Inhaler at 3Arena: ‘It feels surreal to be here ... we love you so much’

Inhaler

3Arena, Dublin

★★★

Performing successive Olympia Theatre shows last year ahead of playing St James’ Church in Dingle as part of Other Voices may have concluded their 2022, but finishing off the Cuts & Bruises tour with a 3Arena hometown headliner is quite the feat for Inhaler.

Having supported some of the biggest names in the world (Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles included) this year, the time had arrived to retake the spotlight.

Blossoms lead singer Tom Ogden said it best during their special guest set when he described how four “handsome lads” drove themselves to their support slot five years ago, “and look at them now”.

With the stirring support of Irish indie stalwart SOAK and the aforementioned Blossoms with a brilliant string of hits, the stage was expertly warmed up by the time Eli Hewson, Josh Jenkinson, Ryan McMahon and Rob Keating marched on stage to deafening screeches.

Inhaler gig 3Arena Dublin Nov 2023. Photograph: Evan Treacy

Inhaler’s second album Cuts & Bruises landed earlier this year, following their 2021 debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This, which stormed the charts and earned them a hard-core fan base outside of the UK and Ireland.

Rising to such heights at this speed may have been reflected in the set list, which was reasonably short for a 3Arena show at around 15 tracks.

[ Inhaler prepare to gig again: ‘We’ve been ready since March 2020’ ]

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Standouts on the night were the fast-paced swells of anthemic guitar noise from the likes of When It Breaks, Cheer Up Baby and encore track (and should-have-been single Just To Keep You Satisfied), with frontman Eli Hewson’s strong vocals sounding polished and confident.

The crowd reactions were feverish for some older fan favourites, Who’s Your Money On?, My King Will Be Kind, It Won’t Always Be Like This and encore concluder My Honest Face, with the Cuts & Bruises single These Are The Days turning the dial up on the energy levels from the first second as an epic opener.

“It feels surreal to be here. We love you so much Dublin,” Eli Hewson declares to the energised crowd.

Elijah Hewson Inhaler gig 3Arena Dublin Nov 2023. Photograph: Evan Treacy

The set list remained virtually the same as the rest of the tour, which may have surprised some capital city Inhaler heads who might have secretly hoped for a switch up, or even a duet with one of their special guests, but the band left the crowd more than satisfied with their sleek riffs and infectious, swooping choruses.

There were small moments of crowd interaction, with Eli thanking the crew by name after the encore, but Inhaler seemed determined to focus their time and energy on a controlled, tight show.

“Olé, Olé, Olé” chants immediately erupted after Dublin in Ecstacy, of course, earning huge smiles from the indie-rock four-piece who initially penned the track with long-time producer Antony Genn in helter-skelter studio fashion before the bright lights of packed out arenas were on their radar.

From ambitious teens who presumably dreamed of ascending to the 3Arena stage when they attended their own first gigs to having their names top the bill, it’s a major milestone for a young band whose star seems permanently on the rise.