Noel Gallagher is taking the son of his rocker pal Bono, Elijah Hewson, who is part of band Inhaler, on tour with him as a support act.
The former Oasis rocker and his current group, the High Flying Birds are set to hit the road this summer, and will be supported at some gigs by Elijah’s band Inhaler, including at a concert in the U2 frontman’s native Dublin, Ireland.
Although he’s best mates with the aspiring rocker’s famous dad, Noel says the youngster is joining his tour on merit.
“His (Bono’s) son’s got something. Eli has been getting it together for a few years now and has gone through the stages most young people do,” the Wonderwall hitmaker tells BBC Radio 2. “He started off a bit like The Clash, a bit angry. They’re good. They’re going on tour with me in the summer. They’re a bit like the Bunnymen and early U2. Which is a surprise.”
The 51-year-old even reveals that Bono thinks it won’t be long until his offspring steps out of his shadow, adding: “Bono said to me the other night, ‘The funny thing is that they’ve not realised yet that they’re cool enough not to hang out with us.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know what that means but it sounds profound.'”
Noel’s daughter Anais is an aspiring photographer and has created Inhaler’s album artwork, and will also join her dad on tour in Japan. However, he warned her not to expect an easy ride, adding there’s “no such things as days off” as part of his entourage.
Inhaler feature Elijah on vocals and rhythm guitar, Robert Keating on bass, Ryan McMahon on drums, and Josh Jenkinson on lead guitar.
The 19-year-old formed the group with his pals while still at school and they released their debut single, It Won’t Always Be Like This, in March.