Live Review: The Molotovs – Soho
16th December 2025
Words & Photos: Louise Phillips
The Molotovs Reclaim Soho’s Soul With Guerrilla Mayhem on the Iconic Berwick Street!
There are moments in the history of London’s West End where the air suddenly feels thinner, charged with the kind of high-voltage electricity that precedes a lightning strike. Yesterday afternoon on Berwick Street, the Molotovs didn’t just play a gig; they staged a coup. By the time the formidable duo, siblings Mathew and Issey Cartlidge had finished their blistering guerrilla set from the back of a flatbed truck, the capital's most infamous thoroughfare had been brought to a total, grinding standstill.
To stand on those cold cobbles was to feel the distinct, hair-raising sensation of witnessing music history in the making. This wasn't a curated, corporate-sponsored pop-up; it was a raw, snarling call to arms. As the truck rolled into position and the first jagged, visceral chords of Today's Gonna Be Our Day", sliced through the London air, the mundane rhythm of the city fractured. Tourists stood frozen in shock, and a sea of Doc Marten-stomping, sharp-dressed rebels surged forward from the shadows, creating a localised frenzy of excitement rarely seen in the now sanitised, gentrified Soho of 2025!
A Manifesto in Motion: The Setlist!
The Molotovs are the undisputed godchildren of Paul Weller’s mod-precision and Sid Vicious’s chaotic snarl. They represent the fearless epitome of New Punk: a sound that bleeds the sharp-dressed urgency of 1977 but carries a terrifyingly modern edge that breathes fresh fire into a sanitized cultural landscape. Their raw spirit was on full display as they turned the Berwick Street asphalt into a pressure cooker of pure, unadulterated grit.
The setlist was a masterclass in punk delivery, calculated to agitate and inspire. Opening with the frantic optimism of "Today's Gonna Be Our Day," they immediately hammered through original manifestos like, "More More More, and the biting "Johnny Don't be Scared," tracks that function less like songs and more like blunt-force trauma. "Newsflash" followed much to the thrill of the by now heaving crowd! It was a rhythmic assault that felt perfectly at home amidst the urban decay and neon flicker of Soho. But the standout moment of the afternoon came with a visceral, punk-infused cover of Slade’s "Merry Xmas Everybody," which stripped away the festive sheen to reveal a riotous anthem of defiance that echoed off the brickwork.
The Issues We Face!
The performance served as a vital, heart-pounding platform for The Big Issue and their poignant new campaign, "The Issues We Face." This partnership echoed the band’s core ethos: that punk is not a fashion statement, but a social responsibility. Watching Mathew’s choppy crash chords lock into Issey’s thundering bass lines from their elevated mobile stage, there was an unfiltered audacity that placed them in the hallowed lineage of Soho’s great rebels. This was a spiritual reclamation of public space, reminiscent of the "Pied Piper" chaos of The Others or the barricade-smashing energy of The Libertines, but executed with a jagged honesty that is entirely their own.
The Grand Finale: Suffragette City!
The duo saved their most potent strike for the end. As the set reached its fever pitch with the relentless "Get a Life," they pivoted into a high-voltage rendition of David Bowie’s "Suffragette City". It was a stroke of genius, paying homage to the glam-rock ghosts that haunt these very streets while simultaneously reclaiming the track for a new generation of anti-conformists. The crowd’s roar during the bridge wasn't just applause; it was a guttural release of energy that drowned out the sirens of the city.
By the time they reached that final, crashing chord, the crowd had swelled to hundreds, spilling off the pavements and blocking all passage through the historic street. It was a moment of pure punk mayhem, a reminder that in a digital age of apathy, there is no substitute for the raw power of two people, a truck, and a middle finger to the status quo.
As the authorities moved in to finally disperse the throng, the message was undeniable: The Molotovs are here, they are loud, and with their debut album 'Wasted On Youth' set for release on January 30th, 2026, the revolution is only just beginning. We all left the street knowing we’d seen something special, the day the New Punk explosion became impossible to ignore. Soho was built on the sweat of rebels and the noise of the underground; yesterday, The Molotovs didn’t just play on its streets, they set them on fire!
Photo Credits: Louise Phillips
