Cardinals

On 14 July 2026 the Cardinals arrive at Largo Venue in Rome with Masquerade, the debut they are taking on tour. Born in north Cork, brothers Euan and Finn Manning, their cousin Darragh and school friends Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley have built a sound defined by contrasts: light and darkness, hope and disillusion, delicacy and tension. In concert this equilibrium translates into a set that alternates intimate ballads with sudden surges, where dense guitars, tight rhythms and melodic openings push and pull without losing cohesion.

Masquerade, recorded at RAK Studios in London, preserves an imperfect yet direct aesthetic, leaving space for breaths, silences and shifts of mood. The songwriting blends indie rock and shards of post‑punk with shoegaze nuances, touches of Irish folk and darker hues, while the accordion remains a recurring presence that signs the band’s character. Between symbolism, religious references and observations on the present, the songs move between exposed vulnerability and rougher eruptions, delivering live a narrative that stays open and immediate. In Rome, the Cardinals will make it the unifying thread of a show designed to walk the line between intimacy and impact.