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Show Lineup: Inhaler, Benches.
Genre(s): Alternative/Indie
Venue: The Van Buren
Date: 10/31/2024
Every year, I’m so excited for Halloween to come; it’s something I think about throughout the
whole year. So when one of my favorite Irish bands, Inhaler, announced they were having a show on Halloween in Phoenix this year, I was elastic. I went as a cowgirl because it was the comfiest of my four costumes this year, and it went with the theme of their If You’re Gonna Break My Heart music video. I got to the venue three hours before the doors, and there was already a huge line, which surprised me heavily because I never once saw anyone I know talk about them. Maybe that’s me being an individualist, but oh well.
The Benches came out in costume, though I’m not sure what half of them were. It’s still nice they put in an effort. They opened up with an amazing performance, and the lead singer, Anson Kelly, had lots of passion and energy when singing; it was the type of performance where you could tell they like what they do. At this point, the crowd is dancing, and there really is no phone in sight; it was beautiful. I like people watching, at concerts specifically because you can tell everyone is having a good time. There were these girls at the barricade, and they are the perfect example of what to be doing at a concert. They were dancing and singing the lyrics louder than the singer himself, but they were so happy to be there. It always feels good to see people at a concert equally excited to see the opener as they are for the main act. I had only listened to them on a surface level, but I felt like I was truly a part of their fandom with songs like LA Friends, Crash, and Monodrama. I really enjoyed their performance and would love to see them live again after I learn more of their songs…
Disaster struck for me after the Benches finished their set. I am 5’2 on a good day, so I struggle at concerts, but for some reason, I had a really good view during the Benches set and was happy with the people around me. I think it was because everyone else was shorter than 5’5. But just when I got comfortable, two (and I’m not kidding) 6-foot-tall girls were pushing themselves to the front and stayed right in front of me. Now, that didn’t bother me that much at first; it was the fact that they were being so rude and picking fights with everyone around them that got to me. Maybe this is just about concert edict, but that situation did lower my energy and excitement for Inhaler’s set.
The time finally came for Inhaler to come out, opening up with These Are The Days, and the crowd went wild. They seem to be the type of band that just likes to be mellow on stage and have the crowd be their source of energy. The lead guitarist Josh Jenkinson played so well and even sang some melodies that put the songs together; he was all I could look at. I particularly liked it when Elijah and Josh played the guitar to each other during the song
Dublin on Ecstasy. This song also has a bridge where Elijah goes into the crowd, allowing one person to sing it with me. I was delusional and thought it would be me… This type of fan
interaction during concerts is a great way to make the show so special, to make it memorable. I would also like to point out that the lead singer Elijah Hewson is the son of Bono from U2, so there were a lot of older men in the crowd of teenage girls, not to be agest, but one dude in his mid 40’s also started pushing himself to the front of a crowd of teenage girls. I did see him mouth the lyrics, so I can’t be too mad. The power of teenage girls and a few middle-aged men was felt throughout the whole set.
They made the songs sound better live and even played an unreleased song from their upcoming album Open Wide coming out in February of 2025. It might have been one of the worst crowds I’ve been
in, but Inhaler’s performance made it worth being in that crowd. They also had an interchangeable setlist throughout their U.S. tour, so when they played one of my favorite songs of theirs, Things I Do, it made every bad thing I experienced disappear. I would 100% recommend seeing Inhaler live; they put on a great show.
Reviewer Name: Ashley Penuelas
Date of Review: 11/13/2024
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