.jpg)
The blame behind the band name ‘The Molotovs’ exists within their reputation for their energy and intensity in live performances. “We wanted something that matched what we’re like on stage,” Issey explains. “That's the kind of nuts and bolts of the band, is our performance. We only had our first album out the start of this year, but we’ve been going six years and done over 600 gigs, so we wanted something people could latch onto.” Mathew builds on the band name representing their live performances, explaining, “people say we've got a really incendiary performance, which obviously the connotations from that to Molotov cocktails as a weapon. I guess it's got the same fiery explosive as our gigs and tunes as well.” Issey points out the origin of the Molotov cocktail mirrors to the bands origins, “to have a Molotov cocktail comes from a Finnish weapon of resistance, and something that's DIY as well, taking things back into your own hands and making do with what you’ve got.”
When asked about what (or who) is to blame for their music career, Mathew spoke about his beginnings playing guitar, which led to his start in music, “I started playing guitar really young. It was sort of the only thing I was probably really good at, I really enjoyed it, and I thought I was good. I picked up quite quickly and started gigging quite quickly after that. Just going busking with a mate from school. And I did it sometimes on my own as well.” These experiences busking led to the creation of the band, as Mathew elaborated, “and when it came to lockdown, we started playing together, and that's sort of how The Molotovs came about. My busking ethos just became a band thing, instead of just a me thing.”
Reflecting on their musical inspirations, they enter into a verbal ping-pong match, going back and forth on their musical inspirations, “The Specials,” Mathew begins. “The Jam” adds Issey. This continues, including “Happy Mondays,” “The Libertines,” “Noel Gallagher,” “Dexys Midnight Runners,” “The Small Faces,” “The Kinks,” “The Beatles,” “The Undertones,” “The Buzzcocks,” and “Suede.” The blend of these inspirations represents the roots of the band, which they take their own unique approach to.
January marked the release of their debut album, ‘Wasted on Youth’, with the title coming from a song on the album with the same name. “I wrote a song called ‘Wasted on Youth’ first,” Mathew explains, “There's a line in it that says, ‘It's only a matter of time until you find out the truth, you’re wasted on youth.’ That's about finding your way in life as a young person, and finding out the truths in life, and the truths of what you are, what you believe in. You’ve got to seize the moment with your life and take hold of it, otherwise you'll be… wasted on youth.” The album, while not based around this track, reflects key themes within it: “I wrote a load of songs before that, which were on the album. The song ‘Wasted on Youth’ almost summed all of those up together.” Issey elaborates on Mathews' writing process: “ Songwriting for you is you interpreting your adolescence and growing up. So it's naturally going to be around those same topics.”
Their ‘Wasted on Youth’ tour saw them choosing to play smaller and grassroots venues; this choice was rooted in accessibility and trying to support local artists, venues, and fans. “We wanted to play everywhere,” Mathew says, “people travel a lot. Let's say, if you do a gig in Manchester or something like that, people from surrounding towns and Preston and all the rest of it will go see you there. But if we play all those little places and like little venues around there, not only are we supporting grassroots music, but we're also supporting those towns as well, and the people in those towns, who maybe can’t afford to travel to Manchester. Obviously, we play Manchester as well, and Liverpool and Newcastle and Leeds…” Issey elaborates on what this could do for local talent, “and also getting local bands on there as well. We want to cultivate a local scene.”
When asked which songs they don’t play often, which they are excited to play on their upcoming tour, “We don't really play ‘Nothing Keeps Her Away’ live,” Mathew admits. “We don't really play that live, because it’s an acoustic one, the only acoustic one on the album. But we will be doing it on our September tour. We've also got a couple of new ones in there, which aren't on the album. People don't only want to hear the album stuff, they are actually, genuinely interested in the other stuff we've done, which hasn't been released yet.”
Being siblings, does it make creating music easier, or are there added challenges? Mathew replies, unsure, “I don't know, because I've never really written music for a band that wasn't with my sister.” Issey laughs, “Seems to work.”
As for what comes next, the band has lots of exciting projects on the horizon. “We've got loads of great stuff,” Mathew says, “we're going and probably recording the second album as well this year. We’ll be on Jonathan Ross tomorrow night, which is massive, our biggest TV thing.” As for live highlights, Issey adds, “We’ll be supporting Yungblud in April.” Mathew continues, “Two nights at Kentish Town Forum. One has already sold out, and the second is well on its way to being sold out. We’re doing loads abroad, we’re going to loads of festivals, like the Canary Islands, we’re going to Lanzarote.”
Maria Bensusan
Image: Derek Bremner
If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider buying us a coffee. The money from this pot goes towards the ever-increasing yearly costs of running and hosting the site, and our "Writer Of The Month" cash prize.