The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

Inhaler at the Forum

Inhaler at the Forum | Live review
7 October 2021
Jessica Wall
Avatar
Shot by Virginie Viche
Avatar
Jessica Wall Shot by Virginie Viche
7 October 2021

Music review

Jessica Wall

Inhaler at Kentish Town Forum

★★★★★

Links

Twitter Facebook Instagram Website

Being the musician son of a musician who has enough status to go by just one name is a hard act to follow. Elijah Hewson, lead singer of Dublin band Inhaler, is the son of Paul Hewson, aka Bono. As the frontman of one of the most successful bands of all time, it’s fair to say his Da is a tough act to live up to. However, it’s clear that Inhaler mean business. From the simple, yet memorable cover of their debut album to the stylish video for It Won’t Always Be Like This to the complex staging of last night’s gig, this is a band with a thoroughly thought-through aesthetic, who have their sights set firmly on the big leagues. 

Hewson is a man hewn by the gods for rock heartthrob status: with his sultry, beautiful face, artfully muscled arms and comfortable stage presence, he has that indefinable quality that makes one sit up and watch. His voice soars and is a dead ringer for his father’s. 

The show at the Kentish Town Forum, always a lovely venue, attracted the likes of Noel Fitzpatrick, aka TV’s Supervet, spotted outside in slashed denim, diligently doing a Covid lateral flow test. The Irish support was out in force, naturally. 

As mentioned, the staging was highly sophisticated, each song given its own light scheme, from refracted lasers to drenched red light. 

Their debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This, topped the charts on its release in July. It is full of rousing, soaring tunes with big, complex sound. Hewson, along with Robert Keating on bass, Ryan McMahon on drums and Josh Jenkinson on guitar, create a tone that is deep and rangy. One of the hardest things to do is to create songs that appear effortless, and this is what Inhaler have done. While the effect here is not groundbreaking, it is certainly moreish. 

The show opened with the album’s title track, a spirit-lifting song written a decade ago about a breakup that has become eerily appropriate for recent times. Following tracks such as Slide out the Window, Ice Cream Sundae and Cheer Up Baby manage to be both slinky and epic.

The performance closes with the catchy My Honest Face. The highest compliment one can pay to a band is to leave a gig wanting more, and that is certainly what last night achieved. No doubt we will be hearing a lot more about Inhaler. This was a slick concert that was impressively assured and mature for an act so early in their career.

★★★★★

Jessica Wall
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Inhaler’s website here.

Watch the video for the single My Honest Face here:

Related Itemsalternative rockfeaturedindie rocklive concertlive giglive musicpop rockreview

More in Live music

South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish

★★★★★
Francis Nash
Read More

South Facing Festival: Jungle bring their signature neo-funk to Saturday night

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Patti Smith at the London Palladium

★★★★★
Jennifer Sanin
Read More

The Libertines at Wembley Arena

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Kaleidoscope Festival cements its status as a family favourite at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Yola at Koko

★★★★★
Natallia Pearmain
Read More

John Legend at Somerset House

★★★★★
Jonathan Marshall
Read More

Primal Scream at Alexandra Palace Park

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Black Midi at Somerset House

★★★★★
Jasper Watkins
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Music review

Jessica Wall

Inhaler at Kentish Town Forum

★★★★★

Links

Twitter Facebook Instagram Website

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Eiffel
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • South Facing Festival: Richard Ashcroft and his band were on impressive form from start to finish
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

“She let nothing stand in her way”: Naomi Sorkin on Ida Rubinsten and her resurrection at the Playground Theatre
The Survivalist | Movie review