Best of Budapest & Hungary

Irish rock duo Dea Matrona will return to Budapest next spring, this time for their very first headline concert in the city. Mollie McGinn and Orláith Forsythe will take the stage at Turbina Cultural Centre on March 7, just months after introducing themselves to Hungarian audiences as the opening act on Sting's 3.0 Tour.

    Dea Matrona's story began under unlikely circumstances. The two vocalists and multi-instrumentalists first met as teenagers while competing against each other in an Irish language singing competition. The rivalry quickly turned into friendship, and soon they were busking together on the streets of Belfast, marking the beginning of a musical partnership that has now lasted nearly a decade.

    The band's rise has been fuelled by an uncompromising DIY attitude. They spent years honing their sound through live performances, building a loyal fanbase while self-funding their own releases. Their 2024 debut album, For Your Sins, reached No. 1 on the Independent Breakers Chart, received airplay on BBC Radio 1, took them to Glastonbury, and saw them supporting artists including Canadian rock favourites The Beaches and, more recently, Sting on his European tour.

    The duo's second album, Hate That I Care, was released via AWAL on June 5, showcasing a more personal and bolder sound than its predecessor. The record explores the personal and political experiences that have shaped them both as musicians and as young women, touching on themes of female identity, empowerment and the feeling of being an outsider from an Irish perspective.

    As Mollie McGinn explains: "We're excited to release this album. We feel like it's more ourselves and it's more aware of the world around us, how we fit into it, and we're being more bold with what we want to say."

    While their music carries a strong sense of nostalgia, echoing the timeless songwriting of bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Cranberries, their lyrics are firmly rooted in the present. Much of their material is written and recorded together in the back of the van they tour in, transforming feelings of imposter syndrome and frustration with the world around them into energetic, swaggering rock songs.

    The joy they find in creating music together is perhaps best captured by the closing track of the new album, Told U I'm Strange. The carefree anthem grew out of a spontaneous improvisation session. As Orláith Forsythe recalls: "It's funny, because the album starts with Hate That I Care, which is all about caring so much, and it ends with Told U I'm Strange — it's kind of like saying, 'Ha! Joke's on you!'"

    Whatever life throws at them, Mollie McGinn believes their friendship can be summed up in one sentence: "We're just strange and having a lot of fun!"

    That same spirit shines through in Dea Matrona's live shows, and Budapest audiences will get the chance to experience it firsthand on March 7 at Turbina Cultural Centre.

    Tickets go on sale on July 3 at 10:00 AM.