inhaler live in glasgow

By Chiara Beaton

Let’s just say…

…the night did not commence swimmingly. The already frustrating journey to Glasgow was exacerbated from delayed buses and missed connections. Frantic messages exchanged between family and friends with worry of not arriving in time, led me to think I really should learn how to drive. 

Thankfully, I saw the Dublin based four-piece, Inhaler, that very night.  Funnily, friends and family asked me who Inhaler was before attending the gig, and my response was always met with peak interest: “the lead singer is Bono’s son?”. This surprise demands they deserve to be separated entirely from the notable father’s work within U2, to break free from the umbrella of association and build a musical reputation within the industry for themselves. As a standalone band, they have managed to secure impressive supporting slots with the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Sam Fender, which provides a basis for this ambition. 

I avoided listening to Stone’s work because I wanted to be surprised by the opening act. What was a very animated performance shouldn’t distract from Stone blatantly complimenting each other's skill set incredibly well. The Stone’s dynamic was visibly tight and musicianship was of note through maintaining a cohesive quality of output whilst jumping about crazily on set. Annoyingly, their mixing and sound tech let them down slightly, as listening to their recorded discography after the show allowed me to fully bask in the angst of their music, whereas live, there was excessive fuzz on both guitar and bass that distracted from their melodies and words. The lyrics had obvious inspiration from punk influences, but, more importantly, the band has great potential to go places as their energy was infectious and managed to energise the crowd - the very goal of a support act. 

When the Irish quartet appeared, the lighting mimicked the band’s themes: red lights highlighting angst and blue lights supporting an underlying sorrow. The track ‘We Have to Move On’ holds a special place in my heart, and to feel the passion live with the crowd was unbeatable. Pedal effects have been notably personalised and the guitars of Josh Jenkinson and Elijah Hewson, sounded much more complementary relative to their studio recordings, which was thoroughly enjoyable in the acoustics of the O2 Academy.  ‘When it Breaks’ followed after, with the red pulsating lights mirroring the mosh pits, highlighting the bodies jumping in perfect beat, cascading feelings of vulnerability from relating to the lyrics throughout the crowd. 

The band anticipated what the crowd would desire next, and played groove song, ‘Who’s Your Money On (Plastic House)’, with an addictive strumming pattern but somehow didn’t transcend the backbone hi-hat beat from drummer, Ryan McMahon. The succeeding ‘(Plastic House)’ interlude had the O2 Academy in a standstill, where Hewson’s vocals echoed in an ethereal, trance-like manner, captivating alls attention. The recent release, ‘Love Will Get You There’ premiered at a preceding show, in preparation of the new era to come. It didn’t create a lull in the set, purely from the excitement of many to consume new music, including myself. Upon first listening, I wasn’t enamoured, mainly due to the keyboard, but the live version was a lot cleaner, the bass step-filling chord progression allowing the guitars to experiment with separate picking parts and token catchy strumming patterns.

The loudest cheer definitely was awarded to the performance of ‘My King Will Be Kind’, and quite rightly so. This is one of few songs that features an acoustic guitar, and the opening and closing with the hi hat builds anticipation.  The acoustic rang loud in the venue, and the crowd shared the same power and volume for the expletive lyrics. Keating and Jenkinson’s harmonies provided necessary layering for the build up of each chorus, where the song’s peak chorus buzzed emotions that rang true for much of the crowd.

The Jenkinson appreciation doesn’t stop there as his solo - in the debut album title track ‘It Won’t Always be Like This’ - earned a cheer with a sea of people jumping and screaming lyrics from the barrier right to the back where the bar was.  Bassist Keating definitely deserves more hype for the tones he manages to achieve and the grooves he sets, as personally, I always appreciate a prominent bass line to provide texture and dimension to tracks. Though some may call it a short set, considering their discography, covers, select EPs, and a debut album, they performed a comprehensive setlist that displayed their talents and satisfied the crowd's favourites, and mine too. 

The production did not distract from their musical talent, and it was clear how humble the four were regarding their abilities, perhaps too shy. My friend and I noticed how laid back and effortless the quartet appeared on stage, emphasising how the lapse of touring experience throughout the pandemic, still allows them to perform with naivety. Contesting with the opening bank Stone, who had to be remembered to galvanise attention for their music, Inhaler didn’t require such theatrics for their performance. The night was one to remember and the upcoming album, Cuts & Bruises, is definitely one to watch in 2023.