NYC Summer Music Guide
from An Saoránach
A number of Irish musical acts are touring the United States this summer and will be passing through New York in the coming weeks…keep reading to see who An Saoránach is most excited to see and what we’ve been listening to!
Cardinals
Post-punk, trad, shoegaze
Instagram: @cardinalsband_
Shows:
Friday, May 8th at Main Drag Music (Williamsburg) - sold out
Sunday, May 10th at Rough Trade Below (Manhattan) - tickets
Tues, May 19th at 66Greene (Manhattan) - tickets
…also playing Los Angeles (May 12), Seattle (May 14), and Salt Lake City (May 15)
Listen: Masquerade (Masquerade, 2026); Unreal (Cardinals EP, 2024)
The Scratch
Heavy metal, trad
Instagram: @thescratchmusic
Shows:
Saturday, May 9th at Racket (Manhattan) - tickets
Full US/Canada tour dates here
Listen: Cracks (Pull Like a Dog, 2026); Another Round (Another Round, 2022)
Cailín Lofa
Electronic, jungle, dub, bass, dance
Instagram: @cailinlofa
Shows:
Monday, May 11th at Berlin - FREE
Listen: Bog do chorp
From the artist: Cailín Lofa are a performance duo made up of Puisiin (Lily Ní Néill) and Niamh Chinn Whóir (Caelinn Ní Bhrion). The pair hail from Dublin but met in NYC, and bonded over their shared love of the Irish language and nightlife. Cailín Lofa is about bridging the gap between the Irish language and club culture. Through their performance they recontextualise the language through the lens of female sexuality, queerness and youth culture. Speaking sexy Irish is a disruption of the imperialist status quo - come disrupt with Cailín Lofa!
CMAT
Country pop, Indie pop
Instagram: @cmatbaby
Shows:
Thursday, May 14th at Brooklyn Paramount (Downtown Brooklyn) - tickets
Friday, May 15th at Brooklyn Steel (Williamsburg) - tickets
…also playing Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston.
Listen: EURO-COUNTRY (EURO-COUNTRY, 2025); I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! (If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, 2022)
Just Mustard
Post-punk, noise, shoegaze
Instagram: @justmustard
Shows:
Tuesday, May 26th at Bowery Ballroom (Manhattan) - tickets
Full US/Canada tour dates here
Listen: WE WERE JUST HERE (WE WERE JUST HERE, 2025); Boo and Deaf (Wednesday, 2018)
Dove Ellis
Indie folk, singer-songwriter
Instagram: @doveellis_
Shows:
Saturday, May 30th at Bowery Ballroom (Manhattan) - sold out
Sunday, May 31st (fundraiser show for @warchilduk) at Bowery Ballroom (Manhattan) - sold out
…also playing Los Angeles (May 27 & 28)
Listen: Love Is, When You Tie Your Hair Up, & Jaundice (Blizzard, 2025)