More More, announces them as ones to watch, this is a rare occasion where I am spotlighting a new act that are pretty much on the ground floor. The spectacular The Molotovs. Because of that lack of other music, there is very little music to put in the feature. Instead, there will be photographs for the most part. The duo have some great dates coming up. The Molotovs was the name of a three-piece group that I don’t think are around anymore. However, the name has been adopted by Mathew and Issey Cartlidge. In fact, the duo were a three-piece a while ago but they streamlined and have started this new era, I am going to come on to a couple of recent interviews with a duo that are getting a lot of electricity and excitement around them. Make sure you follow them and see them live if you can. I am starting out with selections from a NOTION feature from earlier in the year where The Molotovs picked ten records from their collection that mean a lot to them. Issey’s choices are the first two; Mathew’s are the second two:
“'Flag Day' by The Housemartins
“I’ve been obsessed with Paul Heaton’s oeuvre ever since being introduced to The Housemartins, The Beautiful South and his solo work. ‘Flag Day’ is a testament to Heaton’s writing ability, taking on such a nuanced topic such as performative activism and delivering such an eloquent attack on its superficiality. “Too many Florence Nightingales, not enough Robin Hoods,” must be one of the greatest opening lines. I love Heaton’s soaring, open vocals and how they build into a belting call for arms, underscored by his barely suppressed anger, bubbling under the track. Can’t wait to see him live on the 10th!
'Devil Gate Drive' by Suzi Quatro
It’s a shame I’ve come to Suzi Quatro’s music so late. I heard this track recently on a 1975 compilation album I picked up for 50p from a local charity shop. It features songs from Roger Daltry, Stealers Wheel and The Faces. It wouldn’t be right not to mention another female bassist on the list, and Suzi Quatro is the prototypal figure. Inspiring to hear such powerful, confident vocals from a female artist.
'What Do I Get?' by The Buzzcocks
I first discovered this song whilst going through The Buzzcocks’ John Peel session. The frantic drumming, slashing guitars, and Pete Shelly’s androgynous voice seemed really unique to me. Pete Shelly keeps the gender of his subjects anonymous in his writing which I think sets him apart from other songwriters.
'Running On The Spot' by The Jam
I chose this song primarily because of the lyrics, although I really like the descending bass line and riff over the top. It shows Weller being critical towards the apathetic attitude of his generation: “We’re just the next generation of emotionally crippled.” To me it shows how good a writer he is on a social commentator level, and how observant he can be in his songs. It’s something I admire as a songwriter”.
The group’s new single, Today’s Gonna Be Our Day, is available on 7” from 20th June. The duo have opened for the Sex Pistols, sold out a U.K. headline tour, and shut down Soho with their pop-up performance. It is evident that, even this early, they are the real deal! A duo that have the foundations to be future legends. I will end with a couple of new interviews with them. Ending with one from Rolling Stone UK. Before that, I want to drop in some of The Molotovs’ interview with Goldmine from March:
“In December of last year, the London-based band The Molotovs signed a recording deal with the independent U.K. label Marshall Records. Last month, they released their debut single. “More More More” is a terrific two-minute blast of punky power pop that brings to mind The Jam circa 1977 and Green Day circa 1994 with a dash of The Who circa 1966 thrown in for good measure. Mathew Cartlidge’s strong lead vocal is supported by his own slash-and-burn guitar work, the nimble bass playing of his sister Issey Cartlidge and thrashing drums. The single has generated good buzz, has sold well and has received airplay on U.K. rock radio stations such as Radio X and BBC Radio 6 Music.
The single’s B-side is a punked-up live cover of David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” that was recorded in London. While Bowie’s original is very well known and is a staple of classic rock radio, The Molotovs deliver a rip-roaring, fast and furious take on it that makes their version stand out very much as its own thing.
The digital version of the single includes a third track, a live version of “More More More” that was recorded in London.
Goldmine recently did a video call with the Cartlidge siblings to discuss the single and all of their other adventures that have happened over the past month. That conversation can be read below.
GOLDMINE: You made your American live debut at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas last month. What was your experience like there?
MATHEW CARTLIDGE: It was great! Hot first of all, but good. We had really responsive crowd interaction. It was our first time ever in the States, so we didn’t know what we’d be getting. But we went down really well, surprisingly. I had a good time. We had great crowds, a lot of people there. It was a really positive experience. And it was nice to be a part of that festival as well.
ISSEY CARTLIDGE: Yeah, we did three shows, up and down the iconic Sixth and Seventh Streets of Austin. So, they’ve got tons of venues all up and down those streets. We had a great time. Straight off the plane and our first gig was at 1 a.m. that night. So, we had to quickly brush off the jet leg and straight into the venue. And then, the second gig was at Mohawk. It was all very long hair, big beards, not our usual well-dressed, tailored audience. So, we didn’t know how we’d go down. But they surprisingly took to us pretty well. We were well received, so I hope we’ll be back sometime soon.
GM: Are there plans to return to North America for more live dates this year?
MC: Nothing that’s set in stone yet. But we’d like to.
IC: We’ve heard whispers. But nothing concrete.
GM: Your debut single, “More More More,” was released on March 21st. Why was the decision taken to go with “More More More” instead of another of your original songs as the first single?
MC: Well, apart from that we thought it was really good single quality and it’s a great pop song, and we thought it would do really well. We just like the song in general. We’ve had it for ages. It’s sort of a staple of our gigs, really. And it’s something that the crowd have always been singing back to us and always have responded positively to. So, it seemed really fitting to have it as the first single.
GM: The B-side of the single is your punky live cover of David Bowie’s “Suffragette City.” What kind of reaction does that get when you play it live?
IC: Mathew and I kind of have this ricochet vocal line throughout the whole thing. The instrumental break gives us a chance to kind of flesh it out with guitar and Mathew jumps about and leaps, and I’ll be swinging my hair around and what not. Everything that I can swing, I will swing. That one always gets a really good reaction from the crowd. We do a segue from our original “Newsflash” into “Suffragette City.” It’s quite intense for the audience. Our version of “Suffragette City” is kind of an incendiary take on it.
GM: The day after the release of the single, you performed an outdoor gig outside Sister Ray Records on London’s Berwick Street. It was reportedly quite a raucous scene, with a large crowd there to see you perform. What did that mean to you to perform before that enthusiastic crowd and do a signing session afterward in the record shop?
MC: It was really exciting. It was really cool that a lot of people who hadn’t seen us and were just passing by stopped to watch. We were on for about half an hour. And they came and bought the record. So, that was really cool that people liked it so much that they went into the shop and spent their money on our debut single. We’re not exactly a band with a track record. It was really exciting. We had never done anything like that before.
IC: It was like democratizing our live performance and bringing it to the people in the street. To see the whole of Berwick Street flooded with the audience was just amazing.
GM: Did you need a permit for that gig?
MC: Probably. But we didn’t have one.
GM: So, it was a guerrilla gig?
MC: Yeah.
IC: Yes, it was.
GM: On March 24th, you played one of the biggest gigs of your career so far when you supported the reunited Sex Pistols (Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock) with vocalist Frank Carter at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the weeklong slate of shows for the benefit of the U.K. charity Teenage Cancer Trust. Did you get that gig through having previously supported Paul Cook’s band The Professionals? And what was the experience like for both of you to perform in such a historic and legendary concert venue?
MC: It was great! Watching the videos of it, you realize how cool that is. But in the moment, you’re f—king nervous, get your head down and just get the gig done. You don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. Just so nervous.
IC: We’ve had a long history of sort of being on the sidelines of the Sex Pistols, kind of being in their periphery.
GM: Your first official music video, which was for “More More More,” was released on March 25th, the day after the Royal Albert Hall show. Why was Hamburg chosen for the video shoot location?
MC: Because the guys that directed it are German. But they’re from Berlin. They gave us the option of doing it in Hamburg. And also, we liked The Beatles’ connection. The Reeperbahn and that sort of thing. The locations that were picked for the shoot were really good. Having never been to Hamburg before, now we know our way about.
GM: As we are doing this Q&A, you’re currently on a brief break from your first U.K. headline tour. How are things going on the tour so far?
IC: It’s been sold out. Most of the rest of the tour has been sold out.
MC: I think there’s only one date on the tour that isn’t.
IC: It looks like it’s going to be a really good thing for us. We’ve done 500 performances together over the past four years, so we’re always lusting to get back on the road. It suits us perfectly to be going up and down our home country, seeing the U.K. again.
MC: It reinforces our reputation as a good live act. We’re rounding it all off in a couple of weeks with a London gig at the Scala, which is our biggest headline gig to date. It’s 800 capacity. I was told this morning that it’s only 30 tickets away from being sold out”.
A scintillating duo who are still in their teens, their music and style is a modern Mod revival. Well, their attire anyhow. Their music mixes in a bit more, though it is clear that they are reintroducing and repurposing an older genre with a retro touch, some personal insight and authentic feel of Mod’s foundations. Having already supported Sex Pistols and Blondie, they have this impressive C.V. that is going to grow and get stronger in the years to come. Exciting to think about what they have achieved so far. Rolling Stone UK spoke with The Molotovs in April. Ahead of the release of a new single later this month, there will be fresh ew chats with the awesome duo of Mathew and Issey Cartlidge. I know they are working on an album, so more music from that will come out. I am sure those who are catching The Molotovs live are getting sneak peaks of some of these songs:
“It’s interesting when you’re so young but your sound and certainly your image seems rooted in the Mod Revival. How did you first fall in love with the genre?
Mathew: It’s interesting because when the band started I wasn’t into it, but it all came from my dad seeing me getting into music and showing me the stuff he liked. The Jam, Small Faces and even stuff like The Kinks, XTC and The Specials. But I’d extend the British music of the 2000s in there too, like The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. I love all that stuff.
Issey: Taste is always hereditary as well, so it’s come from what we’ve heard at home and our dad saw The Jam four times back in the day so he’s a lifelong fan.
How do you manage to bridge that generational gap with your fans? I imagine there’s a lot of older music lovers who like the sounds you’re bringing across, but how do you bring that to a younger generation?
Mathew: I think it’s all really new and exciting to them because it’s something they’ve never heard before. It’s a bit like kids discovering The Beatles, only that we are a young new band bringing through those sounds.
Issey: Last year we started these youth benefits show in Wimbledon and they were super accessible because we realised that our peers couldn’t get into venues because they were just too young. We moved on to Bush Hall and did a benefit there too. We’ve always tried to cater for people who our like minded in our age.
You released your debut single ‘More More More’ last month. Why did you want that to be the first taste of The Molotovs, and what’s next after that?
Mathew: I wrote it a few years ago and through doing that and through doing so many gigs, it’s become a staple of our gigs, you know, that song’s become a bit of a chant and we thought it was a great first single. We’ve had it for a while and it was the perfect thing for people to catch on to before you give them something to kind of bigger to chew on.
I’m working on the album at the moment to release at the end of this year. And a lot of the time we’re trying to capture our live energy of everything from the 60s to 80s. All the best records and the best bands recorded live.
Given the fact that you’ve got such a distinctive look and are doing something quite different, have you faced any backlash online or IRL?
Mathew: All the time, being told you’re fucking Poundshop Weller and everything like that. But I don’t care because it’s always wankers with zero followers and numbers at the the end of their name. It’s usually some old gammon on the internet or some failed musician having a go at young kids for just trying to start something. You just think is that all you’ve got to do with your time? At the end of the day I’ve got influences and I’m not gonna hide them. Noel Gallagher’s ripped off everyone under the sun and everyone tries to take something from somewhere else…
Issey: Guitar music is dominated by male musicians too and having a female element in there with myself allows us to put something different in our records”.
I am going to end things there. Go and seek out this incredible duo. My spotlighting is possibly the least impressive they have had so far, though I was compelled to add my name to the list of those who have already championed this fierce new act. With touches of everyone from Green Day to Paul Weller to Blondie in their mix, you can feel The Molotovs burning a trail for years and years. Doing some massive headline spots at major festivals. Even after one single, they have announced themselves as an act to cherish and celebrate! Make sure you do. Go and add this magnificent duo to…
YOUR playlist.
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