Inhaler’s Famous Return to Rock City
Nottingham’s Rock City has hosted some of the biggest names in music—think Bowie, Nirvana, The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, and Oasis. Some lucky fans caught these artists when they were fresh on the scene, while others saw them at the peak of their careers. So I count myself lucky to have caught Inhaler at Rock City just as they enter their musical prime.
If their success with Dublin in Ecstasy hasn’t given it away, Inhaler is a band of four Dubliners in their early to mid-twenties who formed in 2012 as school friends. The band consists of frontman and guitarist Elijah (Eli) Hewson, bassist Robert (Bobby) Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson, and drummer Ryan McMahon. They rose rapidly to fame with their 2021 debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This, followed by two more albums that cemented their status.
After nearly two years of relentless touring, Inhaler have launched into their fresh, high-energy Open Wide tour following its album release in early February. Their tour has already hit Leeds, Manchester, and Birmingham, yet the four-piece seemed especially pleased to return to Rock City for the third time (as Bobby reminded us, counting on his fingers). But I speak for the crowd when I say we were even more excited to have them back.
“Oh, how to cure these February blues?”
That’s how Hewson sings it in Cheer Up Baby (one of my personal favourites). And I’ll tell you how—by watching him and his bandmates follow in the footsteps of his father, Bono, and cement their own Rock City legacy. February 11th transformed an ordinary Tuesday into an exhilarating night at the heart of one of indie rock’s most exciting bands.
The night kicked off with The Guest List and Gurriers, who warmed up the crowd with their blend of indie and heavy alternative rock, hyping up the band we were all waiting for. But when Inhaler took to the stage, that was it—I was in concert mode, and an exhilarating high took over like nothing else.
They opened with the first Inhaler song I ever heard, My Honest Face, and the crowd was jumping from the very first drumbeat, the first strum of the guitar. It’s an undeniable banger—one that can pull anyone into Inhaler’s world. I should know; it kick-started my indie obsession. Following this electric opener, the band dove straight into Eddie in the Darkness, a fresh track from Open Wide, blending the setlist into a seamless mix of old and new.
Their biggest tracks filled Rock City with knife-edge energy, the adrenaline so thick you could cut it. But for me, Love Will Get You There was the moment—I danced and sang at full volume because, honestly, how could I not? And when Hewson dropped that one line from My King Will Be Kind, I realised just how loud we were. But how else should we scream a song that’s both cathartic and a little volatile—in the most satisfying way?
“These are the days, I don’t miss the feeling of being alone / These are the days / These are the days.”
I’ve been to my fair share of gigs (though never enough), and there’s nothing quite like seeing your favourite band perform right in front of you. As far as rock stars, pop stars, and indie artists go, Inhaler know exactly how to make their fans go wild.
But this wasn’t just a gig—it was a performance. Eli worked the crowd, stepping up to the barricade, asking fans where they were from, and handing over the mic so we could sing his own lyrics back to him. Now that’s the mark of a true rock star.
Their success and stage presence, which I hope they enjoyed performing, is sharpened to a cutting edge by their years of friendship and shared journey. That, along with their deep loyalty to home—evident in the stage lighting shifting from green to white to orange—felt like a celebration of another rising Irish act. And at the same time, they brought the Nottingham crowd together, not through the glow of a screen but in the electricity of a mosh pit.
“This plastic house ain’t built to last / Things are just like they always are / We melt like ice in our hands.”
Inhaler are a band evolving beyond their early days, yet already at the height of their careers. Their debut album came out just four years ago, and with multiple albums already under their belt, it’s no wonder their tour sold out in record time. Everyone wants to catch Inhaler before venues like Rock City become just a memory. But as their monthly listeners climb into the millions—and rising—I’ll celebrate their success alongside them.