Review: Inhaler's breathtaking show at Victoria…

Review: Inhaler's breathtaking show at Victoria Warehouse

With an asthmatic daughter we're used to using the word inhaler in our house.

But thanks to the Dublin quartet named after those little plastic relievers, these days we're hearing it a whole lot more.

And it's not just the name we're hearing, or indeed how 'fit' all four band members are, but it's their songs - over and over again.

If it wasn't for my 14-year-old I probably wouldn't even know who they are.

But thanks to her I know a fair bit about them. Mainly that frontman Elijah Hewson is the son of Paul Hewson, better known as U2's lead singer Bono; that they met at school; and that the band's name stems from Eli having asthma and his band initially being jokingly referred to as 'the inhalers'.

What I didn't realise was quite what a fan base these guys have drummed up over recent years. So much so that Friday night's gig at Trafford's Victoria Warehouse was a sell-out - and the audience was very excited to see them.

The screams that erupt when they take to the stage with These Are The Days transports me right back to early Take That days, with girls clambering over each other to get a glimpse of the boys.

It might well be a different genre of music, but the indie-rock band is having the same effect.

Frontman Eli has become something of a heartthrob, but despite that - and the family connection he prefers to play down - there doesn't appear to be a big ego up there on stage.

They say very little throughout the show, only really acknowledging how pleased they are to be back in Manchester.

Whether it's a case of let the music do the talking, or knowing that us Mancs aren't always the best at deciphering the Irish accent, it means we get to hear more than an hour of almost back-to-back tunes that have catapulted them to fame.

The crowd jumps up and down through many of their tracks, including the favourites Dublin In Ecstasy, Love Will Get You There and Cheer Up Baby. It's a sleek, polished and seemingly effortless performance.

Inhaler's frontman Elijah Hewson (Mirko Fava/Tsck/LPS via ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

At times it feels a bit like a one-man show, with the other three - bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon - taking somewhat of a backseat to Eli, whose soaring vocals and endless energy make for a mesmerising performance.

But moments like Josh's guitar solo in It Won’t Always Be Like This gives the others a chance to shine.

Considering their first album wasn't released until 2021, with their second, Cuts & Bruises following in February this year, they're already a pretty big deal.

They've supported Artic Monkeys on tour and will soon be supporting Harry Styles when he takes his tour to Slane Castle in Ireland in next month.

With the audience already at fever pitch on Friday night, the removal of Eli's jacket for the encore takes things to another level.

"He's got his muscles out, they're gonna go crazy now," says one woman, and right on cue, the young girl standing next to me and filming every second of Just To Keep You Satisfied, screams into her phone with the loudest and most extended 'OHHHHH MYYYYY GODDDDD' I've ever heard.

It Won't Always Be Like This boys, but I have a funny feeling that things are only going to get bigger and better. Those arenas are calling.

Setlist

These Are The Days

We Have To Move On

Totally

So Far So Good

When It Breaks

My King Will Be Kind

Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)

Valentine

The Things I Do

Dublin in Ecstasy