The Button Factory was packed to the rafters on Saturday night as Dublin welcomed back The Molotovs on their Welcome to Urbia tour, with Derry five piece The Marra getting the sold out crowd nicely warmed up with their brand of working-class indie rock.
Then came The Molotovs.
The first time I saw Matt and Issey was at The Grand Social in Dublin on 6 January 2023. Even then, there was something about the pair that suggested they had the potential to go places, despite a set that consisted largely of covers. Fast forward to 2026 and that potential has well and truly been realised. With new drummer Noah Riley behind the kit and a growing catalogue of original material, this is a very different band from the one I saw back then.
There was, however, a question mark hanging over the show. The Belfast date the previous night had been cancelled after Matt fell ill, and earlier in the day it looked as though Dublin might suffer the same fate. Thankfully, Matt soldiered on and took to the stage, delivering a powerful performance despite clearly struggling as the set progressed.
The band blasted through a set packed with energy, including ‘Rhythm of Yourself‘, ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day‘, ‘Wasted on Youth‘ and ‘Urbia‘, alongside 13 other tracks, including a spirited cover of David Bowie’s ‘Suffragette City‘.
Towards the end, Matt was finding it increasingly difficult to carry on, and a couple of songs had to be dropped. Given what he had been through in the previous 24 hours, however, simply getting on stage and delivering the performance he did was impressive.
The Molotovs may have arrived in Dublin with a point to prove, but they left having proved it. This is a band that has grown enormously, and on this evidence, their future looks very bright indeed.
If you want to catch these guys again or for the first time, they will be opening for Razorlight in Dublin at 3Olympia on the 14th of December.
The Marra photos:
The Molotovs photos & set-list:
Set-list:
Johnny Don’t be Scared
Rhythm of Yourself
Born In Society
Daydreaming
Geraldine
Join Us
Today’s Gonna Be Our Day
Down at the Cafe
Urbia
Is There Any Hope?
Father Flag
Wasted on Youth
More More More
Get a Life
Newsflash
Suffragette City (David Bowie cover)
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Come On Now
Photos & words – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic