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Dea Matrona (band)

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For the meaning in Celtic Mythology, see Dea Matrona (mythology).
Dea Matrona
OriginBelfast, Northern Ireland
GenresRock
Years active2017–present
Members
  • Orláith Forsythe
  • Mollie McGinn
Past members
  • Mamie McGinn
Websitehttps://deamatrona.co.uk/

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

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

[edit]

The core band members are friends Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn, who first met in somewhat competitive circumstances.“We were at the same school and there was a talent show and both of us wanted to enter it individually,” Forsythe recalls. “But there was only one more space, so the teacher was like, look, you'll do it together or you don't do it, so we very awkwardly did it together without really knowing each other.” [3]

They performed The Chicks song Travelin’ Soldier and then they clicked with their shared passion for Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. The then-teenagers quickly moved on to busking. “We just went out and played our guitars all day,” says McGinn. “We would meet on a weekend, leave the house in the morning and just not come back all day. I think there was one summer, we just busked pretty much every day.”

Orlaith & Mollie

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In early 2017, still in their teenage years, the duo started 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.[4]

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.[4] 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

[edit]

In the meantime, Orlaith & Mollie decided to change their name to Dea Matrona [1], 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.[5] In 2019, Dea Matrona released a collection of four original songs with the Away from the Tide EP.[6] Aside from the EP release, the band also kept up their gigging and busking efforts.[7]

In December 2020, a video of the band performing Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” went viral online, gaining over 4 million views.[8] 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.[9] Following this success, they performed at multiple festivals in 2021, including Reading & Leeds,[10] Beautiful days,[11] Live at Leeds,[12] Stendhal Festival[13] and performed two nights at Belsonic, Belfast.[14] A cover of Them’s “Gloria” for Hot Press magazine’s celebration of Van Morrison's 75th birthday [15] 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”.[16]

Line-up change

[edit]

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".[17] They have continued to perform as a trio using several session drummers.

2022–2023

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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”.[18] 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.[19] In February 2023 Dea Matrona announced their first UK and Ireland headline tour,[20] with three dates in Bristol, Glasgow and London selling out.[21] They performed in the US for the first time at SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas [22] as well as releasing the single Get My Mind Off and playing at festivals such as Bearded Theory,[23] Flackstock [24] and The Iveagh Gardens [25] supporting KALEO. The band also played at Wembley arena as part of the Jags Country concert for the NFL Jaguars UK team.[26]

2024

[edit]

In February 2024 the band released a new single Stuck On You along with details about their upcoming album For Your Sins and a promotional tour. [27] In March, Dea Matrona made an appearance at The Limelight 2, supporting Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett.[28] The same month, Black Rain, the second single from the album was released, [29] followed by the third single Every Night I Want You in April.[30] Weeks before the album release, the band appeared in a cameo role in the final episode of Blue Lights series 2 The Loyal. They can be seen playing in a bar at the last scene of the episode covering Dolly Parton's Light of a Clear Blue Morning. [31]

May 3rd marked the release of Dea Matrona's debut album For Your Sins, alongside a headline tour of UK and Ireland. Tour spanned 20 days until the 22nd of May, counting with 11 UK shows and 4 across Ireland.[32] While touring, the band also played acoustic shows in several record stores. [33] The band turned down a record deal, choosing to release their first album independently [34]


Summer festival performances began shortly after the headline tour, Dea Matrona opened for Sheryl Crow on June 13th at the Piece Hall[35] as well as supporting Shania Twain at BST Hyde Park on July 7th.[36] The band also performed at Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria- Gateiz, Spain on June 21st [37] and Supersonic, Paris on June 27th [38]

Band members

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]

Album

[edit]
  • For Your Sins (self-released, 3rd May 2024) [39]

EPs

[edit]
  • Away from the Tide (self-released, 2019) [6]
  • Dea Matrona EP (self-released, 2022) [40]
  • For Your Sins:Acoustic Sessions (self released 13th December 2024)

Singles

[edit]
  • "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)
  • "KISS" (Prince cover) (2024)
  • "Stuck on You" (acoustic) (2024)

Appearances and features

[edit]

Trivia

[edit]
  • Jim Fitzpatrick, the Irish artist who did most of the artwork for Thin Lizzy, has also designed one of Dea Matrona's logos.[44]
  • The instrument swapping between Orláith and Mollie started in the early busking days due to the heaviness of the bass guitar.[1] The instrument swaps have been remarked by several other musicians, including Sheryl Crow.[35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Keeping 'er lit". The Irish World. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  2. ^ Robinson, Ian (January 11, 2020). "Dea Matrona band— so good!". Medium. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  3. ^ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/powering-performance/samsung-pc-music-creative-ai-copilot-dea-matrona-b1169422.html
  4. ^ a b "Schoolgirl buskers graduate to the Waterfront Hall". Belfast Live. November 2, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "Concert Review & Interview: Dea Matrona". The Diversity of Classic Rock. March 7, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Dea Matrona – Away From The Tide". Discogs. April 28, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "Dea Matrona - My Sharona (The Knack) - Christmas 2019". Youtube. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "Dea Matrona to play Reading and Leeds Festivals 2021". Hot Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "2021 LINE-UP". Beautiful Days. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Live at Leeds 2021". Clashfinder. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "Stendhal Live, 2021, Episode 1, Festival Photos". BBC. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "Belfast band 'delighted' to be opening for Gerry Cinnamon at Belsonic next week". Belfast Live. 2 September 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "WATCH: Dea Matrona perform 'Gloria' for Rave On, Van Morrison". Hot Press. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  16. ^ "NI Music Awards: Saint Sister and Dea Matrona big winners at Belfast event". Belfast Telegraph. 18 November 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  17. ^ "From Busking To Becoming Ones To Watch: An Interview With Dea Matrona". Rock News. February 15, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Lovers Season 1 Soundtrack". SoundTracki. 11 September 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "Dea Matrona / Rising Stars Of Rock Tour With Chris Shiflett". Metal Talk. 31 March 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "SOLD OUT - Dea Matrona + Support from EEVAH". The Louisiana. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "Dea Matrona". SXSW Schedule. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "First festival gig of the year done and dusted !!! Thanks Bearded Theory". Facebook. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  24. ^ "2023 Line Up". Flackstock. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Live at The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin". Aiken Promotions. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "Jags Country - Ovo Arena Wembley". Wembley Arena. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Gig Review : It's been a Long, Long Year but Chris Shiflett blows the blues away". Metal Planet Music. March 25, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  29. ^ "Listen to Dea Matrona's new single, Black Rain". Kerrang!. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  30. ^ Dwyer, Riccardo. "Dea Matrona share new single and video 'Every Night I Want You'". Hotpress. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  31. ^ a b "Blue Lights" The Loyal (TV Episode 2024) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-04-23 – via www.imdb.com.
  32. ^ "Dea Matrona announce UK and Ireland tour billed for May 2024". Hot Press. March 19, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  33. ^ "DEA MATRONA – Unveil "Every Night I Want You" || Ahead of 'For Your Sins' LP – out 3 May". Jace Media Music. April 11, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  34. ^ https://www.hotpress.com/music/dea-matrona-interview-album-band-23023728
  35. ^ a b Chapman, Neil (June 14, 2024). "Gig review: Sheryl Crow and Dea Matrona at the Piece Hall, Halifax". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  36. ^ https://www.nme.com/news/music/full-line-up-announced-for-shania-twain-at-londons-bst-hyde-park-2024-3764110
  37. ^ https://www.eitb.eus/es/cultura/azkena-rock/detalle/9348527/queens-of-the-stone-age-sheryl-crow-y-arde-bogota-primeros-nombres-del-azkena-rock-festival-2024/
  38. ^ https://supersonic-club.fr/event/theyre-gonna-be-big-20-my-fat-pony-martial-arts-body-horror-supersonic-free-entry/
  39. ^ "deamatrona.tmstor.es/product/128812". Townsend Music.
  40. ^ "Dea Matrona – Dea Matrona EP". Discogs. December 2, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  41. ^ "Nolan Live". BBC One. 6 February 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  42. ^ "Dea Matrona to perform on The Late Late Show on Friday". Hot Press. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  43. ^ "Dea Matrona - Make You My Star | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One". Youtube. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  44. ^ "Meet the Legend: Jim Fitzpatrick". YEO Magazine. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
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