Live Review – Turnstile at London Roundhouse, 01/02/22
The big news from Baltimore blows into town
With the eerily familiar mass cancellation of shows over the past few weeks, many were unsure if Baltimore’s genre-fluid hardcore heroes in the making would even attempt to make their way across the water.
Keep in mind that the last show Turnstile played back in 2020 before the pandemic hit, was in London’s ULU. They subsequently cancelled all remaining dates, travelled home and caught Covid.
Two years, a few worldwide lockdowns and a career defining album later, they’ve humbly returned to our shores for a brief run of the UK, albeit in much larger venues than those of their previous visit, with all other EU dates postponed until summer.
Providing support for the evening is homegrown hardcore adjacent bruisers Chubby & The Gang, whose blend of gritty old school rock with hardcore oi-punk, couldn’t be more at home amongst the devoted yet not fully-fledged crowd. Cuts from last year’s tremendous ‘The Mutt’s Nuts’ thump along with piss and vinegar realness, but it’s hard to ignore how much more at home the likes of ‘Coming Up Tough’ would be in an intimate, crusty backroom, as opposed to the grander nature of the Roundhouse.
As a cerese pink banner is erected at the back of the stage, awash in colourful hues of magenta lighting, one would be forgiven for expecting the haziest of dream-pop acts to be headlining. Instead, misleading synth flourishes guide bassist/frontman/occasional vocalist Fronz Lyons through the minute-long bubbly ‘No Surprise’, before careening into the anthemic, chugging groove of ‘Glow On’ opener ‘Mystery’. It’s at this moment the ever enigmatic lead vocalist Brendan Yates begins his crash course in how to dance, pop and groove like a hardcore shaman.
From here on, there’s a delicate balance between catering to newbies whose only point of significant reference is the group’s latest album, and giving longtime diehards their money’s worth.
‘Blackout’, ‘Don’t Play’ and ‘Fly Again’ all get their moment to incur utter mayhem among those in attendance, yet surprisingly, it’s the more indie-pop cuts that engage the crowd in unitive abandon, such as the Mac DeMarco inspired shimmering shoegaze pop of ‘Underwater Boi’ or the surf-punk of ‘Blue By You’ (which has reverted to Yates handling vocal duties after plentiful tours with Lyons taking the reins).
Lyons does get his own chance to shine throughout, showing off his soul-punk croon on the explosive grunge-pop ‘Time & Space’ highlight, ‘Moon’, as well as re-imagining the bridge of ‘Generator’ with his own Misfits inflected epic delivery. There’s also no denying the sheer swagger he brings to the hook of ‘Gravity’, pushing Yates’ self-critical refrain into a place of frantic acceptance and ownership.
It nearly goes without saying that Turnstile deliver with every performance, as the lyrics in ‘No Surprise’ so aptly put it – “You really gotta see it live to get it”. What’s changed since their last UK visit is the unprecedented surge in popularity that their seminal third record (‘Glow On’) has garnered them, while anyone paying close attention could see this groundswell slowly brewing since 2018.
There’s admittedly something odd about witnessing older cuts from the ‘Step 2 Rhythm’ EP such as ‘Canned Heat’ or ‘7/Keep It Moving’, played at a show where fans aren’t stagediving or being handed the mic to sing every second line. Alas, these are the minute struggles of a successful hardcore band; trading in the small, intense and dingy bars for vast rooms and halls, that are only going to expand in capacity as time marches on.
Where the tight-knit structure of their set has always showcased calculation beneath the chaos, it’s still remarkable how Turnstile have stepped up to the plate here. Never have the band sounded this in sync, rehearsed and sure of themselves. The crisp clarity of every chugged note, whammy-bar bend as well as Yates’ major elevation in vocal delivery are all evident of a plan to become the biggest, brightest and best band in hardcore.
Whether they were aware of the assured success of their latest studio effort or not, tonight’s performance makes clear that the band are more than prepared and willing to rise to the occasion. Closing with the clustercore of ‘T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection)’ and Yates seemingly endless interpolation of Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) ‘makes for a poignant end to a show exuding such energy, positivity, and in some ways, providing a telltale success story about some hardcore kids from Baltimore selling out iconic venues on foreign sands.
Zach Buggy