Opening the night were fellow Irish band Scustin, dressed brilliantly as Ryanair crew, a nod to their track ‘I’m Never Flying with Ryanair Again’. Their set was full of energy and humour, with the lead singer diving into the crowd, splitting it in two and getting everyone to jump and chant along to the song’s title. Scustin’s stage presence was magnetic, there wasn’t a single dull moment. At one point, they even held up a sign with Matt Damon’s face on it, handing it to a fan named Ava, a moment that had the crowd laughing and cheering.
Next up were The Guestlist, an indie band from Manchester who took the stage dressed as astronauts, complete with a space-themed setup. They delivered a stellar set featuring crowd favourites like ‘161’ and ‘Mary’ captivating everyone in the room. They closed with their hit ‘Weatherman’ leaving the audience in awe and perfectly setting the tone for the main act.
Finally, it was time for Inhaler. The band appeared dressed as characters from The Phantom of the Opera and the crowd erupted as they launched straight into ‘Open Wide’. During the chorus “You’ve got your arms out open wide” every fan raised their hands, creating a breathtaking moment. ‘Dublin in Ecstasy’ followed, complete with lights in the colours of the Irish flag and wild mosh pits breaking out across the floor. Frontman Elijah Hewson leaned into the crowd as always passing the mic to fans to sing along.
Before ‘Little Things’ Elijah jokingly dedicated the song to One Direction, sending the crowd into chaos. For ‘Who’s Your Money On (Plastic House)’ he hyped up bassist Bobby Skeetz, shouting “Jump for Bobby!” as confetti made of fake money, printed with the band members’ faces, rained down on the audience. Fans scrambled to collect their favourite member’s bills.
‘My King Will Be Kind’ proved to be a fan favourite, with everyone screaming the lyric “I f**king hate that b*tch”, a cathartic highlight that had the crowd united in raw emotion. Elijah even dropped his mic mid-song earning a wave of laughter and cheers. During ‘X-Ray’ the lyric “Feels like heaven” hit especially hard because the show truly did feel like heaven.
By the time ‘Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)’ came on, the entire crowd was mimicking Elijah’s signature hand waves during the chorus. ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ brought chaos in the best way, the mosh pits filled with fans dressed as “Where’s Wally” characters bouncing off each other in joy. Then came ‘Your House’ and on this night, the Royal Albert Hall truly was Inhaler’s house.
They even treated fans to their brand new single ‘Hole in the Ground’ which had just been released a few days prior.. Finally, the band closed with ‘My Honest Face’ a perfect ending to an unforgettable night.
Inhaler proved once again that they’re one of the most exciting live bands around. Confident, playful and completely in command of the stage. Keep your eyes on them, this is only the beginning.
Olivia Brown
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