Live Report: Inhaler at The Button Factory

When dreamy synth rock four piece Inhaler took the stage at the Button Factory on Wednesday night as part of the industry led event Garageland the crowd, mostly comprising of teenage girls, reached fever pitch.

Frontman Eli Hewson, sprog of Bono swaggered out on stage with band mates Ryan McMahon, Robert Keating and Josh Jenkinson and thundered into “5.40”.

Narrowly avoiding a bra to the face, Hewson is a charismatic and enigmatic front man, adept at working the crowd, who he has at all times in the palm of his hand.

Songs, ‘Jordan’ and ‘Just In’ elicit a joyous response from both the older and younger members of the audience who bellow every word back in time.

It’s hard to believe that Inhaler are only a year old, and that all members are still teenagers, their sound is mature, reminiscent of the 80’s new wave and post punk era and their set is remarkably tight.

The first cover of the night is Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and Hewson's channels his inner Ian Curtis by staring glassy eyed into the sea of people who are bouncing and undulating in time with the bass.

Musical heritage is clearly important to the four piece whose other covers on the night comprise of ‘ Killing Moon’ by Echo And The Bunnymen, ‘Teenage Kicks’ by The Undertones and ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ by The Stooges. Don’t expect any U2 covers just yet though, as it’s clear that the band are trying to stand on their own feet and let their abundant musical abilities do the talking.

Stone Roses-esque track ‘I Want You’ is the most well received on the night. It’s the band's first single they’ve released and has already accumulated an impressive 37,000 views on YouTube. The lyrics, ‘She’s a session queen and almost 18’ seems to resonate loudly with younger audience members sardined at the front.

Before heading off, Inhaler announce that that they will be going to London to record soon, a clear indication that this Dublin four piece will be name on everyone’s lips in 2018.