The Molotovs Set Cardiff Tramshed Alight on the Welcome to Urbia Tour

Sam Holt
5 hours ago
3 min read

Cardiff Tramshed - 3rd September 2026

WORDS / IMAGES SAM HOLT

The Molotovs Set Cardiff Tramshed Alight on the Welcome to Urbia Tour — PHOTO CREDIT SAM HOLT

First gig of the autumn season fell to The Molotovs, comprising of siblings Matt and Issey Cartilidge who are joined by Noah Riley. Their sound is an intriguing combination of many different influences, but one they delivered in style confidence, and dare I say with attitude. The band have only been around a relatively short period of time, but in that time have played close to 700 gigs, even in Lockdown when venues were closed, they continued to perform outdoors busking and honing their talents.

Tonight's opening act is a young Cardiff band named Shale, who have recently gained recognition, particularly in the area and at the TRUCK festival. Red Light Green Light, a song frequently used in live performances, was written by guitarist Samuel Hale as part of a school project before the band was formed. This band is about to embark on their own tour, so you might be able to see them. They definitely had the widespread backing of tonight’s crowd.

On the first night of their Welcome to Urbia tour, the lights went down and the band emerged to an ecstatic audience. Starting with Johnny Don't Be Scared from their new album, for which they said pre-orders would go live the following day, may have been a wise marketing move, but based on the sold-out crowd tonight and for the majority of the tour, I don't think they will have any problems selling the album.

Matt, who is frequently compared to a young Paul Weller, is the frontman. His raw, possibly angry vocal style is counterbalanced by his sister Issey's softer edge on bass and backing vocals. In any case, it's a fantastic combination that works incredibly well. Issy has a huge stage presence, strutting up and down the stage, pouting, and posing for pictures. Matt does the primary vocals and guitar work, occasionally striking rock guitar stances. Noah Riley joins the siblings on drums, and his clean-sounding kit creates an amazing beat that really enhances the band's sound.

David Bowie is cited as one of their influences, along with their own rendition of the iconic Suffragette City from the legendary Ziggy Stardust era. It was the B side of their debut single, I believe, and it seems to be included in many of their live set lists. As I had anticipated, a large portion of the set is derived from their outstanding album Wasted on the Youth. Including a few of my personal favourites, , Geraldine, More More More, and new tracks Join Us' and You Me -Shadowboxer’s live debut, both of which appear to be on the new album that is now available to pre-order

It's amazing how much they have accomplished at such a young age and how they have hardly stopped for a break. This was evident in tonight's concert, which was intense from the first note till the very end. Social media comments like "Was like an early '77 Jam gig" and "Smashing it Out the Ballpark tonight at the Tramshed" were entertaining to read, and I wholeheartedly concur. I believe they should be playing in bigger venues because a huge portion of the tour is sold out.

SET LIST