Live Review: Inhaler

By Rosie Burgess | December 9, 2023

Words by Katie Hillier

When the lockdown lifted, Inhaler were just getting started. Since the tour’s August 2021 beginnings, it’s been non-stop sold-out headline shows, support slots with Arctic Monkeys, Sam Fender, Harry Styles, and Pearl Jam, and the release of their sophomore record, It Won’t Always Be Like This.

It’s Saturday 4^th November inside London’s Troxy. They’re playing one of their final shows before an imminent break. Beginning with the song These Are The Days, from their latest album, Cuts & Bruises, frontman Elijah Hewson chants, ‘I think we’re gonna be ok’ as almost three thousand voices join him, bringing hopefulness. Surprise setlist additions include a non-album track, We Have To Move On, and a rare appearance of The Things I Do following fan speculation online.

Totally, features an extended outro, Hewson encouraging the crowd to sing its chorus repeatedly. It’s potentially the most interactive he’s been, chatting to a fan who travelled from New York and acquiring a cowboy hat (an Inhaler show staple), which he wears for Plastic House’s duration. After playing over one hundred shows in 2023, Hewson appears to have grown comfortable with the cards he’s been dealt. 

My King Will Be Kind receives the loudest reception. At the same time, Cheer Up Baby, a love letter to Inhaler fans, precedes the encore with Hewson changing the bridge to the definitive ‘We’re close to the end’, hitting an emotional chord. Typically, the encore sees three times released Inhaler classic, My Honest Face. The crowd goes crazy; there’s no happiness like it. 

It won’t always be like this for Inhaler, but one thing they continuously prove is it’s not about where you’ve come from; it’s where you’ve still to go.