Lady of Mars kick-started the evening in support of independent venue week and The Molotovs at The Waterfront Studio in Norwich. They set the tone for the evening with their gothic romanticism, soulful vocals, and raw guitar riffs. Bringing the energy from the very beginning, they played songs including fan favourites ‘Hits A Nerve’ and ‘Black & blue’, perfectly transitioning between upbeat and slower moments, while portraying the full spectrum of emotions both lyrically and musically, throughout their set. I highly recommend catching them live for a high energy yet emotional set!
The night continued with another high energy set from Freddy Keach & The Mop. All members had really strong stage presence throughout and got the crowd ready for the rest of the evening.
The Molotovs took to the stage to an immense cheer from the sold-out crowd, kicking their set off with ‘Johnny Don’t be Scared’ before leading into ‘My Metallic Wife’, they brought the energy through a a series of hair flips and ‘punk jumps’ to the mesmerised crowd. Their set consisted of mainly unreleased (at the time) songs from their debut album ‘Wasted on Youth’ which is out now via Marshall Records as well as a cover of ‘Suffragette City’ by David Bowie.
The sibling duo gave their everything on stage even resulting in Issey Cartlidge‘s bass strap snapping but she didn’t let that stop her, she continued miming playing her bass before Mathew threw her a tambourine while it was quickly duct taped and then carried on playing without missing a beat. They really showed how unstoppable they are and cemented why they were chosen to open for Yungblud on his arena tour this spring.
They have a very dedicated fanbase with one front-row fan getting a shout out for it being her 150th The Molotovs show before Mathew Cartlidge gave a speech about how important supporting independent venues is and urging fans to pre-order their debut album too as they’re aiming to be the first band on their record label with a number 1 album.
They continued their upbeat set with title-track ‘Wasted on Youth’ before ending on high energy ‘More More More’ and then returning to stage for an encore with rowdy ‘Get a Life’.
They truly showcased their perseverance and attitude which has gotten them this far and I’m sure will take them much further.