The Beaches w/ Dea Matrona – O2 Ritz Manchester: Live Review

By Micha Thompson on 13th February 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

Canadian rockers The Beaches kick off the UK leg of their European tour in Manchester with support from Belfast rockers, Dea Matrona.

All live photography by Dominic Walsh.

DEA MATRONA

Hailing from Belfast, support act Dea Matrona have the crowd mesmerised from the off. Entering with a dark blue wash over the stage and Enya’s Boadicea playing (the instrumental sample The Fugees built Ready Or Not on), it’s clear they have plenty of fans in attendance..

The set begins with Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn walking on stage with their guitars, embodying female power which links to their band name meaning ‘Divine Mother’ in Irish. Red Button had the crowd hooked from the powerful vocals to the infectious rock energy that the band brought to the stage.

“Hello Manchester, we’re so excited to be here supporting The Beaches, we love them so much. We came all the way from Ireland to be here!”

The next song, introduced by Orláith, is set up; “This next song is about falling for a witch, do we have any witches here tonight?”… Magic Spell then plays out, filling the venue with a dark vibe and purple lighting. The bass shines through the track, adding a brilliant layer of depth.

Orláith and Mollie remain on stage, stripping things back for an intimate acoustic performance of Glory Glory. The pair tell the story of how they met while doing a talent competition and how they’ve been creating music together ever since. The guitar was intricately finger-picked, each note ringing clear. As the song unfolds, Mollie adds soft harmonies, the two voices weaving together into a beautifully delicate duet.

In their thirty minutes or so, they deliver a class of performance that could easily be headlining rooms like this one. Their presence is commanding, and their chemistry; infectious. They draw influences from classic rock like Fleetwood Mac, but it’s hard not to see similarities with modern day groups like Larkin Poe.

THE BEACHES

Following the release of their latest album, No Hard Feelings, The Beaches kick off their show energetically. Last Girls at the Party has fans jumped in unison and shouting every lyric back at the stage.

Me & Me is preceded by Jordan Miller sharing her joy at being newly single. The story is enhanced as Miller shares an anecdote that she became single after an Oasis concert last year; obviously, it’s an story that holds weight in the hometown of the Gallaghers!

Cigarette followed shortly after, accompanied by luminous red lighting. The tune opens with a voice recording of a phone call, similar to one that played in the intro to the set, which then reoccurs in multiple songs. The guitar part particularly stood out in this song, with Kylie Miller’s outstanding guitar skills spotlighted in her solo.

Did I Say Too Much was a highlight of the night, introducing the track by asking a fan to come on stage and share an embarrassing story. After this, The Beaches dedicated the song to the fan. The floor was shaking from the sheer amount of people jumping in the crowd on the Ritz’ famous sprung floor.

“You guys are such a beautiful crowd” comments drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel. Paranoid taken from 2023’s Blame My Ex then begins to fill the venue and the crowd began to wave their arms to the music. Paranoid has a slower-pace and allows a break for the fans to catch their breath

LESBIAN OF THE YEAR

Leandra Earl takes to the mic to give a backstory to the iconic track, Lesbian Of The Year. While a keyboard was brought on stage for a stripped back moment, Leandra connects with the fans. She talks of her experience with coming out at 25 years old and how writing the song has helped others to come out to their families. On stage for this song was just Leandra (guitarist) and Jordan Miller (vocalist), creating a personal connection between them and the crowd. Mobiles rise and suddenly the whole venue is a sea of torchlight, heightening the emotional impact of the song. Jordan took on a lower vocal range and every lyric was sung with pure passion.

“Heavy from the pressure, they all know my story
Wish I had the answer for a friend of Dorothy
Lesbian of the Year
How the hell did I get here?”

JOCELYN

The vibe switches again with Jocelyn, where Jordan (wearing a JOCELYN sash) searches the crowd to crown a fan ‘Jocelyn’. The track is upbeat and light hearted and instantly got fans back in the mood for a dance.

The final song before the encore was Blame Brett.. They had the crowd screaming at the very first note. By the end of the song, there was not a single person who wasn’t shouting, “But don’t blame me blame Brett, blame my ex, blame my ex, blame my ex!” The crowd was in complete unison.

I Wore You Better ignites the room for the encore. Sorry For Your Loss and one last dance to Last Girls at the Party closes things. Bathed in a wash of orange light, the crowd sway as the final notes ring out across the venue.

The Beaches brought their Canadian spark to Manchester and left a lasting impression. The Beaches have the remainder of their UK and EU tour left and will then support Louis Tomlinson’s North American leg of his tour in June. You can view all of The Beaches’ tour dates here.

Check out an extended video of The Beaches’ hometown show in 2025, below.