The Molotovs have today announced a major UK tour after midweek results put them challenging for No.1 in the Official Charts with debut album Wasted On Youth (Marshall Records).
The chart success of Wasted On Youth is the outcome of a touring-led, fan-built campaign – rather than hype or algorithms – with the industry catching up on huge demand.
Despite still being teenagers, siblings Matt (17) and Issey Cartlidge (19) have played more than 600 shows, amassing new fans everywhere they go.
The band take the step up in September with the ‘Welcome To Urbia’ tour including the 2,300-capacity Forum in London, as well as major venues in Nottingham, Brighton, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff and Birmingham.
In the Official Charts midweek figures on Monday, the band were at number 2 in the album charts, just behind Lily Allen and ahead of Olivia Dean. They are also ahead of guitar bands Cast, despite the recent Oasis support slots, and Kula Shaker.
The band joked on Instagram that they are “in a chart war with some new, unsigned band called Lily Allen”.
Lily replied: “It’s all love baby, @TheMolotovs, hope you win the war.”
The band’s chart success is down to a focus on physical sales, with more than 6,000 pre-orders from the rapidly growing live fanbase, built over the last two years with the sale of 15,000 tickets.
Matt said: “After tearing up every dive bar and stage on the circuit, finally unleashing Wasted On Youth feels electric. We’ve lived these songs on the road, pouring every ounce of sweat into every live show. To see that raw energy bottled into our debut album is massive – it’s the payoff we’ve been chasing.”
Issey said: “We’re delighted with the chart success of the album but that’s not what we’re about. Our passion is for getting out around the country, and around the world, playing for audiences new and old – connecting with people who love music as much as we do. That love of music can help build a positivity and optimism sorely lacking elsewhere in 2026.”
Recorded at Marshall Studio with producer Jason Perry, and mixed and mastered by Blair Crichton from Dead Pony, Wasted On Youth, features Matt and Issey with drummer Noah Riley. It includes the hit singles ‘More More More More’, ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’, ‘Rhythm of Yourself’ and ‘Get A Life’.
The band have honed their craft supporting, and taken inspiration from, legendary figures including Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, Blondie, The Damned and The Libertines.
Wasted On Youth is a life-affirming burst of new wave, punk, indie, and garage, opening with the blistering ‘Get A Life’, a direct strike against the toxic culture of social media negativity. From there, the band dives into the complexities of coming of age. Whether it’s the pressure of academic expectations in ‘Daydreaming’ or the hazy, rehab-bound fantasies of ‘Popstar’, the lyrics reflect a generation caught between societal demands and their own creative instincts.
“A lot of pressure is put on young people to know exactly what they want to do in life, which is just unrealistic,” said Matt. This sentiment anchors the title track, ‘Wasted On Youth’, an anthem of self-doubt and the relentless passage of time. Yet, the album isn’t just about the struggle; it’s a rejection of the “small-town mentality” found in ‘Geraldine’ and a fierce defence of individualism in ‘Rhythm Of Yourself’, a track born from the band’s refusal to be moulded by industry trends.
From the lockdown-induced frustrations of ‘Newsflash’ to the frantic energy of lead single ‘More More More More’, Wasted On Youth is as much a sonic riot as it is a cerebral one. It concludes with the defiant ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’, a powerful “call to arms” urging listeners to reject apathy and stay informed.
