From the Mosh Pit to Carl Barât: The Molotovs Take Over the O2 Forum

The Molotovs – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London – 26 September 2026

There are some gigs where you know you’ve had a good night before you’ve even left the building. The Molotovs’ headline show at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town was one of those nights.

From the moment the crowd began filling the room, there was a sense that this wasn’t going to be a quiet Saturday night. By the time The Molotovs took to the stage, the atmosphere was incredible – and it only got bigger from there.

The evening began with The Cases and Garage Flower taking to the stage. The Cases weren’t quite my cup of tea personally, but live music is subjective, and the crowd were already getting themselves warmed up. Garage Flower, meanwhile, were a band I’d seen before and have always enjoyed live, and they once again delivered a set that got the room moving.

Then came The Molotovs.

The sibling duo have come a long way, and you could feel that sense of momentum throughout the room. Their debut album, Wasted On Youth, was heavily represented, with songs including ‘Get A Life’, ‘Wasted On Youth’, ‘Come On Now’ and ‘Rhythm Of Yourself’ all making their presence felt.

There was plenty more from the record too, with ‘Urbia’, ‘Just Like You’, ‘Mr Penny’, ‘Johnny Don’t Be Scared’, ‘Born In Society’, ‘Daydreaming’, ‘Geraldine’, ‘Join Us’, ‘Today’s Gonna Be Our Day’ and ‘Down At The Cafe’ among the songs making up a set that never seemed to lose momentum.

And neither did the crowd.

One of the things that made the night particularly memorable for me was just how involved everyone was. This wasn’t a crowd standing politely watching from a distance. The energy was infectious, and before long I found myself in the middle of a mosh pit.

That’s probably not something I expected when I walked through the doors, but it summed up the night perfectly. The Molotovs weren’t simply performing to the room; the room was giving the energy straight back to them.

There was also a glimpse of where the band are heading next.

Songs including ‘Urbia’ and ‘Tell Me’ offered a taste of their forthcoming second album, Welcome To Urbia. During the night, the band announced that the album was available to pre-order and is due for release on 9 April 2027.

The new material sat naturally alongside the songs from Wasted On Youth, giving the night a feeling of looking both backwards and forwards. There was a sense of celebrating what The Molotovs have already achieved while giving the crowd something new to get excited about.

And the excitement didn’t stop there.

Just when it felt like the night couldn’t get much bigger, The Molotovs had one final surprise.

For the last song, Carl Barât of The Libertines walked onto the stage.

The band launched into ‘What A Waster’, and suddenly the O2 Forum erupted all over again. Barât joining The Molotovs for the Libertines classic was the ultimate full-circle moment of the night.

There was something particularly fitting about seeing them share the stage. The Molotovs had already established themselves as a band capable of commanding a venue like the Forum, and ending the night alongside someone who has been such an important figure in British indie rock made the occasion feel even more significant.

By the time the final notes of ‘What A Waster’ rang out, the night had delivered everything you could want from a live show: great support, songs that people knew every word to, new music to look forward to, an incredible crowd, a mosh pit I somehow ended up in, and a surprise appearance that nobody could have seen coming.

With Welcome To Urbia officially arriving on 9 April 2027, this feels less like a band reaching a peak and more like another step forward. If the energy of this night is anything to go by, The Molotovs have a bright future ahead of them. You can imagine the next chapter bringing bigger rooms, more new music and, hopefully, even longer tours that give more people the chance to experience this band live.

For now, though, the O2 Forum felt like the perfect place to celebrate how far they’ve already come.

The Molotovs came to Kentish Town with something to prove. They left having given the crowd a night to remember – and with the promise of another chapter just around the corner.