Concert Review: The Molotovs at Chalk in Brighton UK

20 hours ago

2 min read

Few young bands in the UK have as much momentum as The Molotovs right now, and CHALK was sold out well before Matt and Issey Cartlidge arrived for the third night of their UK and Ireland tour. Riding high from the announcement of the completion of their new album Welcome to Urbia, this was their first time headlining the venue, and the room was packed with an excited crowd of all ages ready to see this rising phenomenon.

Johnny Don’t Be Scared opened the night at full tilt, with Noah Riley driving from behind the kit while Matt and Issey worked the front of the stage. Rhythm of Yourself kept the room moving, and the newer Born In Society and Join Us sat comfortably beside songs from Wasted on Youth. This is a band whose following has grown quickly, but there was nothing tentative about the way they held the room.

Matt addressed the crowd, explaining that both he and Issey were unwell. His voice began to roughen as the set went on, though his guitar playing remained sharp. The audience did its share of the singing on Today’s Gonna Be Our Day, and the band pushed through to More More More. At its end, Matt asked for a couple of minutes and all three left the stage.

Nobody knew quite how much more they could give. When they came back, Matt had shed his jacket and the band went straight into Father Flag. Newsflash followed, then a fast, ragged-edged Suffragette City, before Come On Now closed the night. Fourteen songs in all, cut down from the 21 they had planned.

Matt was clearly getting frustrated. He apologised and spoke about returning to Brighton for a full show, but the crowd seemed to understand what had happened. They had heard his voice giving way; they had also watched the band come back and finish as strongly as they could.

Matt was clearly gutted. His voice was going, but he seemed more worried about letting the crowd down. He needn’t have been. Nobody felt short-changed, and they stayed to hand out picks, sticks and setlists before leaving the stage.

Matt is only 18. Nights like this don’t tend to go to plan, but how you handle them matters. The Molotovs gave Brighton everything they had, and their stock rose because of it. I’ll be there when they come back.