The Molotovs Take Over Nottingham’s Palais: Live Review

5 September 2026 Neil@RockNews

The Molotovs Take Over Nottingham’s Palais: Live Review

The Molotovs live review Nottingham :There is a distinct difference between a band playing a gig and a band taking a room hostage. The Molotovs firmly chose the latter, turning Nottingham’s Palais into a boiling pot of high-octane mod-punk fury. Believe it or not, this marks the fifth time RockNews have caught them live this year alone. They are keeping us remarkably busy, and honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way because watching a band ascend this rapidly in real-time is an absolute privilege. Every single time they hit the stage, the momentum builds, the crowds grow hungrier, and the performance levels step up a notch.

Setting the Stage at The Palais

From the moment the doors swung open and South Street warmed up the eager early-comers, you could tell this wasn’t going to be just another routine stop on the tour. By the time Matty Cartlidge and Issey Cartlidge stepped onto the stage under the venue lights, the crowd was already packed tight, buzzing with the kind of fierce anticipation that only a true rising sensation can command.

Opening with a relentless one-two punch of “Johnny Don’t Be Scared” and “Rhythm of Yourself,” the band tore straight through a massive, uncompromising setlist. Matt sang with an aggressive stance, prowling the stage with the razor-sharp swagger of a young Paul Weller, his vocals dripping with raw, restless grit. Meanwhile, Izzy played the bass with her supermodel looks and effortless cool, her driving bass lines weaving through the sweat, distortion, and flashing strobes.

The Molotovs Live Review – Road-Tested Anthems and New Horizons

The pacing of the night was relentless, mirroring the unstoppable trajectory of a band that has spent years cutting their teeth on the live circuit. Because they have been out on the road continuously, grinding away night after night, their material has been road-tested to absolute perfection. The sheer frequency of their touring means these tracks have bedded in so deeply that even newer cuts already sound like stone-cold classics. Tracks like “Born In Society,” “Daydreaming,” and “Geraldine” flowed by in a dizzying blur of punk-rock urgency. Mid-set highlights like “Urbia,” “Is There Any Hope?”, and “Wasted on Youth” showcased a catalogue that has matured far beyond their years, seamlessly blending punchy punk attitude with hook-laden mod revival brilliance.

What made tonight particularly special, though, was the formidable glimpse into the future. Peppered throughout the set were electric new numbers that sounded razor-sharp and utterly vital. If these unreleased cuts are anything to go by, the material currently being lined up for their sophomore album is shaping up to be an absolute belter. Signed to Marshall Records, The Molotovs are clearly channeling every ounce of that label’s storied rock-and-roll pedigree into their evolving sound, proving they aren’t just content resting on their debut’s laurels.

A ferocious, sweat-drenched spin on David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” near the end of the main set blew the roof completely off the Palais, sending the front row into absolute delirium before the band paused for a brief, well-earned breather.

The Molotovs Live Review – An Unforgettable Encore

If the main set was a masterclass in modern punk energy, the encore proved they still had plenty left in the tank. It kicked off with Matt out on stage entirely alone, armed with an acoustic guitar to deliver a haunting, stripped-back rendition of “Nothing Keeps Her Away.” He remained unaccompanied on stage for the second song of the encore, pouring raw emotion into “The Man Who Could Never Be,” before Izzy finally rejoined him under the lights. The pair then cranked the volume back up for the final two electric numbers—driving through “You, Me – Shadow Boxer” and the closing-out anthem “Come On Now”—leaving every last ounce of energy right there under those stage lights.

The Palais didn’t just host The Molotovs tonight, it surrendered to them. Seeing them live five times this year has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a band on a serious, unstoppable rise. If you haven’t jumped on board yet, do yourself a massive favour and catch them in rooms like this while you still can, because venues this size won’t be able to contain them for much longer.