On a sunny bank holiday evening, I headed to the iconic Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, a stalwart of the Birmingham music scene, to see Irish duo Dea Matrona on their first ever headline tour, their debut album ‘For Your Sins,’ very fresh off the press (we’re talking a couple of days old). We enjoyed an unexpectedly strong support performance from Fiona-Lee (the hyphen matters!) whose sound was at times reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. Her emotional first release ‘Mother,’ a harrowing tale of the all too common abuse in the music industry, is available wherever you listen to music. I’m excited to see where she heads, and it set up the night perfectly for our headliners, Mollie and Orláith. 

As the tiny but full upstairs venue at the Hare and Hounds waited with anticipation, the crowd a mixture of a few returners, some newer fans like me and the pub regulars, always up for new sounds, a voice-over of the pair filled the air. Next thing I know, someone is pushing past me and I hear a high and distinctly Irish ‘Sorry!’ turning to see Dea Matrona on their way to the stage. 

A strong opening with ‘Stamp on it’ – its catchy bassline and upbeat tempo are infectious, and it perfectly highlights their strong vocal abilities. I hadn’t been immediately grabbed by some of the songs on the album since its release, but for example, ‘Did Nobody Ever Love You?’ was the perfect hook live, from its opening chords to the funky themes throughout. Particular standouts included ‘So Damn Dangerous’ my first Dea Matrona song and a firm favourite, which did not disappoint live at all. An audience member pointed out an issue with Mollie’s guitar, a touch of mansplaining which they handled well, joking of the headline ‘Dea Matrona does soundcheck mid gig.’ I have to confess that I for one was grateful to hear some of my highlights with the improved sound quality. The Texas-inspired country vibe of ‘Dead Man’s Heart’ exhibited their musical versatility and the guitar riff on ‘Wilderness,’ which I really enjoyed when listening to the album, was even better live. The slower ‘Black Rain,’ another favourite was the perfect showcase of their musical and vocal abilities.  The tunes were effectively combined, with a bit of slightly awkward but endearing chat throughout, some slightly tangent-y anecdotes and lots of laughs. 

Originally a cover band busking on the streets of Belfast, Dea Matrona threw in an impressive Prince cover of ‘Kiss’ and a great rendition of ‘Murder on the Dancefloor.’ Somewhat embarrassingly, I first heard the duo on Instagram performing this catchy number, in dare I say the best cover out there, and to hear it live was great. Although I have to say that I prefer the stripped back, slowed down, harmony-heavy version they recorded previously, and the trendy song may have been somewhat lost on a lot of the slightly older crowd, we certainly enjoyed it! They finished on ‘Red Button’, another strong single, and an encore of ‘Make You My Star’, not a song off the album but one of their earlier releases and a perfect end to a great set, that I only wished could have been longer. They mentioned it a fair few times so I will too: their debut album For Your Sins is out now and is well worth a listen. 

And the joy of small gigs, we stuck around and had a chat to Molly and Orláith after, who were lovely and funny, and if this debut album is anything to go by, will definitely be playing slightly larger venues in the near future! 

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