Irish rock band Cardinals find themselves at an awkward juncture between past and present. During a gig at London's Moth Club last year, frontman Euan Manning prepared to launch into their song "The Burning of Cork" only to spot a portrait of Winston Churchill backstage, surrounded by British army memorabilia. "Some guy in the crowd was like, 'Whoop!'" recalls his brother and band accordionist, Finn Manning, with a groan. "Poor English kid," Euan murmurs. It was, as they note, a spectacular failure to read the room.
Forging a Sound and a Vision
Despite such moments, Cardinals are firmly positioned at the forefront of Ireland's current cultural surge. Championed by the likes of Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten, the Cork-formed band is poised to release its debut album, 'Masquerade' on 13 February. The record is a smart and bold exploration of faith, identity, love, and brutality. "We would have preferred to release fewer singles, to be honest, and leave a little more mystery there," Euan states drily. "But the industry has its say as well."
The band's origins trace back to Euan's teenage years with school friends Oskar and Aaron, and cousin Darragh. Finn, meanwhile, was at college in Galway playing in other groups. Upon his return, Cardinals had become a serious endeavour. "I think I was the manager for one night after three pints," Finn jokes. He was later formally enlisted to write an accordion part for what became their early single, "Roseland".
Finn's accordion playing is far from traditional. After childhood lessons, he abandoned the instrument for guitar, only to return with a mission to translate rock sounds onto it. This innovation is clear in the clamorous opening of "Over at Last" and the frantic, thrashy energy of "Anhedonia". "We're conscious not to try and have the accordion front and centre, because it does have a very distinct sound," Finn explains. "I think there's a wrong way to go about using one where you can butcher it."
Themes of Faith, History and Artistic Influence
Euan's artistic influences are as much literary and historical as musical. The song "St Agnes" takes its name from a stained glass work by Irish artist Harry Clarke. His conversational, Chekhovian songwriting is informed by writers like Frank O'Connor and Kevin Barry, as well as films such as Mike Leigh's Naked. The Nick Cave-esque murder ballad tone of "Anhedonia" was sparked by a violent incident Euan witnessed. "You've got to be brave to go that far and make it work," he says of Cave's influence. "A lot of people could try to write something as brash and violent as 'Stagger Lee', but they'd probably fail."
Themes of faith, worship, and guilt permeate the album like light through stained glass. Both brothers were raised Catholic, but their father stopped taking them to mass after the publication of the Murphy Report, which detailed the sexual abuse scandal in the Dublin archdiocese. "It really shocked my dad," Finn says. "He still gets angry about it, about the power the church abused over the world but especially in Ireland."
Confronting the Past in "The Burning of Cork"
A different, more historical anger fuels "The Burning of Cork". Finn's cacophonous, jangling accordion reminded Euan of the piano on The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog". Initially, Euan feared the song was too heavy for the record. "The first time we played it, I was like, 'Shut it down'," he admits. "But the more we played it, we got comfortable with the idea of it being one that sticks out."
The song's power is rooted in tangible history, as Cork's architecture still bears the scars of the destruction wrought by British forces in 1920. "It's really shocking to think that could have gone on in your city," Euan says, drawing a parallel, as many Irish artists have, to contemporary conflicts like Gaza. The song's ambiguous lyrics—"We get the sentiment/ As you brought a city built and burnt"—leave a strong, lasting impression.
With 'Masquerade' set for release and a UK and Ireland tour starting 5 March, Cardinals are ready to make their definitive mark, blending personal history, artistic ambition, and a clear-eyed look at the past into a compelling musical force.
