Gig Review: Inhaler At Troxy
Inhaler are fully capable of becoming a defining rock band from Gen Z.
Rock music is at an interesting place but if you were to ask where, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. In the Western sense of the music world, definitive Rock hasn’t got the same grasp it had on the charts in the proceeding century, or the latter stages of the 2010s.
I’m thinking back to the years of Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Razorlight, Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, Maximo Park. When the bands still exist, it’s not to the same notoriety they initially had. Even Arctic Monkeys have ditched the fast-paced hard rock sound for a more elaborate sound.
Bands like this are important, not just as the bulk of FIFA soundtracks, but are also markers of culture. Songs that come on and inject a sense of collective effervescence. Songs that remain in the national consciousness, willingly or unwillingly. There are remnants of this genre in acts like Sam Fender, the indie pop of Easy Life, Bakar’s most recent album and Underhorsed gaining popularity with impressive live performances across the country. After their Glastonbury set this year, even Black Country New Road also have an appeal to music fans outside of people who are tapped into music blogs, Anthony Fantano checked shirts and Pitchfork reviews. There’s the immediate parallel in relation to who makes up the audience, the band seeming to work within the same threshold of Arctic Monkeys; football fans and young women.
Where are the bands you can put onto your walls and have your bedroom turn into part room for rest, part shrine? The disappearance of Gen Z rock bands in the mainstream is a different article to be written from this one, but it is interesting to see what musical acts of this generation have broken the mainstream and attained success in this way. This is not to eradicate the existence of guitar lead bands, but outside of the rock music space, the groups I engage with often opt for a version of obscurity. Outside of limited interviews and spreads in music magazines in conjunction with album promotions, it does feel like they are keeping themselves to themselves. There’s also the flip side of the coin, with the ability to self-promote in the modern age and social media platforms accessible gives aspiring musicians a fighting chance in attaining success. Seeing the discussion about touring and its mental and physical toll on bands from the previous century has meant there has been a shift in prioritising mental health over performing.
With music and its relation to general culture, new rock bands just haven’t been a presence in a general culture and minds of the public, perhaps a lack of general interest where the invigoration of new pop acts like Olivia Rodrigo and the catchy, fun Rap of Ice Spice.
Take four objectively handsome young men from Dublin and their lewd of accomplishments thus far, and we have a contender for a commercially viable rock act that can have the same impact as your Bloc Party or Kings of Leon. Inhaler (comprising of Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon) are one of multiple acts coming out of Ireland where bands putting out music are invigorating at the moment, with Still Mustard’s debut being a standout from last year, Fontaine’s DC winning a Brit Award for Best International Act and NewDad announcing a debut album after two extremely solid EP’s. The debut album of Inhaler charted at No1 on the UK charts and have had a string of recent opening slots for Pearl Jam, Paolo Nutini, Sam Fender and Arctic Monkeys alongside a mass international following, and extensive touring. Their popularity and appeal to audiences can be affirmed in a clip of them leaving a venue in Mexico (the Mecca of music appreciation, especially of the rock genre) from the back door of the venue and the images held semblance to footage from A Hard Day’s Night.
I was under the impression that pages like this were things of the past, that what I had encountered was a blip of internet history and wouldn’t be Symbols of fandom reminiscent on the hailing pages of social media. Fixated on those Tumblr days, the obsessiveness of checking the hashtag, stories. Vouching for this aspect of girlhood, general adolescence at wide.
Kentish Town was a strange mixture of those embracing the nature of Halloween and people in office wear who just wanted to go home. Not really knowing what to expect from the queue, a girl accidentally bumps into me on our way to the venue.
“Dude, she’s just pushed in front of us,”
“How do we know she’s going to the gig though?”
Reindicated five seconds later after I spotted a poster in her hands “Drumsticks please Ryan,”.
I rated the hustle aspect from fans, a piece of paraphernalia that will not be touched or used in any capacity but as evidence of being perceived by a band you love,
Dubbed ‘Inhalerween’, the main question was will they or won’t they come out in costume? Devil ears and cheerleader costumes, Beetlejuice, people were very embracing of collision of events. Stood in my work attire, and general lack of sleep, dubbed myself as a spooky librarian and tried to come up with ultra-conceptual costumes for my two friends who were also very much not dressed for the night. In the same way boys in primary school cheated their World Book Day outfit by wearing a football jersey and being done with it.
Previous experiences at rock concerts and our fragile frames meant we opted to watch on from the balcony because somehow, at the ripe young age of 23, standing at gigs is no longer fathomable.
The setlist was a good mixture between their two albums, opening with “These Are the Days”, a nostalgia tune lamenting on memories of nights out in all their small moments that still bring some type of joy when reminiscing on them.
A sure-fire favourite, crowd pleaser as soon as that synth line trickles in with the single bass note instantly making the crowd yell in approval.
The single ‘Who’s Your Money On’ has traces of the same sound Talking Heads achieved for their album ‘Remain in Light’, with a descent into ‘Plastic House’ being a quiet moment within the gig as Elijah’s voice sings over the streaks of ambience.
‘Perfect Storm’ kicks off the back leg of the “Cuts and Bruises” album, which is where they sound the strongest, and what got me interested in the band in the first place. My eyes would meander down below to the floor, witnessing the dream mosh pit as a non-mosh pit par taker; more towards the back of the standing area, respectful in the space they were taking up yet making the absolute most of what they gave themselves.
‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ is their first final song, a standout from the first album with its chorus and the song’s build up to a solo guitar line from Josh Jenkinson that when sung by everyone at the time, creates that geezerly, low baritone tone and will do no justice but it’s all the fun anyway.
After the initial walk off stage, they’ll have to come out in costume. A ten-minute quick change allows the band to walk back onto stage to Halloween themed interval music, emerging as Elvis, Bowie, Phil Lynott, Sid Vicious and Freddie Mercury.
They close out with the track ‘My Honest Face’, which is the type of music I’m talking about that carries the ability to be sung by the masses, chanted back word for word, which exactly takes place, how young and enthusiastic everyone was because I already sensed the agony my body would be in the next day.
There’s a lot of promise from the band, not in a reductive sense, but whilst we will not get back to the days of Maximo Park exactly, Inhaler are fully capable of becoming a defining rock band from Gen Z who can push towards the same cultural impact as those bands I aforementioned, situated at the sunset slot on the Glastonbury stage. I look forward to what happens next with the band. In the trajectory they are heading in, we could get a third album that further pushes their established sound, or even a Radiohead-style musical left turn. It’s that cliche we will have to sit on, that only time will tell.