Since Inhaler’s last visit to Cardiff in February 2020, quite a lot has happened for the Irish indie rockers. They’ve released a number-one album, toured the world, played some of the biggest festivals around, and have gone from strength to strength. Now, tonight, they’re back in the Welsh capital with their really very good second album Cuts & Bruises released a few days ago. 

Having got the crowd in the mood with a playlist of some top-tier 00s bangers, the band take the stage with frontman Elijah Hewson waving his guitar aloft before they break into These Are The Days with an Irish tricolour waving from the crowd. Wasting no time, the band roll into the pints-in-the-air anthem that is My Honest Face with as much gusto as they can give.  

Inhaler are in great form tonight with Hewson shouting out each member at points, and the likes of So Far So Good and Dublin In Ecstasy from the new album slotting in effortlessly alongside cuts from their first. “How you doing Cardiff? We haven’t seen you in a while… we’ve all grown up, what the fuck is that?” Howson wonders, before the crowdpleasing My King Will Be Kind. 

We Have To Move On and recent single Love Will Get You There hit the spot nicely, with Hewson asking before the latter if anybody in the band speaks Welsh, as he can’t… we’ll let them off for that one. A double whammy of Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House) and Cheer Up Baby finishes the main set leaving the room in rapture for more. 

Returning to the stage for the encore, Howson calms the room with “we haven’t done our best song yet…” before finishing the night with It Won’t Always Be Like This. A great gig, when all is said and done, and Inhaler depart with Howson draped in a Welsh flag. 

Inhaler, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Tue 21 Feb

words JOSHUA WILLIAMS photos LEWIS EVANS