Live Report: Cardinals deliver a propulsive and moody set at Rankin's Wood

Cork rockers Cardinals started off their Rankin's wood set with an intimate crew of die hard barrier fans, before luring a sizeable audience in, baiting them with their melodic take on rock n roll.

With devil may care swagger, Cardinals dealt an effortlessly cool yet high octane set, with one of the key novelties of the group being the addition of an accordion player.

A nod to the Pogues stylistically, Finn Manning's use of the instrument provides a rich timbre to the bands line up, and features heavily on the group's debut LP Cardinals.

One of the band's exemplary genre traipsing tracks, 'If I Could Make You Care', proved to be a set highlight, with lead singer and frontman Euan Manning infusing the track with lovesick melody.

Cardinals at Electric Picnic 2024. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The Cork crew are definitely more melody orientated than their Dublin post punk contemporaries, but that doesn't mean that they are unable to deal a heavy set when it's required, and it would be hard to imagine any rock n rollers leaving dissatisfied.

The was a short lived lull, a necessary pause before Cardinals launched full throttle into the compelling rendition of their single 'Nineteen', which was met with head banging from the audience.

Cardinals at Electric Picnic 2024. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The last tune of the Rankin's Wood gig was the desperately romantic 'Roseland', an earnest and almost brassy end to the run.

With a Ramones-esque combination of warmth and pounding rock guitars, 'Roseland' was absorbed by the tent- which basked in the tune's heartfelt charm.

It's with this single where the group's pop inclinations can be heard, and it's the perfecter closer to a set where the band showed their rock music chops.