Every decade or so, a specific genre of music gets a glimpse of its future and is tested against the greats who came before. This time around, the genre is hardcore and the front runner is a distinctive hybrid punch in the face called Turnstile.
I had somehow missed the build-up for these guys over the past ten years, but am I glad that I arrived in time for their magnum opus third album, 2021’s Glow On. This Baltimore four peace is on an absolute tear and the moment. While most American bands are struggling to keep their tour dates in the UK due to the variant, these guys managed to do two shows in London at two separate venues. I thought it was a misprint, but holy shit, each of the venues was jammed to the gills.
Double jabbed, boosted, and with a facemask, I show up ready to see firsthand what all the hype is about. The first show was two nights before at London’s legendary Roundhouse;—this night would be at the slightly larger Kentish Town Forum. Both are fantastic venues in their own right.
I’ve shot my fair share of punk and hardcore shows over the years, many of them without any sort of barrier or photo pit, which is both a blessing and a curse. If there’s no photo pit, then you have to bring your precious camera directly into the belly of the beast. (I’ve had lenses destroyed in these situations before.) Not the easiest shoot, but you do get some incredibly unique shots. This night there was a photo pit, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
It was the first time I was told to press myself up against the stage as close as possible and not move. Even before the band hit the stage, a constant flow of crowd surfers came over the barrier, being lifted over myself and the other photogs’ heads. Then the band started, and it was like someone had just pulled the hardcore fire alarm and shit got real.
Opening with “MYSTERY” from the latest album was like dousing a kitchen fire with gasoline. It’s heavy as hell, and while the riffs seem pretty simple, they are just complex enough to keep it interesting. The hook in this one is an anthem, an evolution of their earlier, less refined sound. Is it the major label influence shining through? Who fucking cares? It’s genius.
By the time the third song, “Big Smile” from 2018’s Time and Space hit, it was full-on chaos. The energy from the stage was generating an equal reaction from the crowd, and the photo pit had become the event horizon. Hats off to the security that night. I don’t know how they do it, but I would imagine they helped a few hundred surfers land on their feet safely. Having somehow managed to exit the photo pit, I put away my gear and headed upstairs as the floor was absolutely mental. I wanted to actually see the band and the pit from the balcony. It was glorious. It was chaotic. It was perfect.
The early stuff reminds me of Helmet crossed with Rage Against the Machine, and I dig it, but the new songs are on another level altogether. It reminded me of the first time I saw post-hardcore pioneers Quicksand or even the short-lived supergroup Handsome. Both bands managed to take something considered sacred and untouchable by the masses and push it toward a new frontier and a new audience while maintaining their street cred. Turnstile is that band now. Watch out—these guys are just getting started.
