Dea_Matrona_(band)

Dea Matrona (band)

Dea Matrona (band)

Irish Rock Band

Dea Matrona is an Irish rock band currently based in Belfast and led by Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn.

Quick Facts Origin, Genres ...

Formally formed in 2018, the band have written and produced all of their catalogue to the present day, as well as covering many of their favourite songs. Dea Matrona's main influences are Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.[1] Both Orláith and Mollie sing and play multiple instruments, exchanging singing duties but also swapping their roles on bass and lead guitar.[2]

History

The band's history began when then secondary school friends Orláith and Mollie found out that they shared most of their musical interests.[3] Orláith and Mollie would show each other the bands they were listening to, allowing them to expand their influences while bonding over the music.[1]

Orlaith & Mollie

In early 2017, still in their teenage years, the duo decided to give busking a try, simply going by the name of Orlaith & Mollie. These early performances quickly started gaining the pair some attention and Orlaith & Mollie started playing gigs in smaller pubs. The duo then started playing dedicated venues, such as The Waterfront Hall (supporting Flash Harry) at the end of 2017.[3]

After finishing their musical studies at Assumption Grammar School, the now A-level musicians decided to take a year out to pursue a full-time job making music.[3] In the summer of 2018, Mollie managed to draft her younger sister Mamie McGinn, 14 at the time, to play drums with the duo.

The band's popularity kept rising mainly carried by the busking performances that the band would upload to their official Youtube and Facebook pages.

Dea Matrona

In the meantime, Orlaith & Mollie decided to change their name to Dea Matrona , which translates to "divine mother goddess" in Celtic mythology. Orláith and Mollie admitted that the reason they stuck with Dea Matrona is mostly to due its vibe and the feelings the name invokes.[4] In 2019, Dea Matrona released a collection of four original songs with the Away from the Tide EP.[5] Aside from the EP release, the band also kept up their gigging and busking efforts.[6]

In December 2020, a video of the band performing Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” went viral online, gaining over 4 million views.[7] This increase in online attention led to the band performing their single Make you my star on The Late Late Show in March 2021, which subsequently reached Number 1 on both the UK and Ireland iTunes rock charts.[8] Following this success, they performed at multiple festivals in 2021, including Reading & Leeds,[9] Beautiful days,[10] Live at Leeds,[11] Stendhal Festival[12] and performed two nights at Belsonic, Belfast.[13] A cover of Them’s “Gloria” for Hot Press magazine’s celebration of Van Morrison's 75th birthday [14] saw the band open for Van Morrison for two nights in the Millennium Forum, Derry. In November 2021 the band won two awards at the Northern Ireland Music Prize winning “Best single” and “ATL Contender”.[15]

Line-up change

In February 2022, Dea Matrona released a statement on their social media announcing the departure of Mamie McGinn from the band to "focus on college and pursue other interests".[16] They have continued to perform as a trio using several session drummers.

2022–2023

In May 2022 the band embarked on their first European tour supporting Eagles of Death Metal as well as performing at festivals such as Rock Werchter, Trans Musicales and The Great Escape Festival. That same year, the Dea Matrona released the singles So Damn Dangerous and Red Button, the latter appearing in the Belfast based Sky Atlantic TV series “The Lovers”.[17] The group began 2023 by embarking on a 5 week tour across the UK supporting Kris Barras, followed by another UK and Ireland tour in March 2023 supporting Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett.[18] In February 2023 Dea Matrona announced their first UK and Ireland headline tour,[19] with three dates in Bristol, Glasgow and London selling out.[20] They performed in the US for the first time at SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas [21] as well as releasing the single Get My Mind Off and playing at festivals such as Bearded Theory,[22] Flackstock [23] and The Iveagh Gardens [24] supporting KALEO. The band also played at Wembley arena as part of the Jags Country concert for the NFL Jaguars UK team.[25]

2024

In February 2024 the band released a new single Stuck On You and details of their debut album For Your Sins to be released on 3rd May 2024 coinciding with a headline tour of UK and Ireland[26]

In March 2024 the Second single from the album was released Black Rain[27]

April 2024 third single Every Night I Want You from debut album released[28]

The band appear in a cameo role in the final episode of Blue Lights series 2 "The Loyal" they are seen playing in a bar at the end of the episode covering Dolly Partons "Light of a Clear Blue Morning"[29]

Band members

  • Orláith Forsythe - Vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, mandolin (2017–present)
  • Mollie McGinn - Vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, keys, drums (2017–present)
  • Mamie McGinn - Drums (2018 - 2022)

Discography

Album

  • For Your Sins (2024) – release date 3 May 2024[30]

EPs

  • Away from the Tide (self-released, 2019)[5]
  • Dea Matrona EP (self-released, 2022)[31]

Singles

  • "Hard On Yourself" (2019)
  • "Make You My Star" (2020)
  • "Stamp On It" (2021)
  • "Glory Glory (I Am Free)" (2022)
  • "So Damn Dangerous" (2022)
  • "Red Button" (2022)
  • "Get My Mind Off" (2023)
  • "Stuck On You" (2024)
  • "Black Rain" (2024)
  • "Every Night I Want You" (2024)

Appearances and features

Trivia

  • The McGinn family has a rich connection to music. Besides Mollie and Mamie, Finn McGinn (their father) played in a band called Tiberius Minnows.[35]
  • Despite not being part of Dea Matrona anymore, Mamie McGinn has also done some of the artwork for the covers of the Red Button and Get My Mind Off singles.[1]
  • Jim Fitzpatrick, the Irish artist who did most of the artwork for Thin Lizzy, has also designed one of Dea Matrona's logos.[36]
  • The instrument swapping between Orláith and Mollie started in the early busking days due to the heaviness of the bass guitar.[1]

References

  1. [1]
    "Keeping 'er lit". The Irish World. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Robinson, Ian (January 11, 2020). "Dea Matrona band— so good!". Medium. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Schoolgirl buskers graduate to the Waterfront Hall". Belfast Live. November 2, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Concert Review & Interview: Dea Matrona". The Diversity of Classic Rock. March 7, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Dea Matrona – Away From The Tide". Discogs. April 28, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Dea Matrona - My Sharona (The Knack) - Christmas 2019". Youtube. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Dea Matrona: meet the young Belfast band keeping the fire of Rory Gallagher and Fleetwood Mac burning bright". Music Radar. 13 December 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Rising Irish Rockers Dea Matrona Hit No.1 on UK and Irish iTunes Rock Charts after Late Late Show". Hot Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Dea Matrona to play Reading and Leeds Festivals 2021". Hot Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  10. [10]
    "2021 LINE-UP". Beautiful Days. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Live at Leeds 2021". Clashfinder. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Stendhal Live, 2021, Episode 1, Festival Photos". BBC. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Belfast band 'delighted' to be opening for Gerry Cinnamon at Belsonic next week". Belfast Live. 2 September 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  14. [14]
    "WATCH: Dea Matrona perform 'Gloria' for Rave On, Van Morrison". Hot Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  15. [15]
    "NI Music Awards: Saint Sister and Dea Matrona big winners at Belfast event". Belfast Telegraph. 18 November 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  16. [16]
    "From Busking To Becoming Ones To Watch: An Interview With Dea Matrona". Rock News. February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  17. [17]
    "The Lovers Season 1 Soundtrack". SoundTracki. 11 September 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Dea Matrona / Rising Stars Of Rock Tour With Chris Shiflett". Metal Talk. 31 March 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Hotly-tipped Irish rock duo Dea Matrona announce their first UK and Ireland headline tour and release new song". Music Radar. 27 February 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  20. [20]
    "SOLD OUT - Dea Matrona + Support from EEVAH". The Louisiana. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Dea Matrona". SXSW Schedule. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  22. [22]
    "First festival gig of the year done and dusted !!! Thanks Bearded Theory". Facebook. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  23. [23]
    "2023 Line Up". Flackstock. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  24. [24]
    "Live at The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin". Aiken Promotions. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  25. [25]
    "Jags Country - Ovo Arena Wembley". Wembley Arena. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  26. [26]
    "DEA MATRONA ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM 'FOR YOUR SINS' OUT 3RD MAY AND RELEASE NEW SINGLE 'STUCK ON YOU'". Metal Planet Music. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  27. [27]
    "Listen to Dea Matrona's new single, Black Rain". Kerrang!. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  28. [28]
    Dwyer, Riccardo. "Dea Matrona share new single and video 'Every Night I Want You'". Hotpress. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  29. [29]
    "Blue Lights" The Loyal (TV Episode 2024) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-04-23 – via www.imdb.com.
  30. [30]
    "deamatrona.tmstor.es/product/128812". Townsend Music.
  31. [31]
    "Dea Matrona – Dea Matrona EP". Discogs. December 2, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  32. [32]
    "Nolan Live". BBC One. 6 February 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  33. [33]
    "Dea Matrona to perform on The Late Late Show on Friday". Hot Press. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  34. [34]
    "Dea Matrona - Make You My Star | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One". Youtube. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  35. [35]
    "Tiberius Minnows (1992 Session)". The Fanning Sessions. 15 June 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  36. [36]
    "Meet the Legend: Jim Fitzpatrick". YEO Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Dea_Matrona_(band), and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.