Cardinals Kicks Off European Tour

 Cork's Cardinals head into summer with momentum firmly behind them as they prepare to kick off a run of European dates, beginning June 6 in Nîmes, France. Their debut album Masquerade, released on 13 February 2026 via So Young Records, is out now.

Masquerade features emotionally expansive songs, some simmering with an undercurrent of violence, cynicism or fervent discontent (Anhedonia, The Burning of Cork, Barbed Wire) and others gleaming with a bright-eyed vulnerability. A vivid first half contrasts a darker second, crafting a record with a clear A-side and B-side — a nod to the band's collective love of vinyl. That tonal shift takes its cue from a variety of expected and unexpected influences, from the brittle honesty of folk to the theatrical melodrama of goth-rock.

Listen to Masquerade here: https://cardinals.lnk.to/Masquerade

A band forged through both family and friendship — brothers Euan and Finn Manning, their cousin Darragh and their former schoolmates Oskar Gudinovic and Aaron Hurley — the five-piece have positioned themselves at the vanguard of the Irish independent rock scene. With Masquerade, they flung off any shackles to craft something entirely their own.

Masquerade is available on all physical formats including a Rough Trade exclusive Galaxy vinyl, retail and artist store variants as well as CD and cassette (exclusively via the band's store).

Songs from the band's self-titled debut EP have also appeared in Netflix drama House of Guinness and EA Sport's popular Skate series.

2025 was a landmark year live — highlights included Fontaines D.C.'s massive Finsbury Park all-dayer, two support slots with Wunderhorse in Dublin, supporting The Pogues in Boston, co-headlining the So Young tour with Mên An Tol, supporting NewDad on their UK dates and closing out the year with a headline tour of their own. Earlier this year, the band completed a full run of UK & Irish headline dates in support of Masquerade in March, and returned to the US in May for Salt Lake City's Kilby Block Party.

Now, Cardinals head to Europe. See the full run of dates below.

Cardinals live:

• 6 June - This is Not a Love Song - Nîmes, France
• 13 June - Les Beaux Jours x Les Soirs Bleus - France
• 14 June - God Save The Kouign - Brittany, France
• 3 July - Rock Werchter - Werchter, Belgium
• 4 July - Les Eurockéennes - Belfort, France
• 10 July - Ravenna, Italy
• 11 July - Lars Rock Fest - Chiusi (SI, Siena), Italy
• 12 July - Pesaro, Italy
• 14 July - Rome, Italy
• 7 August - Haldern Pop Festival - Germany
• 9 August - Mojotic Festival - Italy
• 6 September - 043 Festival - Netherlands
• 27 October 2026 - La Cartonnerie - Reims, France
• 28 October 2026 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France
• 29 October 2026 - Trix Club - Antwerp, Belgium
• 30 October 2026 - London Calling - Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 1 November 2026 - LantarenVenster - Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 3 November 2026 - Frannz Club - Berlin, Germany
• 20 November 2026 - The Button Factory - Dublin, Ireland
• 26 November 2026 - Blind - Istanbul, Turkey