The Molotovs take on Lily Allen as chart fight empties shelves

London’s fast rising duo The Molotovs have sent record shops into overdrive. After news broke that the band were caught in a heated midweek chart race with Lily Allen and Olivia Dean, retailers nationwide and online giant Amazon confirmed complete sell outs of the group’s debut album, Wasted On Youth.

Brother and sister Matt Cartlidge, 17, and Issey Cartlidge, 19, have watched their first release climb to Number 2 in the midweek chart update, driven by more than 6,000 physical pre orders and an intense run of in store appearances. Demand has been so overwhelming that three stores ran out of copies before the band even arrived, while Amazon faced delays of up to two days fulfilling CD orders.

A friendly war

The so called chart war began when the band playfully described Lily Allen on Instagram as a “new, unsigned artist”. Allen responded in good spirits, publicly wishing them luck. While the exchange was light hearted, the competition is genuine, with The Molotovs currently positioned ahead of established guitar bands such as Cast and Kula Shaker, underlining how their raw and energetic indie punk sound is connecting with a new wave of physical music buyers.

Announcing the Welcome To Urbia 2026 tour

To mark the album’s momentum, The Molotovs have unveiled their biggest headline tour so far. The Welcome To Urbia run launches in September 2026 and will conclude with their largest show to date at London’s 2,300 capacity O2 Forum Kentish Town.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, 5th February.

3rd Sept Cardiff Tamshed
4th Sept Nottingham Palais
5th Sept Brighton Chalk
10th Sept Glasgow TV Studio
11th Sept Newcastle Digital
12th Sept Sheffield Foundry
17th Sept Leeds The Wardrobe
18th Sept Liverpool Arts Club
19th Sept Manchester Academy 2
24th Sept Birmingham O2 Academy 2
25th Sept London O2 Forum Kentish Town
2nd Oct Belfast Ulster Sports Club
3rd Oct Dublin The Grand Social