The duo Dea Matrona, which started out on the streets of Belfast, will perform this weekend at the Bilbao Arena as part of the BBK Legends Bilbao festival. The band will present their second album, Hate That I Care, described as "more personal, more honest, and more aware of the world around us."
The group, currently fronted by Mollie McGinn and Orláith Forsythe, began playing in Belfast's streets at ages 16 and 17. While they initially performed covers, they gradually started creating their own songs, leading to the formation of Dea Matrona. For years, they even performed up to seven concerts daily at parties and local pubs before deciding to focus on their original material.
After performing at the Glastonbury festival and alongside artists like The Corrs, Bryan Adams, and The Darkness, Dea Matrona returns to Bilbao as part of a European tour. Their new album, Hate That I Care, is more elegant, sophisticated, and darker, yet it retains their passion for classic rock, bridging the gap between the soft rock of Fleetwood Mac and the hard rock of Led Zeppelin.
The album, entirely composed, produced, and recorded by McGinn and Forsythe, offers greater darkness, introspection, and more personal lyrics. It features a more refined sound with less blues-rock influence. Tracks like Hate That I Care, Aisling, and Magic Spell blend gothic darkness with 90s alternative rock. Wait has a feel similar to their debut, while the single My Own Party has a distinct pop and soft rock touch.
The album also reflects their passion for Americana in A Rebel Song, the most political track. Mollie McGinn explains that she wrote "Hate That I Care" for herself, reflecting the exhaustion of masking emotions. For Orláith Forsythe, this second album better defines what Dea Matrona is, both personally and musically.
Dea Matrona will open the main stage at Legends on Friday, the 26th. They will be followed by Cracker and Chris Isaak. On Saturday the 27th, Graveyard will kick off the day, followed by BEAT, and closing the festival will be Tom Morello.
