Hailing from Carryduff and Dundrum, Dea Matrona are a rock trio who formed in 2018, their mutual love of classic rock and bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, sparked a musical chemistry between the three that continues to blossom into their own originals. Dea Matrona might look like an apparition straight from Almost Famous, but don’t be fooled: there’s nothing “almost” about this group. Siblings Mollie (20) and Mamie (16) McGinn, – alongside their lifelong friend Orlaith Forsythe (20) – formed Dea Matrona in their hometown of Belfast in 2018, armed with their formidable talent, a dream, and an ear for a great hook.
Their infectious enthusiasm for churning out hard hitting guitar riffs and soaring harmonies has captured the hearts of audiences across Ireland, which has set the foundation for their extraordinary connection with their fans online with Facebook videos reaching over 560k views. They released a 4 track EP in April called ‘Away From The Tide’ and appeared on UTV Life with Pamela Ballentine to promote it.
You can hear the influence of Debbie Harry, Stevie Nicks, Zeppelin (and even a bit of Joni Mitchell!) in their brand new single ‘Make You My Star’. The track was mastered by the legendary Jon Astley (The Who), and produced by Mollie, Mamie and Orlaith themselves. The single takes a swan-dive back in time to the golden age of rock n’ roll, complete with a shredding guitar solo, and dripping with infectious melodies.
The name Dea Matrona (pronounced day-a matrona) is very cool and catchy and certainly stands out. “We really love Celtic Mythology so we just came across the name at one point and we thought wow that really suits and then we just kept it. Dea Matrona, it means Mother Goddess, it sounded really cool and we like it.”
The band have already had some pretty cool experiences but the highlight for Mamie was the moment she got to follow in her idols’ footsteps by playing in the birthplace of the Beatles in Liverpool. “Definitely going to Cavern Club last year [was a highlight], we played during Beatles week. I think we played a couple of times in the Cavern Club and it was just great because it was really where the Beatles had been. It was so stuffy because it was underground, it was so warm but it was a really great experience.”
