Cardinal going on 1st-ever tour behind new LP (dates & MP3)

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Cardinal – Love Like Rain (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cardinal – Carbolic Smoke Ball (MP3)

Baroque pop duo Cardinal (Richard Davies and Eric Matthews) released their long-awaited (18 years!) second album, Hymns, earlier this year. Now Cardinal are going on their first-ever tour, six East Coast dates that include a stop at Littlefield on Friday, May 11. It’s an early show (7:30PM) and tickets are on sale now.

Mind you, Eric Matthews doesn’t tour and won’t be doing so for this either. Says Matthews:

“It’s hard for me to contemplate a live version that doesn’t involve eight of me running around playing multiple instruments. Even then, playing live has never really been something that interests me in the way that it does Richard. So, while I will look forward to our intense creative partnership continuing on the recording side, I support the decision to play these songs for our fans, even if I won’t be there on stage to do so.”

In Matthews’ abscence, Davies has assembled a nine-piece band to ably bring Cardinal’s orch-pop to symphonic fruition. If you haven’t checked out Hymns yet, you can download two songs from the album at the top of this post. Picking up where their 1994 debut left off, it’s a little more indie rock and a little less harpsichord and trumpets, but it’s recognizably Cardinal. You can listen to Hymns in its entirety on Spotify, which also has their classic first album as well.

Opening all dates are The Inner Banks who are also part of the Cardinal touring band. The Inner Banks is the new project from Caroline Schuzt who some of you may remember from Folks Songs of the Afterlife. Their new album, Wild, is out in June.

For those who don’t live on the East Coast, Davies promises more Cardinal dates later this year with an even bigger version of the band. All currently announced Cardinal dates are listed below.

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Cardinal – 2012 Tour Dates
May 10th – at Plough and Stars – Boston, MA
May 11th – at Littlefields – Brooklyn, NY
May 12th – at The Flywheel – Easthampton, MA
May 13th – at The Rotunda – Philadelphia, PA
May 14th – at Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
May 15th – at Velvet Lounge – Washington, DC