Show Review: Turnstile @ Stubb’s (5/6)

We have some bonus coverage for you today. Friend and photographer, Nick Radcliffe, ventured out to catch Turnstile when they came through Austin to play at Stubb’s BBQ.

A quick excerpt: “For those of you that don’t know, Turnstile shows do not gradually escalate. You’re immediately thrown into a whirlwind of flesh, sweat, beer, and TLC (Turnstile Love Connection for the uninitiated). That said, the hardcore scene is known for its sense of community. Everyone is there for a good time and look out for one another. No matter the intensity someone’s got your back, or side, or whichever side happens to be thrown into the pit. I’ll give Turnstile some credit for this set though, they did try to ease us in.”

Click through for the full review and photos from the show…

Nick’s Show Review:

Temperatures were finally dipping from the mid-high 90’s outside, but you wouldn’t know that from the numerous moshes and circle pits whipping up dust and sweat. The lineup was stacked 4 deep before Turnstile even took the stage and each opener delivered to the packed house. Security informed photographers that if it gets too intense, we may only get to shoot one song before they pull us. At least one of us was an Astroworld veteran and seeing the mass of fans pressed against the barricade was enough to give us a bit of pause.

For those of you that don’t know, Turnstile shows do not gradually escalate. You’re immediately thrown into a whirlwind of flesh, sweat, beer, and TLC (Turnstile Love Connection for the uninitiated). That said, the hardcore scene is known for its sense of community. Everyone is there for a good time and look out for one another. No matter the intensity someone’s got your back, or side, or whichever side happens to be thrown into the pit. I’ll give Turnstile some credit for this set though, they did try to ease us in.

As the lights dimmed, the silhouettes of the tribe took the stage as the opening arpeggios of MYSTERY crept through the air, gently lifting us before dropping an atomic bomb of good vibes on the crowd. Turnstile, back after two years away, was on full display from the first track. Front man Brendan Yates jumps and kicks his way across the stage in what seems to be in defiance of the laws of physics, stopping for almost nothing except to conduct the crowd with quick chops at the air and beckoning them to give the same energy back.

Turnstile launches into heavy hitters “Real Thing” and “Big Smile” next, conjuring even more energy from the crowd. Men and women alike are sailing over the barricades. Bassist, Franz Lyons, whirled and swung his bass as he jumped on and off the stage showing the fans some love, often playing at the barricade. Daniel Fang is still a beast of a drummer, almost seeming more machine than man attacking the drum heads and cymbals with a steady, unrelenting ferocity. Resident shredders, Brady Ebert and Pat McCrory, dueled across the stage falling into the groove one minute and squealing into feedback laden solos the next. Security is a well oiled machine making sure everyone returns to the fray in one piece and all smiles. Most of the night is loaded with tracks from Turnstile’s latest album, GLOW ON, with a few call backs from their more traditional hardcore roots on 2016’s “Nonstop Feeling” and “Canned Heat” from their 2013 album “Step to Rhythm” summoning all the hardcore two steppers to the front.

The set is a perfect reflection of Turnstile’s ability to effortlessly weave key moments in their sonic evolution into one solid, cohesive performance. Similarly, GLOW ON, is a testmanent to their ability to color outside the lines of what hardcore purists would otherwise scoff at to create something wholy new and elevated. While the album goes full steam ahead from track one, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in attendance. The night transformed the crowd into an impossible machine, gaining more energy the more they spent. After what seemed like an eternal two years of waiting to see and connect with each other again, Brendan repeatedly shouted the anthemic lyrics “I want to thank you for letting me be myself,” as the crowd shouted them back. The Turnstile tribe was back together.