Inhaler at NX Newcastle Review

Musicians always strive to be bigger than the mid-card, and with their second album to back them, Inhaler are pushing themselves further and further up the billing. Their sold-out appearance at NX Newcastle is a key moment for the band, whose Cuts & Bruises LP was released the same day as their appearance on The Toon. Elijah Hewson and company pushed through with their thematically strong sophomore album, trusting their audience with tracks that had been released just hours before their show in Newcastle. Inhaler has pushed through with those tracks only a handful of times before, but their appearance on stage, the same day their noisy powerhouse piece was released, gives new energy to that continued rise and rise.  

Range is key. Despite the inclusions of colloquial masterclass Dublin in Ecstasy and exuberant love-bop Love Will Get You There, Inhaler finds themselves hitting through with debut material. They were never given a true chance to tour their debut album It Won’t Always Be Like This. They find themselves with double the tracks and half the time to showcase them. A nice balance is struck for the Dublin-originating group. Half and half is the best way to go, with a nice selection of seven Cuts & Bruises tracks roped into an outing of fan favourites from It Won’t Always Be Like This. It gives Inhaler the opportunity to keep their set fresh and themselves focused. Seamless workings throughout the night marked that opportunity as taken and understood.  

Even with that nice split and look back, the highs come from those deep cuts of Cuts & Bruises. Phenomenal work on Cheer Up Baby brings those informal roots to the heart of the north east and shines them up brilliantly. Inhaler may be pursuing the same messages and themes, but they have found the confidence their debut was lacking. Rising popularity is right at the core of this sold-out gig, a standard on-stage affair that lets the music and the talented individuals behind it shine. So Far So Good marks a cheeky midpoint for the set, as much a marker for the middle of the set as it is a quality lift from the latest album. Josh Jenkinson shines on If You’re Gonna Break My Heart, a crucial part of the two-track encore that shifts its tone closer and closer to the powerful electrics Bob Dylan pushed through on Highway 61 Revisited. Underlying similarities give Inhaler that crucial differentiation from track to track. 

Great opening performances from Nieve Ella and FEET set the tone for the evening. Unique, fiery voices and one tambourine-mad frontman for the latter give the NX crowd that crucial pre-game energy. Inhaler are rising and rising, dragging whoever they can along for the ride. Opening for Sam Fender just a few months on from this gig will mark another tremendous showcase of their talent. It rises and flows with little interaction between audience and frontman, beyond a few screams from the former as the latter gears up for another indie-pop love ballad. Inhaler is as slick, cool and well-set as they project themselves to be. Building well on their headlining tour with that monumental sophomore album lets off their well-worked, confident moments. Who’s Your Money On?. Inhaler are a safe bet. Their rise to that top slot is inevitable.