Dea Matrona’s vintage vibe is the sound of the future

By Alex McGreevy

FOUNDED by County Down girls Mollie McGinn (20) and Orláith Forsythe (19), Dea Matrona have been making waves on the local music scene ever since they first took to busking in Belfast city two years ago.

Both Orláith and Mollie grew up playing music, both competed in the Scor Na Nog (the GAA’s historic talent competition) and both attended the same school, Assumption Grammar in Ballynahinch, Northern Ireland, where they first met.

It was playing music and their shared interest in classic rock that gave them the roots to their friendship.

Having recently enjoyed a positive response to their debut EP, Away From The Tide, going online to the masses this year, Dea Matrona are already looking forward to 2020 and what it has in store for them.

They have expanded into a three-piece too, bringing in skin-thrashing 16-year-old Mamie – the younger sister of Mollie – who has taken to drumming with such ease you’d think she was born with sticks in hand.

Dea Matrona: Mollie, Mamie and Orláith

As for Mollie and Orláith swapping bass and lead guitar roles during their shows, it makes one wonder what this band can achieve with their twin-guitar talents ramping up their sound (yes, they are fans of Thin Lizzy too!). Both artists are to music and instruments what a young Albert Einstein was to physics.

Mollie has also achieved Grade 8 in drums and Orláith has completed her singing exams. Why, of course they have!

I caught up with band founders Mollie (from Dundrum, Co Down) and Orláith (from Carryduff, Co Down) prior to their entertaining show at the edgy Love and Death venue in Belfast recently.

Mamie wasn’t in the venue. Being just 16, she came along moments before Dea Matrona went on stage, with proud mum Nicola, and dad Bernard, as chaperones.

Oh, and Mollie’s dad just happens to be a musician too – Bernard was once a member of popular Northern Ireland act Tiberius Minnows and is now the frontman of country music band Finn McGinn and the Mudd Guards.

If you haven’t already heard Dea Matrona, you should … you must … and I’ve no doubt at some stage in the band’s development, you will.

During their show in Belfast, exemplifying ridiculous talent on four and six strings, and drums, the girls eased their way through classics by Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, our very own, The Undertones, and a selection of their own ear-catching songs.

AMcG: Dea Matrona haven’t been around long but already you have a big following. How did it all begin?

Mollie: We started out as just me and Orláith and were called Orláith and Mollie, how creative of us! We knew we wanted to add to the band and so we got my little sister Mamie in to play drums. Mamie’s the baby in the band.

We started off on the streets, busking in Belfast City centre and Dublin and even London and that’s how we started getting bookings for gigs.

Orláith: Mollie and I had so many shared interests when it came to music and we eventually started jamming together for fun and from that it just grew into the band. We got to know each other in school and we were both in the same jazz class, so from there we discovered the music we have in common.

My mum is musical too but she would not have been into the likes of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. She kinda likes those bands now because we play their songs but I think we largely found our music interest ourselves along the way.

AMcG: The name Dea Matrona (pronounced Day-a) may be a tongue twister to some and it certainly takes Amazon Echo a few attempts to find the band. So, how did the name come about?

Mollie: We were searching for inspiration for a name and going through Wikipedia and the like and we just came across the words and really liked them. We had an idea of what we liked and when we discovered that Dea Matrona meant ‘Mother Earth’ that was perfect for us. It sounds kinda trippie and hippy.

AMcG: I first saw you busking in Belfast and was captured by your sound and style – is busking a chore or an enjoyable experience for you?

Mollie: We find busking to be enjoyable and stress free. It’s just a matter of setting up and playing when you want, stopping when you want, grabbing food when you need to or just taking a rest when you want. It’s good to play to people. We want to be engaging with an audience and the bigger it is the better.

There was the two of us busking for a while and then Mamie joined in. Mamie got into drumming because we simply needed a drummer and I was encouraging her to play and telling her to get into the band!

We had put an advert in the newspaper but did not find anyone so I said to Mamie ‘just learn how to play the drums’! In fairness to her, she picked it up really quickly … she’s a natural at it. I’m a drummer too, so I was able to help her along the way. She’s perfect for us, it’s great to have her.

AMcG: For musicians so young, it’s not common to have such an interest in, and knowledge of, classic rock. How does that sit with your network of friends?

Orláith: Sometimes we forget that other people aren’t into the sort of music we are into. It’s when you are with other friends and you talk about this band or that sound and they are totally lost. If I say, play this or that, they reply ‘oh this is so boring’.

We’re not big fans of a lot of the current radio music. If people dig deep enough they will find really good musicians and really good music, which is not what they are being fed on the radio most of the time.

Orláith, Mollie and Mamie before they hit the stage at Love and Death in Belfast

AMcG: It’s easy to hear where you get your influence – the likes of Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Fleetwood Mac. What do think of having comparisons made so early in your career?

Mollie: There’s a band called Greta Van Fleet who are just amazing. They have a big fan base but at the same time not a lot people have heard of them.They are modern, talented and young, and their sound is fantastic. They have it all, the looks, the style and the talent. Yet, they get compared to Led Zeppelin which I can understand but I think it’s a good thing.

You know, it’s been such a long time between Led Zeppelin and Greta Van Fleet that people who like Greta Van Fleet will come across the comparison made to Led Zep and they will then, hopefully, look into Zeppelin. Greta Van Fleet have loads of teenage girl fans who probably have never heard of Led Zeppelin, so if they listen to them because of Greta Van Fleet then surely Greta Van Fleet are doing them a favour!

If it was Dea Matrona being compared to other bands, we would say, bring it on. We want to be told we sound like Led Zeppelin or any of the other bands that influence us.

Let’s not forget, Zeppelin had influences. The Eagles were influenced by Crosby, Stills and Nash. You can hear different sounds and influences through the generations of music and that’s a natural thing. It’s not like Led Zeppelin haven’t been influenced – sure Led Zeppelin I (the album) is full of covers and Stairway To Heaven is arguably a rip-off. Music circulates, it’s as simple as that.

AMcG: Where does the style come from and how do you actually get hold of your fashion in today’s Kardashian-led market?

Orláith: We take our inspiration from the music we follow and the style of the late ‘60s and the ‘70s. We go to vintage shops, second-hand shops and some online sites to find the stuff we wear. Anything vintage. It’s enjoyable looking for the stuff. You need to know where to look but it’s out there to be found. There’s some good shops in Belfast, like Octopus’ Garden or there’s an App called Depop which is very good for finding fashion.

AMcG: The size of the band, will it stay as a three-piece? The reason I ask is because I’m mindful of what record companies or managers might want or expect may differ from what you have.

Mollie: It was always our intention to find a drummer and we have been able to do that with Mamie. We have always thought, well, if we can expand the band then why not. The problem is finding like-minded musicians. If it means that the sound is bigger, then we would be open to adding to the band. We would like the band dynamic like Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. If we could find someone to fit, we would be open to it.

Orláith: We love a big sounding band so that is what would be after for ourselves.It’s been hard finding the people here. Mollie and I play bass and we also play guitar, so maybe to have a bass player that would allow us both to play guitar. We like the Fleetwood Mac dynamic of a mixed band and multi-instrumentalists. We are fine with an all-female band but we would be open to a mixed band, of course.

AMcG: Tell me about the experience of putting out the EP Away from The Tide. Is it easier for young bands like Dea Matrona to do that these days with the access to the world via social media?

Mollie: It’s a lot easier to get music out there than it would have been before social media. We recorded our songs and produced the EP. It was produced in our garage which was handy for us. It’s my dad’s garage and he uses the space for his band, Finn McGinn and The Mudguards which is a six-piece band, so the space is big and everything we need is there for us.

Orláith: It’s very easy these days to record, produce and get the music up online. We have a real luxury of being able to do that and put the music online and not have to go through a label to get heard. It’s also cheap to do it and that helps.

AMcG: Has there been any record label interest on the back of the EP?

Orláith: We are just at a stage of wanting to get our sound out there and that’s what we are achieving. If anyone is interested, that’s good, but it’s not something we are worried about or thinking about. We are not going to compromise our sound or allow ourselves to be put into a box just to get signed. We love doing what we do too much to allow that to happen.

Mollie: Getting signed is not the goal for us. If that was to happen, great, but it’s not the goal. We are just happy to be playing and performing and making music … making good music is the goal. If you can make a living from making music and performing, sure that’s all that matters.

AMcG: Where do you see Dea Matrona being this time next year?

Orláith: Oh! I guess, doing what we are doing now but stepping it up a level. We are always looking to progress.

Mollie: Well, the next step for us is a new single coming out on November 22, that’s a blog exclusive for you! It’s called Hard On Yourself, so you heard it here first!

Orláith: We are just at a stage of wanting to get our sound out there and that’s what we are achieving. If anyone is interested, that’s good but it’s not something we are worried about. We are not going to compromise our sound or allow ourselves to be put into a box just to get signed. We love doing what we do.

Dea Matrona released their latest single Hard On Yourself, on November 22.

Footnote: Dea Matrona comes from Celtic mythology and can also mean ‘Divine Mother Goddess’.

Dea Matrona – LIVE AT LOVE & DEATH – BELFAST