Live Report: Inhaler's Homecoming at Whelan's

The crowd that huddled together in front of the stage at Whelan's last night was a mixed bag. You've got your fangirls in the first row, but you've also got a lot of middle aged people – leave it to the latter to record every single moment of the concert on their mobile phones. In fairness, they've got plenty to film as Inhaler brought their a-game that night.

"It's good to be back", frontman Eli Hewson says while walking on stage with a beer in his hand. They are in the middle of a big European tour – their own headliner tour, I shall add. It also signifies that they've been here before. Of course, this right here is their home.

Without further ado, Inhaler start with the catchy synthesiser sounds of 'It Won't Always Be Like This', a song that the crowd knows well, as it is one of the few tracks of the set that actually saw a release. "Are you gonna go mental?", Hewson screams - a rhetorical question, of course. There was no warm-up needed and frankly, there was no time for a warm-up anyway with only eight more songs to go.

Although the concert was relatively short, they managed to create different atmospheres with each song. 'I Have To Move On' has the grungy guitars of a Nirvana song while 'This Plastic House' serves for a very intimate vibe with its introverted sound. (I only know the titles of the songs because I had a peek at the setlist, Mister Pat Carty.) Newest single 'Ice Cream Sundae', dedicated to bassist Robert Keating's father who celebrated his birthday last night, even sparks a singalong.

Inhaler at Whelans 27 Sept 2019
© Brenna Ransden

Sure, they don't have an album out yet, but most of the songs will stick with you anyway, which is a testament to Inhaler's excellent songwriting. 'My King Will Be Kind', for example, has that incredibly laconic line "I fucking hate that bitch", shouted out with every fibre of Hewson's body. During the song, he also smashes a guitar solo while hitting every note flawlessly. Impressive.

As usual, they end with 'My Honest Face', another of their previously-released singles and another banger of '80s synths and grungy guitars.

It was a short concert, yes, but a gratifying one nonetheless. Imagine what these guys could do with a complete album! Their debut record might be already in the works as they recently signed a record deal with Polydor Records which always heralds that new music is about to be released. Hurry up, boys!

It was the third time that I saw Inhaler live and it was certainly the best show that I saw from them so far. Given that the first two times were at festivals, last night seemed like homecoming for them. It was apparent that they felt comfortable at Whelan's, like visiting an old friend. The lads bursted with confidence (a healthy kind of confidence, not the arrogant kind). They leave again for the rest of their European Tour but their return to Dublin at the Button Factory in December will definitely be a warm one.