RECAP: Inhalers (near) St. Patrick's Day performance at Stubb's Austin
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Photo courtesy of Lewis Evans
STUBB'S | AUSTIN, TX | MARCH 17, 2025 | BY RACHEL JOY THOMAS
Indie rock quartet Inhaler has been making the rounds across America this spring, with mid-March performances underneath the blistering Texas sun for the country’s largest Lower 48 state. Fronted by Elijah Hewson, whose father happens to be U2 frontman Bono, the band made rounds across the U.S. in celebration of their third album, Open Wide.
Inhaler’s performance in Texas couldn’t have come at a better time. Despite Houston being the location where Inhaler celebrated St. Patrick’s Day just hours before they touched Austin’s stage, the Irish band still brought the holiday’s spirit to the venue. Hundreds gathered in green, shamrock-covered attire to wait in long lines starting well before 6 p.m., an hour before the venue would open its doors.
By 7 p.m., fans pooled inside the venue seeking trademarked “Inhale” merchandise. A crowd wrapped nearly to the bathrooms as more people crowded inside the venue. Within 30 minutes, the entire front of the venue had been filled with crowd seekers taking prime spots.
At exactly 8 p.m., California-based opener benches started their performance. The indie garage band, similarly composed of ’80s- and ’90s-tracklist aficionados, performed tracks like “Naive” and “Violent,” surrounded by blushing stage lights and a gleeful, mesmerized fan base.
benches closed out their section of the evening after performing for 34 minutes, leaving fans with a brisk but passionate impression.
At 9:04 p.m., Dublin-based rock band Inhaler took the stage. The quartet, led toward the crowd by Hewson, quickly opened with “Open Wide,” the self-titled track of their newest album.
The stadium-rock track charged up an already riled crowd, with Hewson easily generating a fast-growing buzz as he dreamily sang, “When you are cruel to the violent thoughts in your head / But sometimes you'll do much worse / You can't reverse the beautiful things you said.”
“Little Things,” another track cut from the same record, growled out from Josh Jenkinson’s guitar with particular ferocity. The track featured a raspier, cutting Hewson crooning at each vocal refrain amidst green, celebratory lighting.
Robert Keating’s heavy, dripping bass lines vibrated into the venue as Hewson picked up the momentum, marooning, “Little things, little things / Nothing's gonna change the way I feel about / Little things, those little things.”
A highlight for the night, “Cheer Up Baby,” came toward the end of the group’s initial performance. Hewson’s vocals echoed with an almost identical reverb to the studio counterpart. Despite performing for over an hour at that point, the singer never sounded tired, instead performing with a similar zeal in a sweat-covered tank top.
At 10:10 p.m., the band strummed at the last notes of “It Won’t Always Be Like This” and walked away from the stage. The crowd cheered for nearly two minutes as synth sounds whirred and glistened from the stage. Blue lights dimmed, and the band finally returned for a three-song encore.
With heads held high, the band launched into “Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah),” as the quartet basked in purple stage lights. Immediately after, “Your House,” the most popular single off Open Wide, followed.
“My Honest Face,” the band’s most popular cut from their debut, closed out the night. Drummer Ryan McMahon shined with each opportunity to slam the snare drum. The track thundered on with a heavy beat, twinkling through its synth notes and Jenkinson’s strung-together ’80s notes.
McMahon generated an insatiable buzz as he rolled his drumsticks against the snare for the lead-up to the bridge. Hewson practically screamed the stuttering lyrics, “K-k-killing fear / K-k-killing fear / K-k-killing what I wanna, wanna be.” Finally, he screeched out his last lyrics, “I'll take you to an honest place / Darling, I just can't find my honest face / It's all over the place, it's all over the place.”
With that, the concert finally came to a close. The group walked off the stage after performing for nearly an hour and 30 minutes, allowing Austin’s bustling crowd to leave the venue in a hurried, unfocused rush.
With near-boundless energy, it's a wonder how Inhaler hasn’t fully taken over crowds all over the country. Their inevitable, growing popularity seems predetermined, however, with fans desperate to see them return to Austin again for another show.