‘If you like our music welcome onboard – if you don’t, get off ’
Dublin band Inhaler talk about their new debut album and their detractors
Irish rock band Inhaler have been together for six years, released nine singles and their very accomplished debut album comes out next Friday. It’s a testament to how they’ve progressed that four of those singles do not make the cut for It Won’t Always Be Like This. Among the vanquished are fan favourites such as Falling In and Ice Cream Sundae.
I witnessed many of the 4,000 strong crowd who packed into the band’s Electric Arena show at 2019’s Electric Picnic sing the words of those songs and others back to Josh Jenkinson, Robert Keating, Louis Lambert, who is an auxiliary member for live shows, Ryan McMahon and Elijah Hewson.
The Dublin band’s songs have been streamed over 30 million times on Spotify alone.
I’ve become quite convinced that teens in Glasthule, Blackpool or Kitsbuhl who enjoy their polished power pop songs don’t care much who the lead singer’s father is.
I attended one of Inhaler’s earliest shows. So did Bono. We didn’t speak and never have. I was as curious as anyone else to see what they would be like. In a cover-dotted set, it was clear they had a way to go, just like any band starting out.
But they have progressed. They’ve become one of the best young bands in Ireland and it has taken them six years, hundreds of gigs and thousands of hours of rehearsals to do it.
If I share a video by Inhaler on social media, as I do of many Irish bands, I’ll get a certain amount of people criticising me for doing so, for giving Inhaler publicity. They contend that the U2 connection has ensured their easy passage to prominence. I don’t believe that to be true. I’ve been told that the media are in the pockets of U2 and of course we’ve been instructed by the U2 organisation to ‘push’ Inhaler.
Inhaler’s detractors can’t prove this although I have invited them on numerous times to do so. For my part, it’s absolute nonsense. I have never spoken to a member of U2, or their management and they’ve never tried to curry favour with me.
I was however allotted 15 minutes with Robert, Elijah, Ryan and Josh on a Zoom call. They’re more seasoned, much less wideeyed than when I first interviewed them three years ago. Although I had promised, as per a request from the record company, not to mention Bono in the interview, I told them about my travails with the Inhaler haters and asked what it’s like for them when people say that theirs has been a U2 powered ascent.
‘It is certainly a weird one to overcome but I think we have overcome it,’ Elijah or Eli, now 21, says.
‘There will always be people who say that. The reality of it is we just love playing music and regardless of who my dad is, we’re doing it anyway. So, if you like it, welcome onboard – if you don’t, get off.’
Robert, easily the second most vocal of the four present says: ‘You should respond to those people and tell them “You are a bit bitter”.’ I reply that it is evident that they are and that situation is unlikely to ever change.
I also tell Inhaler that I have watched them progress from being ‘frankly awful’ at their early live shows to being ‘a really, really good’ live act and that is why I believe they may well break through in a very big way while others haven’t.
‘I don’t think we will ever describe ourselves as being really, really good!’ Eli laughs.
‘If we ever look back at the mishaps or bum notes at those early gigs, that’s all part of the learning experience. It is important for any young band to do that starting out.
‘You can’t just jump to the top of anything immediately. We’re proud of that process and that learning curve is an ongoing thing for any group.’
He goes on to say that when the realities of the pandemic hit, they just began to think about album number two.
‘There’s been no gigs happening so what else is there to do? We just wanted to keep busy.’
Robert says: ‘It’s been the same as everyone else; we’ve had our ups and downs in the last 18 months but we’re glad to be back together now. We are in our rehearsal room gearing up for the return of gigs.’
They will be playing songs from a top five album perhaps by the time of their December Irish tour. Their detractors can moan and seethe all they like; it’s not going to stop them.
n It Won’t Always Be Like This is out July 9. See www.inhaler.band for upcoming tour dates
YOU CAN’T JUST
JUMP TO THE TOP OF ANYTHING IMMEDIATELY’