Seeing Inhaler live is a reminder of why you fell in love with live music — no flashy gimmicks, just the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll alive and kicking. Their stop in Indianapolis at Hi-Fi Annex on the Open Wide North American Tour had the crowd fully immersed in the excitement of live music. When a concert draws people from every generation, from kids in Doc Martens to adults in faded band tees, you know it’s gonna be a good one.
Four school friends, Elijah Hewson (vocals), Robert Keating (bass), Ryan McMahon (drums), and Josh Jenkinson (bass), started jamming together in Dublin in 2012. This is where Inhaler got its start. They have since put out three studio albums, the first of which debuted at No.1 in both Ireland and the UK. They’ve managed to create a sound that truly feels new, and they’re among the tightest indie-rock bands available.
September 24 was one for the books. Everything just worked. The atmosphere was flawless, and the audience? I would honestly believe that they wrote the songs themselves if I didn’t know any different. You could tell they weren’t playing around as soon as the opening note of “Open Wide” began to play. To be honest, there isn’t a better song to kick off the show. To put it simply, it gives me the same serotonin boost that I get when I hear “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” in the Breakfast Club. They followed up with “Love Will Get You There,” a fan favorite of their second LP, Cuts & Bruises (2023).
Then came “Totally” and “Eddie In The Darkness,” two tracks that kicked the energy into high gear. As a first-timer at an Inhaler show, I’ll admit I’ve had “Totally” on repeat ever since. A band can win me over with many things, but a well-timed nod to One Direction? That always catches my attention and is the perfect way to ease into “Little Things” from their latest album, which was released earlier this year. They dialed it back with “My King Will Be Kind,” but the energy never dropped. Screaming “I fucking hate that bitch” with a bunch of strangers on a Wednesday night has a strangely healing effect. Who needs therapy?
“Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)” and “Cheer Up Baby,” two catchy songs that had the audience dancing as if there was no tomorrow, transformed the venue into a dance floor once more. Inhaler dominated the encore with “My Honest Face,” “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” and “Your House” as the night was coming to a close. Guitar-driven tracks are so back, and Inhaler is flying the flag with confidence: rock is exactly where it belongs, front and center.
Setlist:
1. Open Wide
2. Love Will Get You There
3. Totally
4. Eddie In The Darkness
5. Little Things
6. Who’s Your Money On
7. My King Will Be Kind
8. X-Ray
9. Dublin in Ecstasy
10. Just To Keep You Satisfied
11. Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)
12. Cheer Up Baby
13. My Honest Face
14. It Won’t Always Be Like This
15. Your House
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