Inhaler is an indie rock band from Dublin, Ireland that has stolen the hearts of many fans as they continue to stun with their unique sound, impeccable vocals and even good looks. Recently, the band announced exciting news. The band’s third studio album, “Open Wide,” is set to release on Feb. 7, 2025, and it will be accompanied by the “Open Wide” World Tour officially starting that same day in Leeds, England, at the O2 Academy. 

They even released one song from their upcoming album just two days before the Phoenix show, “Your House,” which presents a taste of their new direction and serves as the perfect song to segue into their new era arriving in February 2025.

The band performed the new hit just four songs into the set. Lead singer and guitarist Elijah Hewson introduced it with “Alright, in the spirit of Halloween, ‘Your House.’”

Not only did they play one song off of the new album, but they even debuted an unreleased song called, “A Question of You,” which was only played four times before they performed it in Phoenix. You could say the night was full of many surprises.

However, one thing that did not surprise Inhaler fans in attendance was their iconic lead-off song, “These Are The Days,” as they took the stage. The song was followed by other big hits from their debut album “It Won't Always Be Like This,” including “When It Breaks,” and “Totally.” The band definitely knew how to get the crowd excited and filled with energy right off the bat.

They continued to keep The Van Buren alive with not only their electric performance, but also the involvement of fans, encouraging them to sing along, fill in for vocals and clap to the beat of the song.

It all started with “My King Will Be Kind,” “a song about boys,” according to Hewson, which cuts deep into a feeling of revenge and prompts fans to scream a rather explicit line at the top of their lungs. It simply would not have been a proper Inhaler concert without the fans' involvement in the performance of this song.

“Dublin In Ecstacy,” a popular fan favorite, followed with an ethereal performance at the end of the song by Hewson, who found himself leaning into the crowd from the rail of the barricade, prompting one to two fans to sing parts of the song by handing them the microphone.

As the night went on, Inhaler kept a constant high energy level throughout the entire venue. It was not until they performed the final song from their main set, “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” that they headed backstage to get into costume.

After two minutes of darkness and whispers of what the band members could be dressed up as, the set was revived with green lighting and the sound of rolling thunder.

With the sudden entrance of a man dressed in a hazmat suit, stumbling his way across the stage before falling to the ground, fans started to piece together the costume the boys would be wearing. It was not until drummer, Ryan McMahon, emerged from backstage hunched over and walking uneasily with a cane dressed as a mad scientist that the fans went wild.

McMahon was followed by bassist Robert “Bobby” Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson, lead singer and guitarist Elijah Hewson, and keyboardist Louis Lambert to examine the man in the suit before breaking into, “Just To Keep You Satisfied,” their lead-off song on their sophomore album, “Cuts & Bruises.”

This year, the band went with a costume that they could do as a group rather than finding individual costumes like last year when Hewson dressed up as Elvis Pressley and Lambert as Freddie Mercury.

To finish off the night on a high note, the band performed “My Honest Face,” before expressing their gratitude for their amazing fans, waving goodbye and exiting the stage.

And just like that, their outstanding performance came to a close.

Inhaler continues their North America 2024 Tour with just six more dates in November, and they will return to touring when their new album hits streaming platforms on Feb. 7, 2025.