Inhaler lights up Hollywood Palladium

The alternative Irish band rocked Los Angeles at the iconic venue Friday to an energetic crowd.

By FABIÁN GUTIÉRREZ
Inhaler, an alternative rock band from Dublin, performed at Hollywood Palladium for the “Open Wide” tour, shining strobes of white and blue that transitioned into a smooth pink to encapture their sentimental music. (Fabián Gutiérrez / Daily Trojan)

Dublin-based alternative rock band Inhaler strung its best hits across the hardwood floors of the Hollywood Palladium Friday night. As part of a greater “Open Wide” tour, in anticipation of the upcoming release of their album of the same name, the group took to the stage to the joy of a packed venue with attendees of all ages.

Inhaler was supported by opening act benches, a Southern California project inspired by — in their own words — both ‘90s Britpop and 2000s New York rock. They kicked off the night with their grungy, synthy newest release: “Naive.” The songs that followed, “LA Friends” and “Crash,” were emphatic continuations of the same vibe the group brought. Think Kasabian or Arctic Monkeys if they were beachier and raspier.

Bouncing back between older and newer tracks, benches followed the start of the set with tone-changers “It Doesn’t Have To Change” and “Mephisto’s Waltz,” with the latter being particularly interesting and varied in mood, with an inquisitive bassline at the hands of Charlie Baird.


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The band closed out their set with fan favorites “Monodrama” and “Violent.” Closer to the climax of this opening number was when lead vocalist Anson Kelley really got to shine, utilizing an upper register reminiscent of Declan McKenna that colored the songs delightfully.

A bow out and a short wait later, the main act occupied the stage to raucous cheers and screams from the crowd. The first song played, off of the group’s most recent album, “Cuts & Bruises,” was “These Are The Days,” an undeniable party anthem that put the audience up to speed on the mood of the night. Especially fun was the bass intro that fans had bassist Robert Keating to thank for.

The energy was kept high with “When It Breaks,” the first of many times when lead singer Elijah Hewson met the challenge of constant, high-pitched choruses. Then, the band got to give touring keyboardist Louis Lambert a much-deserved shoutout by introducing the iconic piano that starts “Totally.”

From past hits to new flesh, Inhaler followed these two tracks with the fresh single “Your House,” released only three days prior. This was quickly followed by one of the group’s longest tracks, “Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House).”

It was during this song that the Palladium’s all-encompassing lighting design really started to show its wings, with flashes of blue and white shining simultaneously with the chorus. During the song’s slower outro, these lights also dimmed and bolded, as did Hewson’s floating voice.

From a deep blue, the lights hit a warm pink and the air filled with love as “Valentine” rocked into the audience’s ears and eyes. This song came, conquered and went right before one of Inhaler’s most heartwrenching and memorable tracks.

After a quick tease of the chorus from Coldplay’s “Fix You,” red and blue lasered through all the souls in the venue, from the balconies to the very back, right back to the front of general admission. It was time for “My King Will Be Kind.”

Inhaler’s debut album only has one track listed as explicit. It’s due to one single line that has all the swear words on “It Won’t Always Be Like This.” It might warrant the thought of why they would do so, being so close to having a fully clean album. One would think there might be a commercial incentive to do so, surely. It is easily understood why that line, an explosion of emotion in a thoroughly cathartic track, made it out of edits and demos unscathed.

Hewson introduced the track as being “about boys” to more intense cheers. From newly bearded guitarist Josh Jenkinson, after swapping electric for acoustic just for this track, pulsed perhaps the band’s most iconic starting riff.

As the chorus approached for the first time, the powder keg of fans inside the Palladium suddenly erupted into a cacophony of “I fucking hate that bitch.” The band ceased all playing, to sit with the sounds of the crowd singing this line back to them, while bright white lights illuminated the entire venue, just for that moment, before it all continued again.

Afterward, the proud and joyous “Dublin in Ecstasy” saw the stage light up in Irish green. Then, the upbeat and cheery “Love Will Get You There” added to the happiness. The unreleased “Eddie in the Darkness” made an appearance, a further tease of the upcoming project to be released early next year.

Before leaving the stage — for the first time — Inhaler played three mainstays at their shows and all emblematic and unique tracks in their own rights: “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart,” “Cheer Up Baby” and “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” the latter of which is a particular highlight thanks to the expert instrumentalism of Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon.

In the least convincing stage exit this century, the band left for only mere minutes to then return for an encore. Another unreleased track featured, with the new album’s title track, “Open Wide,” making an appearance, followed by “Just To Keep You Satisfied.”

Finally, Inhaler put a ribbon on the night when they graced the Palladium with their biggest hit to date: “My Honest Face.” Many songs on the setlist warranted a helping hand from the performers to get the audience to join, but certainly not this one. Perhaps knowing it was the last track of the evening, it seemed every voice in the crowd got a little louder. The high-pace anthem was the perfect note to end a perfect night.

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