Live Review: The Molotovs - Waterfront, Norwich
28th January 2025
Support: Freedy Keach, Lady of Mars
Words & Photos: Tom Atkin
We are really getting back in to the swing of things now after the festive break, and tonight we're back in Norwich at the Waterfront Studio. With such a mixed crowd in the queue for the venue It is hard to place what to expect, having listened to a fair bit of The Molotovs in preparation I was not expecting the range of people that are here.
First up this evening are indie rockers Lady Of Mars. From the word go the tone of their performance is set, grabbing the attention of the early attendees. Considering there was only fifteen minutes between doors opening and their stage time, the amount of attention they receive is a good sign.
Lady Of Mars blends both chunky riffs and punchy rhythms flawlessly and effortlessly. The energy the whole band bring to the stage is completely in sync. The set was nothing short of brilliant and held the attention of the crowd throughout. Every new attendee coming through the doors was instantly having a good ol’ gander at them. After a performance like that, I would hate to be the middle band of the night as the expectation has already been set so high.
Freddy Keach had to fill that hole. Instantly we know this is going to be slightly different, taking to his home town stage with an acoustic guitar. With his parents standing proudly in the crowd, he starts up his incredible performance. The song writing is really something else, you can really feel the heart that has been poured into these beautifully composed songs, all delivered with a crazy amount of confidence, the sort you would not expect from an up and coming band.
This was a perfect placement for the band, being the middle filler in a line up like this adds a nice bit of balance into the evening, suiting the vastly varied audience to a tee. After that intermission the whole room is now ready for the main attraction of the evenings performance.
Instantly The Molotovs bring the energy and volume back up to peak levels and the crowd soak it all up immediately. You can see that this is the type of venue they feel at home in. The chemistry between the siblings is spot on, feeding into each others energy from start to finish, providing a set full of very natural feeling gritty sound. A set that just feels like it has come from their souls rather than forced out to appease the masses, this caused an intensity that you just can not get from recordings.
Within the first few songs, the whole crowd is packed up to the front and moving with every tight and punchy melody, the atmosphere being notched up every time the crowd sang the lines back to the pair that is definitely earnt with the hard work they put in to both their song writing and performance.
They seem to get a fair bit of flack online, because, well online people. Having previously run shows with reduced ticket prices for under 18’s just to get more of the younger generation to shows at the expense of their profit this is exactly what the live music scene needs in a time where it often feels very doom and gloom.
They are a band that give me vibes of old school punk and mod scenes, The Jam, The Clash and to an extent The Sex Pistols all live on within this type of show.
By the time they reached the final stretch The Molotovs had full control of the room. The closing songs were loud, relentless and delivered with total confidence, leaving no doubt about why they were headlining. It was the kind of finish that leaves people buzzing as the lights come up, already talking about standout moments and favourite tracks.
Overall, it was a well-paced, well-thought-out night of live music where each act played their part. The Molotovs proved they’re built for live shows and with strong support from Lady Of Mars and Freddy Keach, the Waterfront Studio felt like the perfect setting for a night that kept building right to the very end.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
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