Bono's son's band responds in Inhaler name row Published duration 12 May 2018

image copyright Inhaler image caption The Irish version of Inhaler (Eli Hewson pictured bottom left) say they got there first

The son of U2's Bono has hit back in a row over the name of his band.

Eli Hewson, 18, the third child of the Irish rock legend, is frontman with a Dublin-based group called Inhaler - a name shared with a four-piece group of rockers from Hertford.

The English Inhaler say they were using the moniker before Bono's son's band and have demanded an apology

But the Irish rockers accused their namesakes of trying to "generate publicity" by bringing up the issue.

The Dublin band said they had researched the name carefully and had used it first.

image copyright Inhaler image caption Luca Centro (pictured) said his band were taking a stand "for independent musicians"

In a statement, the Irish group said: "It is not uncommon for bands in different locations to have matching names.

"We have never been in dispute with anyone over our name. There are other bands called Inhaler on the planet, but we seem to be the one the Hertfordshire band have targeted for some reason."

The Dublin quartet say they have been together since late 2012, but finally settled on using the name Inhaler in February 2015 after careful research.

"Based on what the Hertfordshire band say online, their first gig was at Saracens Head Ware on March 24th 2016," the statement added.

The group sign off by saying they are prepared to let their namesakes "have their limelight" but plan on letting their "music do the talking".

According to the English Inhaler's frontman Luca Centro, 17, the issue came to a head when an Irish newspaper used a picture of him, instead of Hewson, in an article about the Irish band.

Centro said his "psych noise punk rock" band were not taking a stand for publicity, but for "independent music".

image caption Bono, real name Paul Hewson, has fronted U2 since 1976

Related Topics Hertford

Dublin