“You know how much we love you, Belgium” – Inhaler perform second sold-out show at Ancienne Belgique, BE

By Agnetha Van Mieghem

Last Saturday, April 22, the Dublin-based band Inhaler played the second out of their 2 sold-out shows at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels. The audience was packed (quite literally; any space possible on the floor was full), and remarkably busier than the night before: ecstatic fans had been queuing in line since the morning, waiting in the rain all day in hopes of getting a good spot at the front row. I was excited when the band announced the shows last October; I had been listening to them since 2019 and this was one of my first times seeing them live. 

The support slot for the unique shows was filled by the band Blondes. 

At 8pm they started their set. The audience generally seemed to have a good time with Blondes; with the excitement and cheers for them every time they began playing a song. Outstanding songs to me in their set were “Coming of Age”, which had gained popularity on TikTok, and the recently released “The Basement”. “The Basement” was the last song on their setlist and it stimulated my excitement for the night with the upbeat, bright instrumentals. The band mentioned this was their first time playing in Belgium, though I don’t see any problems for them if they were to ever play a show here again; the audience absolutely loved them. Blondes’ future does seem bright, optimistic with their brand-new EP ‘In Separation” coming out in July. 

At 9pm, after waiting for the set-up for the main act, Inhaler entered the stage with loud cheers and chants of the audience. Starting their set with “These Are The Days”, Inhaler set a thrilling, electrifying mood for the evening. The second song of the night was arguably one of their most popular songs “My Honest Face” as so many people in the audience were singing along. I wouldn’t blame them one bit; this is the song that got me hooked to the band after all. Other songs in the setlist included are “Perfect Storm”, “When It Breaks”, “Dublin In Ecstasy”, and the slow, melancholic “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart”. 

One of the songs I liked hearing live the most was probably “Totally”; it had always been one of my favourites from their debut album and always had meant a lot to me. Additionally, I really liked “Dublin In Ecstasy” since it highlights Hewson’s vocal ability. After 13 songs the band seemingly had ‘left the stage’ (though, we all know this game of hide and seek). It took around 2 minutes of chanting and screaming from fans for the band to return to the stage with an encore, consisting of 2 songs. 

This Inhaler show clearly seemed the place to be at; from the diverse audience (from younger to older fans), the exclusivity of these shows, but also the excitement from the band themselves as mentioned by the lead singer Elijah Hewson, who explicitly said during the show: “You know how much we love you, Belgium”. This isn’t hard to believe as they’ll be playing a total of 4 shows in the country this year. 

A few highlights of night 2: 

• During the chorus of “Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)” Hewson sings the lyric “Who's your money on? / Who you gonna put your money on?”, fans pointed at various members of the band; this night ‘the money was on’ guitarist Josh Jenkinson. 

• In addition, during “Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)”, the whole room was full of phone lights. From the balcony it felt as if I was looking back at little stars. 

• The setlist changed a little for the second show: “The Things I Do” and “Now You Got Me” were replaced by the fan-favourite “Perfect Storm” and “So Far So Good”

• The entire audience could be heard during “My King Will Be Kind”; it’s become a custom at Inhaler’s shows to yell the lyrics “I fucking hate that bitch” (and for your information: it feels good to do that!).

Inhaler’s energy was impeccable on this second night, the band seemed to be truly happy to perform for Brussels once again. The band’s interactivity with the audience also deserves to be praised; the way they played their entire set in such a serious manner and yet, at the same time kept engaging with the fans from the front row to even fans in the balcony. 

Admittedly, I found myself entranced multiple times by Ryan McMahon’s incredible, tight, and steady drumming; he didn’t miss a beat at all. Last, but (certainly) not least; guitarist Josh Jenkinson and bassist Robert Keating both did an amazing job. 

Inhaler’s outstanding indie-rock sound in the music scene is what keeps drawing potential listeners and fans in to listen. They’re not afraid to explore and change with their sound, as proven by their album “Cuts & Bruises”.

With the love Inhaler poured into these shows, I genuinely hope they’ll keep returning to Belgium in the future for concerts. They might be one of the most fun, talented acts I have ever seen live; the overall experience was well worth the money. I have nothing but positive things to say about the concert. This could very well be my own love-letter to Inhaler, if you will. 

The Irish band have got a busy touring schedule this year after the release of their sophomore album “Cuts & Bruises”. Currently, Inhaler are supporting Arctic Monkeys on their European tour until May 10. The band don’t only have a few stand-alone headline shows in Europe & the UK afterwards, but also have some festivals under their belt (in the EU, UK & the US). At the end of 2023 they kick off their European tour, supporting their newest album.

Setlists

Inhaler

1. These Are the Days
2. My Honest Face
3. Totally
4. Dublin in Ecstasy
5. Perfect Storm (replaced The Things I Do from night 1)
6. When It Breaks
7. My King Will Be Kind
8. So Far So Good (replaced Now You Got Me)
9. Just to Keep You Satisfied
10. Who's Your Money On? (Plastic House)
11. Valentine
12. Love Will Get You There
13. Cheer Up Baby

Encore:
14. If You're Gonna Break My Heart
15. It Won't Always Be Like This

Blondes

1. Does it Rain on you?
2. Minimum Wage
3. Coming of Age
4. Love in the Afternoon
5. Out the Neighbourhood
6. The Basement