January has a reputation for being a dull, cold and uninteresting month however Whelans refused to allow it to dampen their punters mood. With Donal Quinn playing Whelan’s Midnight hour with support from The Collective and The Bowie Ball night featuring tribute act Heroes From Mars to wander into after… they made sure we forgot all our January blues.
Dublin five piece The Collective kick started the show. The band embrace the task of warming up the crowd with ease. Their pop sprinkled indie tunes which are saturated in sun-kissed tones had a warm and glorious effect on our ears as their honeyed melodies melt upon the effervescent instrumental backdrop. Even with their bassist Cian Moran missing, the band had the crowd in the palm of their hands from the get go. Their cheeky banter and wonderful indie tunes had the crowd dancing and bopping happily. For a young band about to do their leaving cert they certainly have a charismatic and charming stage presence.Guitarist/vocalists Daniel Clarke and Taylor Byrne constantly engaged with the crowd creating a friendly and fun atmosphere “we want you to sing along even if you think its shite..sing along”. One woman in particular spiraled round the dance floor to every tune hopping, wiggling and twirling to their infectious tunes. They allow her to name one of their songs before they played it so i guess now it’s called “ love your face”.
With songs laced in tasty guitar melodies, groove infested drums and chiming keys the band sprinkle some joyous radiance into the venue. Their tracks are catchy from the unforgettable ‘’la la la la “ of ‘Forgettable’ to the sweet melodies in ‘Friends’ and ‘Love On The Streets’ – they have a solid set list. With quirky guitar moves, slick sweet licks and a charismatic presence the band keep everyone on their toes. Ogylle Salvador lays down the body moving beat while Stefan Isbanda tackles the keys to complete their vibrant vigorous sound. This bands musical talent and youthful energetic sound make them ones to keep an eye on .
Donal Quinn strolls on stage. His chilled presence slices through the wild atmosphere created by The Collective. He saunters off the stage to rally the crowd to the front, the crowd happily move forward in anticipation as Quinn begins ‘Do You Like Spicy Food?… ‘. This rapid number re-induces the hyper crowd as they bop along and whoop to his cheeky lyrics. He is alone on stage with just his acoustic guitar which should feel cold and isolating however his presence exudes warmth. He commands the stage..the crowd is enamored by Quinn’s vocal prowess especially for the “ the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire” lyric. Quinn chats between songs and tune ups while galloping through his set list. Dressed all in black there isn’t much fuss.. just good tunes. ‘Twat’, ‘3am’ (which Quinn’s integrates James’ ‘Sit Down’ into the crescendo) and a slick cover of ‘That’s Entertainment’ by The Jam and Arctic Monkeys’ ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ cause subtle swaying and bopping among the crowd as his rasped Drogheda-twanged tonality warms the tracks vibrant melodies. A quirky anecdote about his hair being ruined by rain and wind while filming the video for ‘ Bubble’ has the crowd chuckling as he charms them into the second half of his performance.
Quinn puts oodles of passion and emotion into his tracks and it sometimes translates into, an eyes closed performance, however his emotive and passionate lyrics enthrall the hearts of the audience. A quick exchange of info about his brand of guitar ( it’s a Martin ) and a crowd members Harry Potter scarf lead the way into a sleek medley of Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Golden Touch’ by Razorlight. It’s a precise, well executed, enjoyable performance and a fantastic end to a night filled with talented Irish artists
Quinn presents his sublime tunes in an acoustic setting with ease and panache. In a live setting his music takes on a new dimension and aesthetic, becoming more intimate and personal. It was a fantastic Friday night in Whelans. Keep an eye on both Donal Quinn and The Collective. They have great potential and give us an indisputable reason to support Irish artists.
David Keenan is set to release his debut album ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ tomorrow, Friday 10th January. Keenan has self-released several EPs and singles, opened for Hozier all over the UK and Europe and had a week-long residency at The Irish Arts Center in New York. ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ was recorded in a week of live-in-room spontaneity at the Hellfire Studios in the Dublin Mountains overlooking the city. Known for his intensity, lyrically rich and powerful tracks Keenan delivers a debut album like no other.
‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ dives deep into conflicting emotions with relentless stamina while it’s tender moments and witty quips soothe and brings joy in the most unusual ways. Keenan’s sublime melodies and intriguing instrumental arrangements allow all to enjoy his rich musicianship. ‘James Dean’ kick starts the experience. The Sean-nós style vocals maintains Keenan’s unique appeal as he ornaments his melodies and holds his own with little accompaniment. ‘Unholy Ghosts’ is a refreshing vibrant ditty filled with lively instrumentation as the animated sway and catchy chorus boasts traditional Irish charm with a contemporary twist. ‘Alter Wine’ is the pinnacle moment of the album. Intense, fermenting and luring with a hint of innocence throughout – it’s exceptionally crafted and masterfully written. That sublime string melody both builds tension and laments with a sweet weeping quality through the sticky beat, delicate keys and pining guitar. The vocals articulate disdain, lust, passion and anger all while delivering the most striking and epic expression in the album with confidence and poetic depth. ‘Love In A Snug’ has the task of following its powerful emotive predecessor. Taking this duty in its stride the song tenderly broods to start with simple accompaniment before building superbly into a sing-along anthem.
The characters within his tracks have been everyone at one time or another as Keenan narrates his stories with flawless commitment. The piano accompanied ‘Tin Pan Alley’ portrays this superbly. The piano twinkles and elegantly laments with warmer tones flickering throughout. Each track is just as lulling as it is powerful, the soft brooding intros lead the way to compelling choruses.Every track on the album takes its time, some gliding past the 6 minute mark. Keenan allows them to flourish as they wish. ‘Eastern Nights’ stripped back presentation is a time stopping moment within the album as the guitar backing delicately glimmers behind Keenan’s striking vocals. ’Origin Of The World’ is a slow burner with a sparse almost haunting backdrop as it builds to its vibrant crescendo. The enigmatic thud of ‘Good Old Days’ swirls with themes of reality and poverty. Mourning strings layer the track in a nostalgic tone as Keenan’s poetic view looks at the past with a modern perspective .
Keenan fleshes out his emotive songwriting with ‘The Healing’ – a sprightly number which is twisted within its seams as Keenan weaves compelling arrangements with dramatic strings. It’s a joy to listen to. The potent ‘Subliminal Dublinia’ brings the album to a close. Starting at a strolling pace the track flickers with warm guitar as strings and piano are added into the mix. Keenan’s expressive vocal delivery is powerful within this track with the resounding line “occupy the city with original ideas” echoing the tracks end leaving a thought provoking impression.
‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ is a powerful thought provoking album. Keenan looks at the world through the eyes of his characters creating songs of nostalgia with honest moments and emotive chills as he builds and crafts his music with a maturity and majestic quality that is to be admired.
‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ is out tomorrow Friday 10th January
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Tame Impala
Tame Impala have released their new single ‘Lost In Yesterday’. This is the fourth single to be released from their fourth studio album, ‘The Slow Rush’ set for release on February 14th. This number sees Kevin Parker examine time’s distorting effect on memories. To date Parker has shared 3 tracks off ‘The Slow Rush’, ‘Posthumous Forgiveness’, ‘It Might Be Time’, and, ‘Borderline’. The Slow Rush was recorded between Los Angeles and Parker’s studio in his hometown of Fremantle, Australia. The twelve tracks were recorded, produced and mixed by Parker.
‘Lost In Yesterday’ is an immersing, timeless, nostalgic, disco hued gem. The elegant soundscapes create a lulling quality as Parker’s sweet toned vocals coo the dreamy melody. With an elastic bass groove weaving and wiggling between snappy beats and electronic sparkles the track has an infectious absorbing effect on the mind. The entire makeup of the track flows with a silky/grainy texture like soft sand running through your fingers. Tame Impala create an elusive smooth fluid-like tune with rich wonderful ripples provided by the sublime bass. The prismatic glimmering electronics wisp and flurry about the track with a feathery lightness that provides an 80’s tinged lustre. With a pop smudged chorus and foot tapping charm Tame Impala make sure this pearly delight isn’t leaving your head any time soon.
Bio: German artist Telquist aka Sebastian Eggerbauer has released his new single ‘Trash Talk’
Track: Trash Talk
Why We Like It: It’s a euphoric laid back fizzy gem that cruises effortlessly on a bubbling backdrop of indie delight. The ethereal sting on guitars pierce and vibrantly slice throughout the sticky sweltering backdrop with relentless stamina while a swirling chiming soundscape creates a youthful rush of adrenaline. The nonchalant vocals slur and drift over the sweet melody with a cool and breezy manner while the blistering soundscape blazes behind the kinetic messy chorus. It’s a fun, party-ready track boasting tight musicianship and effervescent instrumentation.
About the track Telquist said :“Trash Talk is a declaration of love to the nonsense that best friends tell each other and that remains even the lowest common denominator, if you have not seen each other for a long time. A wistful Polaroid on the one hand, over-excited, absurd and ironic, like cotton candy dissolved in Vodka-Energy on the other.”
Bio: SHEERBUZZ are an indie alt rock four piece from Donegal aged 16-18. The band have sold out gigs around Donegal and Northern Ireland including venues like the RCC in Letterkenny and Derry’s Nerve Centre. The band released their debut independent EP ‘All Our Time and Money’ last year.
Track: Jet Black Lambo
Why We Like It: It’s a fiery number laced in swaggering guitar lines, driving bass grooves and punchy drum whacks to create a blazing cheeky track filled with proficient and impressive musicianship. The band flesh out their sweltering sound with a slick and blistering instrumental break as scorching guitars sear and shrill between a thrilling bass rumble and snappy drums. With the perfect shout along crowd-ready chorus, witty lyrics, charming vocal quips and brazen attitude ”Jet Black Lambo” is a joy to listen to. SHEERBUZZ are a band to keep an eye on.
Bio: After two successful single releases and a relentless gigging schedule, London band, The Flitz have upped their game in order to provide their biggest release to date. The two-track release features Shoutout (A-Side) & Dancefloor Dramas (B-Side). The band comprised of Dan Fishlock (Lead Vocals/Guitar), James Kerrison (Lead Guitar), Ben Strong (Bass/Vocals) and Mike Lees (Drums/Percussion/Vocals).have over 5000 streams on Spotify and have over 1000 views on their Music Videos/Sessions on YouTube
Track: Shoutout
Why We Like It: This laid back dreamy gem floats delicately into the ears creating a soft soothing atmosphere. With chiming guitars and spongy rhythmic bounce The Flitz flesh out their luscious sweet melodic tendencies with an Oasis charm. The smooth vocals caress the dainty melody with a delicate subtlety while the twinkling guitars and acoustic sensibilities warm the tracks balmy embrace. Well crafted with intricate bass grooves weaving between the soft beat and wispy hazy soundscape it’s a delightful sweet melodious number.
About the track frontman Dan Fishlock said: “Shoutout is one of my favourites I’ve ever written. It sounds like a lost 90’s Britpop track though the production that Jamie [McIntyre, of the Covasettes] has put on it means it has some proper modern indie vibes. I wrote the chorus at my old house in Hendon while sat in the kitchen, half-listening to my mate who was quitting his job over text, which I thought was quite amusing. The melody came very easily and the lyrics are about a love interest; and also moving on, from one place to another.Dancefloor Dramas has very specific lyrics about a night James [guitarist] had. We both wrote it together and the chorus is an absolute sing-along.”
Bio: Escape The Box are an alternative rock band from London comprised of Ziey Kizzy (Vocals, Electronics, Producer), Aaron Maullin (Guitar), Stephen Smith (Bass, Vocals) and LouZy Hero (Drums, Vocals). The band recently released their EP ‘Pariah’. The EP was a completely DIY project. All recording, editing, producing was done by the band as well as filming and editing of the music videos.
Track: Miss Stress
Why We Like It: It’s a smashing alternative-rock mammoth. Relentless pulverizing drums pound against a tantalizing bassline. The slinky guitars hold a majestic yet rough persona as they soar and crash throughout the track exuding a shredding and powerful rawness especially for that scorching solo. With raspy vocals, speedy lyrics and vocal growls, Escape The Box present a punk-ish, punch in the face, rock number with a steamy element and refined outer shell.
We sat down to have a chat with David Keenan before the release of his new album ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ in The Library Bar at the Central Hotel Dublin. We talked about how he crafted the album, his intricate lyrics and how he creates the characters and scenes in his tracks.
‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’ is out this Friday January 10th
You can catch David Keenan live at :
JAN 11th The Empire The Belfast Empire, Belfast, United Kingdom
Happy New Year to all our followers and subscribers. We have enjoyed finding new artists and music this year and we look forward to listening to the tunes 2020 has to bring. Thank you to all who have donated to the blog keeping us caffeinated all year round and the PR Companies, Tour Managers, Managers and artists who have worked with us all year. We have created a playlist on Spotify with all the artists we have featured this year so you can have a listen while you toast in the new year.
We sat down with Chris Breheny aka Moncrieff in the cosy Library Bar in The Central Hotel Dublin. With the fire glowing, warming the room with its radiance Breheny discussed all – from how he creates his tunes to the events that have brought about his new EP ‘The Early Hurts’.
“Does anyone actually make it to 12 pubs though really?” Breheny inquired as we sat down with our coffee. The very Irish, 12 pubs of Christmas is a boggling conundrum as we wonder does everyone just give up after a few pubs and settle in one just to avoid the hassle of downing one pint and rushing off to another pub. “ I have squinty eyes in the morning” he announces as we take a few pictures “I can’t really see in the morning”. He proceeds to ask me about the blog “Is this your baby”. As I explain the origins of Indie Buddie, I realise I appear to be the interviewee rather than interviewer. His fascination on how bands, artists and media outlets begin becomes apparent as he describes how the Moncrieff moniker was born.
“I had moved to London, 5 years ago with no musical experience really. I was in a band for like a year with my mates before that. It was a Waterford band and we just played covers in our parents sitting rooms, but I became super obsessed with it.I was like I want to go to London. I had no idea what I was doing.I was speaking to one friend who had experience with music in London and he said go to the open mics. I ended up going to one in Shoreditch. It was crazy mobbed I think the BBC were down there filming that evening and all the best people had turned out and I thought oh Jesus Christ! All throughout the night I thought I’m not cut out for this shit.”
After being skipped past on the list Breheny gathers himself to give it a go and asks can he go onstage.
“I was going to sing a cover and ended up singing a song I had written before, about my brother and sister who had passed away.At least that would be real because I was nowhere near the skills of these people but at least it’s from the heart. A guy came up to me after. A guy called William Scott Moncrieff and he was this punter dude.This early 30’s, banker guy, nothing to do with music. He bought me a beer and we ended up having a chat. A lot of our stories had parallels – he’d lost a brother when he was young and he grew up in London and didn’t really have anyone and he just got it. Its hard to describe. Its like something the universe gives you that little thing and you can’t describe why. But you’re very sure that’s what you have to do.It’s so obvious. We left it at that he gave me some money for my taxi home because there was no buses at that time, but I left and the feeling I had after that was sweet lets go, and that was 5 years ago and I liked his name Moncrieff. “
He laughed in astonishment at the fact that there is someone out there that made such an important impact on his life and has no idea as Breheny never met the guy again. With such powerful and soulful vocals you would be forgiven for assuming Breheny always sounded so amazing. However he assures me this was not the case.
“I wouldn’t even dare show you videos of me singing before I moved to London. Jesus Christ !” he laughs. “ I wasn’t great, I mean I could do a bit. Me and my brother used to sing in the little school choir. A little church, country choir when we were like 8 and then I went to secondary school and you have to cut out the singing because singing is social suicide. Come on, in Waterford you don’t sing down there, if you want to do music the only opportunity is to do musicals or be in the school choir and those where both social suicide and all you want to do is fit in. So I stopped singing until I found a Ray Charles CD and I had never heard somebody sing like that. So I mimicked that, really badly, for a long time and I guess that’s where it came from”
Moving to London was the push that Breheny needed
“ I needed to learn so much In such a short space of time and… it was outside my comfort zone. I feel like I love Ireland so much but life would have been too comfortable for me. I would have had all my friends in Dublin, my girlfriend back home, sports and everything and all these distractions. If you really want to get real with what you want to do and achieve you have to get real with the amount of work that you need to put in. I didn’t even know where to start. Let alone what I needed to do. Dublin wouldn’t have worked, I needed to go somewhere that forced me to have nothing to do but music.”
Life in school for Breheny was a mixed bag. The image of a young man trying to find a medium between the things he loved and surviving school life was a task.
“ I never sang properly again until I was 18. It’s crazy I used to get bullied because I played hurling, like waterford minor. I wasn’t ever amazing I was always the lad who was fourth sub, third sub but always really trying hard to really get on the team, ” he laughs. “Just because I loved it but everyone on the team knew that I did some musicals and someone would see your face in the back of the paper somewhere and you would get the piss ripped out of you. Musicals were great growing up because obviously there was more girls than boys doing them and it would be constant flirting for like three weeks”
Breheny’s style of music is self described on his social media as “neo-noir soul”. His sound combines a mix of both classic gritty blues and modern urban pop influences. He is constantly developing and changing his sound with each track he releases delving deep into his repertoire of emotive melodies and gripping soundscapes.
“ I don’t think I came up with the sound. I feel like we are the generation who grew up and have listened to Spotify and stuff. So you are exposed to so many different genres. I could show you the last 10 songs I listened to and they are all completely different genres. My stuff is just an amalgamation of everything of what I am influenced by. My voice is soulful and I won’t be able to get away from that but everything else I just take it as it comes. Whatever I think is a good song.”
As well as working as a recording artist in his own right, Breheny has also worked with some of the world’s biggest artists, perhaps most notably as a backing vocalist for Adele.
“ yes that was a very mad couple of days.I came up super randomly from a friend of mine, he’s a drummer and he played with a lot of bigger pop acts. I was on a ferry back from Fishguard to Rosslare and he sent me a text and I was on one bar of signal just leaving the port in the middle of Wales and I sent a message back saying yeah and I just got the two ticks.It was mad though such a cool experience.I learned a lot about how the whole production was set up, how many people were involved and all the preparation that goes into it.It was such an eye opening experience. She was amazing.Her voice was incredible. “
The new EP ‘The Early Hurts’ is a summary of all the most significant people, places and events that happened to Breheny from moving to London until the age of 22.
“ I wanted to frame that part of my development. It’s a collection of stories.”
Its an emotional EP and a very powerful expression of Breheny as an artist.
“Haha! I’m an emotional guy. I think the best songs are when you hit a vibe, you connect with something, the lyrics then come really quickly. A lot of the time with my songs I’ll probably spend two days writing the song, but if you put a camera in there or a stopwatch on the moments of inspiration they would probably add up to like two hours max over like 20 hours because other times you are just out of it and you are not connected to whatever is going to come through you.Lyrics, they come in shoots. I will be fumbling around for ages and then in an instant I will have a verse and then I will be back to hitting against a wall with absolutely no hope for another hour and then something will happen. You have to just stick in there.”
A stand out track on the EP is ‘Villains’. It has a bluesy sultry tone with a Rag’n’Bone Man vibe and apparently is the flagship track of a bunch of songs like this. He also gives us a sneaky insight into one particular track ‘Serial Killer’
“ I had come out of a really weird relationship with this girl.She was just a bit mad, There is a song called Serial Killer that I wrote about her and then I bought in to this idea of you can do whatever the fuck you want in relationships and getting into bad habits and not caring in a bad way and thinking that was cool. Villains is cool I really like the vibe of it.I really want to do a video of it. There is going to be more songs down the line with that vibe.”
A very cheery and charming chap Breheny laughs and banters his way through our interview with an honest and joyful approach. I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between his intense performances and his fun-filled attitude outside of his performances – especially his performance of Selena Gomez’s ‘Lose You To Love Me’ on RTE2FM.
“Yeah it’s so funny I can’t help it. It is what it is. I remember looking back at it and I knew the recording was good and I didn’t think it was bad but I had a feeling that people were going to see these ridiculous faces that I pull and be like oh what’s this lad up to. I’ve been trying to carve what I do on a stage or when I do a live song and it just feels forced so whatever, it is what it is.It has to be sincere”
On the topic of advice for other artists Breheny feels pressure to leave some words of wisdom.
“ Oh I should prepare for this. I would say… don’t ever define yourself as your vision of the past.You should make an active choice to define yourself by your vision of yourself in the future and literally do that as in say I see myself doing this .. whatever future me is going to do… so what does present me have to do to get there. We all do this about the past. You can actively choose to go forward and that will define who you are.Life is so short you should go do what you want to do.If you do it enough and enjoy it, it never feels like wasted time.You will eventually become good at it and when you are good at it someone will pay you for it.Have faith in yourself and don’t care what other people think.It’s easier said than done but you have to be true to yourself.”
Moncrieff has a show in The Academy, Dublin: Thursday 16th April, 2020. He has been in the studio in Brighton finishing off six tracks for next year.
“ These tracks are where I’m at now. Its going to be very different. I’m thinking ah no,, people in Ireland are just starting to really enjoy the EP and I’m just going to give them this.” He winces “ we will see, but I’m really looking forward to it” ….. so are we.
We sat down to have a chat with Josh Jenkinson , Eli Hewson, Robert Keating and Ryan McMahon from Inhaler before their sold out shows in The Button Factory Dublin. We talked about how they form their tracks, the pressure on bands and artists now and what advice they would give new artists based on their experience.
Electric Shore have released their new single ‘Breathe’. Electric Shore are a three piece alternative rock band from Ratoath Co. Meath. The band was formed in 2012 and have had the pleasure of playing a host of headline gigs that have had an overwhelming amount of support.
‘Breathe’ blends Electric Shore’s emotive musicianship with authentic gripping indie rock to create a spine tingling passionate number. With ethereal guitars twinkling and glistening through a wispy wholesome soundscape the track maintains the bands sophisticated style as they create an icy atmosphere and lonely tone throughout. The song documents the collapse of a fractured relationship, one which cannot be salvaged. A solitary, lamenting space is created between the shimmering prismatic instrumentation as the lyrics describe the struggles of this one sided love story. The track drifts sweetly through a melancholic melody as it builds becoming more powerful leading to the compelling crescendo. With a punchy beat, elegant mournful bass line and passionate vocals this tender track boasts Electric Shores mature and deeply moving songwriting. They have crafted a tight and brooding number with refined skill.
Security move the eager front line back from the stage as the crowd in The Button Factory, Dublin gush about how many times they have seen new risers Inhaler and why “these guys are the best band out there at the moment”. There is a varied fan base for these young rock stars, a healthy crowd of all ages throng the venue to see what Inhaler have in store for their second sold out night. Many had seen them the night before, some traveled from the UK and farther afield to see the Dublin quartet. One fan in particular told me she had seen them the previous week in London and had tickets to see them again two more times in the UK next year. There is a buzz about Inhaler that is the envy of many artists on the circuit. They have even been long-listed for BBC Music Sound of 2020. I thought to myself, could this fresh faced quartet live up to the hype and deliver a great live show? Well …yes, actually they can deliver… with oodles of swagger and explosive onstage persona. The Button Factory witnessed something special Thursday night – a budding band which is destined to go far.
But first we are treated to one of the most impressive support slots of the year. Kilkenny’s The Wha embrace with ease the task of warming up the crowd. The band provide tantalizing tunes laced in psychedelic indie bliss with dreamy, moody, melodic undertones. ‘Innocents’ introduced the crowd to their melodically lush sound. The band’s modest stance and simple stage presence make them instantly charming however their musical prowess is not to be underestimated. These guys are a talented bunch of musicians. They had more control over our swaying bodies than we did. The Wha’s songs will make you bop and move before you even realise you want to. Bassist Marek Lech and drummer Abe G. Harris provide a solid, driving groove that is impeccably elastic and malleable. ‘Blue For You’, ‘40 Odd Years’ and ‘She Won’t Believe Her Eyes’ all exude wonderful hazy melodies with heavy blasts. The refined, precise guitar melodies executed ever so coolly by dual vocalists Finn Cusack and Sam Cullen had the crowd in the palm of their hands.
These guys are prime quality indie and sure to skyrocket due to their clever musicianship and delicious melodies. They are cool, competent musicians. The Wha are a band you need to know and listen to.
Inhaler triumphantly take to the stage to a mass of cheers. The rock ‘n’ roll band’s lively energy distinguishes their live performance from other acts. They are inimitable onstage, each members larger than life persona oozed confidence and skill beyond their years.
The band blast full speed into their set. Another proficient bassist, Robert Keating provides the infectious groove throughout their tracks with an effortless attitude. His serious stance charms some members of the audience to gush about his stern smoulder while his sublime and intricate bass lines impress the masses. The quartet have the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands from the get go. Everyone wanted a picture/ video of this young band in action. Ryan McMahon tackles the drums, raised on a drum riser his hair flops in time with the rapid powerful beat. His rhythmic thumping commands the crowd to dance. The bands sound is blazing as they weave psychedelic hues into their pummeling rock ‘n’ roll. “This one is the slow one so if you wanna go take a piss do that now” frontman Eli Hewson announces before the sultry ‘A Night On The Floor’. Quite the dynamic frontman he prances about the stage each flick, strut and pose praised with whoops from the crowd. Hewson’s charming personality is infectious. He moves to the front of the stage, reaching out to fans while executing a sweet little shuffle/wiggle with his feet. He holds everyone’s attention while his warm rasped vocals drape over the bands pop-drizzled melodies with a velvety croon.
‘Ice Cream Sundae’ ignites one of the most excitable reactions from the crowd as they bellow back the lyrics wholeheartedly and lovingly. It’s a non stop party. ‘Falling In’ continues the kinetic energy with its scorching rush of intensity and swagger. This band have an impressive first rate lineup of musicians. Josh Jenkinson is one class act guitarist. He meanders beautifully through intricate, lush guitar lines. His adept skill is majestic and a joy to watch.
It’s easy to see why Inhaler have an audience ranging from all ages. From the clapping stomp of ‘My King Will Be Kind’ to the glistening ‘Cheer Up Baby’ the band seamlessly drift through multi tones and genres providing something everyone can enjoy. ‘My Honest Face’ closes the bands set with the crowd going absolutely crazy. It’s a dark enigmatic track laced in explosive, thrilling and glorious instrumentation. No one wants Inhaler’s set to end. However the band don’t appear to stand on ceremony and they leave the stage with a bow.
Inhaler are a slick, well primed machine that are cultivating their sound and brand superbly. They are creating something truly captivating and relevant. It is easy to realise what all the hype is about and how they have garnered such a loyal adoring fanbase. They are an act to get excited about. They are mesmerising to watch onstage and with such a great sound, if they keep doing what they are doing these proficient musicians will be very big indeed.
Check out some more images of the show below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
