NEWDAD + CARDINALS – CHALK, BRIGHTON 26.10.25
NewDad are the latest in Ireland’s post-Fontaines D.C. wave of breakout bands. The quartet of Julie Dawson (vocals, guitar), Fiachra Parlow (drums), Sean O’Dowd (guitar), and touring bassist Marie Freiss are a far cry from the post-punk typically associated with Ireland. Instead, they carve out their own brand of dream noise that takes as much from industrial as it does from Mazzy Star. Intimate yet spacious, they sound like hearing a half-familiar indie rock song in the bathroom of a house party. They’re comparable to fellow Chalk alumni Alvvays and shoegaze icons Wisp – all masking the realities of their lyrics beneath shimmering dream textures.
Along with peers Just Mustard, and tonight’s support Cardinals, they champion a Southern Irish scene that blends traditional Irish folk with the influences of their parents’ record collection.
Cardinals are comprised of Euan Manning (vocals), Oskar Gudinovic (guitar), Aaron Hurley (bass), Finn Manning (accordion), and Darragh Manning (drums) – 2 brothers, a cousin and friends. Cardinals further cement NewDad’s proof that Ireland’s music scene isn’t exclusive to Dublin. Blending 90s college-radio influence with Irish traditionalism popularised by Mary Wallopers, they create a pop sound that is eminently forward-facing but still rooted in their cultural identity. Cardinals land closest to The Cranberries or Modern Baseball. As they say, “We write pop songs and put noise over it.” This is their 2nd show in Brighton in less than a month, having headlined Patterns in September.
A crowd composed mostly of trendy 20-somethings and a select few parental outliers fills the room early. It suggests tonight may be more of a double headliner than billed, as Cardinals arrive to an audience surprisingly full for a support.
Cardinals take the stage to abrupt guitar feedback – announcing themselves with no words. After opener ‘Twist And Turn,’ Manning introduces: “How’s it going, we’re Cardinals from Cork City.” Lyrics of love gone wrong pierce through songs from their forthcoming debut album titled ‘Masquerade,’ fuelled by frontman Euan Manning’s Midwest-emo-indebted voice. The album is set to drop on 13th February 2026 – pre-order HERE.
Finn Manning on accordion proves that the traditionalism is more than a gimmick; it never overpowers tracks but supports them. Unfortunately, this is drowned out by a crowd still engaged in conversations, especially during understated ‘Roseland.’ In spite of this, the band seems genuinely humble, even inviting a blatantly restless audience to come say hello post-show, even if they aren’t buying a shirt. This picks up the mood before Cardinals’ true highlight comes in closer ‘If I Could Make You Care’ – a moment of resignation to heartbreak that sounds like your heart getting utterly shattered. A poisoned slow-burn romance – “Nothing beats the thrill of loving you/ I love you” – channels the same melodrama deployed during early heartbreaks. Its elements of folk and industrial clash into what should be a dissonant imitation of Fontaines’ cut ‘The Couple Across The Way’ but instead feels entirely new. Intimate and industrial, the conclusion dizzily erupts in a way that sounds like finally crying. It’s an apt closer, despite not entirely winning over a crowd impatient to worship at NewDad’s altar.
Cardinals:
Euan Manning – vocals
Oskar Gudinovic – guitar
Aaron Hurley – bass
Finn Manning – accordion
Darragh Manning – drums
Cardinals setlist:
‘Twist And Turn’ (from 2024 ‘Cardinals’ EP)
‘St Agnes’ (from forthcoming ‘Masquerade’ album)
‘Masquerade’ (a 2025 single from forthcoming ‘Masquerade’ album)
‘Roseland’ (a 2023 single)
‘Barbed Wire’ (from forthcoming ‘Masquerade’ album)
‘Over At Last’ (from forthcoming ‘Masquerade’ album)
‘Lost And Found’ (a 2024 single)
‘The Burning Of Cork’ (from forthcoming ‘Masquerade’ album)
‘Big Empty Heart’ (a 2025 single)
‘If I Could Make You Care’ (from 2024 ‘Cardinals’ EP)
Glitchy and shimmering 8-bit synths of ‘Other Side’ signal the start of the NewDad set as Dawson arrives solo to a room still gradually filling. Her delicate vocals float through, immediately compelling the congregation to pay attention to tonight’s sermon. The band joins, layering harmonies over a sparse sound. Our preacher has arrived at the altar – next track ‘Heavyweight’ ups the ante with its Interpol-esque bass highlighting a tight rhythm section anchored by touring member Marie Freiss, who will hopefully be baptised as an official member following this tour.
Our third track of tonight is ‘Entertainer’, adopting a drum fill reminiscent of Bloc Party’s ‘Banquet’ that never truly bursts into the barrage of the track. Instead, the rage of Dawson’s lyrics remains muted below dreamy textures, with pounding drums and an earworm of a modulated guitar line.
Dawson’s first words – “How we feeling Brighton?” – arrive during ‘Sickly Sweet,’ a track that feels like a Cranberries homage held by Dawson’s voice spitting out confusion around a push-pull relationship. Unanchored from the guitar, Dawson restlessly darts around the stage as the song builds around lyrics that feel like we’re listening to a friend rant in their bedroom, and guitars ripped straight from a Klaxons record – at once frustrated and impatient.
The only sign of crowd approval is steady head-nodding – the deeper the nod, the better the track is received by a crowd too cool to dance and too reserved to open up pits. Regardless, the band is clearly having fun despite somber songs and a slightly tepid response from an audience that’s more Sunday service than receptive.
Fortunately, ‘Nightmares’ rectifies this – anchored by a heavy industrial bass and a truly catchy hook of “To dream of you is unfair” – a desperate cry to forget someone. It swells with 90s swagger, with Parlow and O’Dowd’s guitar tones echoing Dawson’s pleading vocals. “Please make some noise for Cardinals. We feel lucky to share the stage with them” Dawson states – a band grateful for the strength of Ireland’s music scene.
Mid-set, although confident in sound, NewDad struggles to stretch to a full set. ‘Let Go’ is reverbed and echoed to an inch of its life. The refrain of “You can let go” is repeated like an angel-of-death nurse claiming their next victim. It’s a low point of consecutive tracks when ‘Everything I Wanted’ and ‘Mr Cold Embrace,’ the latter is especially ironic given the cold reception from the crowd, as conversations take precedence over a song introduced as “About missing home.”
The energy fortunately returns, and breakout 2020 track ‘Blue’ gets its turn – a track introduced as “A very old one.” It’s easy to see why this track garnered buzz, with its The XX-inflected groove and lines like “While you were making up your mind/I lost mine” get the closest to a singalong, equal parts catchy and somber.
“This is our biggest headline in Brighton!” Dawson states, visibly humbled by tonight’s turnout.
“This song is one of the freakier ones on the album. Let’s get freaky,” introducing ‘Misery’ – the night’s heaviest moment, most industrial track with fuzzy guitar tones, paired with syncopated drums slicing through Chalk – a genuinely mosh-pit-worthy track. Main set closer ‘Sinking Kind Of Misery’ is defined by its distorted bass. It ends tonight’s main set on a downbeat note of homesickness, leaving the room wanting more.
NewDad leaves with a small “Thank you.” The crowd cheers and hollers, with chants of “One more song” drowning out the synth. Yet, the lights remain off – there’s still more to come.
Returning for a two-song encore, Dawson quips, “It’s two more songs.” ‘Angel’ – a highlight of 2024 record ‘Madra’ – holds lyrics of unworthiness and mental health in “You can swim around/but I don’t want you to drown inside me” that ascends into a grunge release that finally gets people jumping. Finale ‘Roobosh’ is thunderously cathartic, mixing The XX with PJ Harvey, finally releasing the anger hinted at all night. “Hate that every day’s the same….” captures a restless spirit. Hands rise and stay there. The shrieks of “Hate” and “God” punctuate breathy vocals with an exclamation mark – endless applause follows at its conclusion; a much-needed catharsis.
Despite a few shaky moments, tonight’s all-Irish billing proves one thing: Ireland has more than just a post-punk scene in Dublin. Whilst indebted to the same 90s influences as Fontaines D.C., NewDad forge their own path that lands at the sweet spot between Alvvays and fellow Irish stalwarts Just Mustard. Whilst their sound can blur together at times, their dream noise is near flawless. NewDad are here to provide the catharsis of Catholic confession – It’s hard to resist conversion.
NewDad:
Julie Dawson – vocals, guitar
Fiachra Parlow – drums
Sean O’Dowd – guitar
Marie Freiss – bass
NewDad setlist:
‘Other Side’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Heavyweight’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Entertainer’ (from 2025 ‘Safe’ EP)
‘Sickly Sweet’ (from 2024 ‘Madra’ album)
‘Pretty’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Nightmares’ (from 2024 ‘Madra’ album)
‘Something’s Broken’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Let Go’ (from 2024 ‘Madra’ album)
‘Puzzle’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Everything I Wanted’ (a 2025 single)
‘Mr Cold Embrace’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Blue’ (from 2021 ‘Waves’ EP)
‘Misery’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Sinking Kind Of Feeling’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
‘Angel’ (from 2024 ‘Madra’ album)
‘Roobosh’ (from 2025 ‘Altar’ album)
