The rise of Punk continues to rise during the years, and now we get to see the return of Turnstile. In 2013 Turnstile released their first album called step to the rhythm, that 18 minute piece was loved by many. Fans moved to the speed of the beat in concerts and Turnstile was known for how fast and aggressive they are.The band kept that reputation for many years. They opened up for Deftones in Dia De los Deftones, earned many positions in Festivals like Sick New World, and hosted small tours as well.
After their Time and Space Album, the fans were left waiting for the next one. Which was released 3 years later called Glow On. That was when the fans really had a shift in their music. ‘Glow on’ had a few slow songs which weren’t very common for turnstiles. A punk band that turns slow? Punk fans couldn’t believe it. Not so much was said about it, because it was only about a few of them like, No surprise and Alien Love Call.
turnstile performance in Boston 2022 by Emily Gardner
After being absent for another year, they released their album NEVER ENOUGH. When this album was released, many fans had already made it ‘official’ that they lost the true turnstile. Reason being that the album was a mix of pop and punk music, and there is nothing more than what punk people hate is pop. They will say Pop music is too soft, or too slow for their likings. One of the slower songs is “LIGHT DESIGN”. This song was slow and upbeat but talked about finding love and that special person that comes to you when you’re lonely. Most of the topics on this album were all love based as well with a secondary song called “I CARE”. Fans that stuck around since they were beginning did not like how this album was written. There were still some good fast punk songs like ‘BIRDS’ and ‘SOLE’ but that never made up for the fact that they still changed their genre completely.
Not only did the band release an album, but they also released a film for this piece. The title of the movie was the same as the album. The main purpose of the film was to have a music video for each song. Each piece had a different aesthetic and somehow connected to the lyrics. For example in the music video for ‘SEEING STARS’ they can show how you can feel love with anybody and can feel lost without them.
Weeks later, the band announces their huge tour for the album, which soon changed every new fan and old fan’s opinion on them. Many fans recorded and posted on social media and saw how the band really showed out in their shows. The energy fans brought out with the band were what every punk crowd should look like. There were moshpits, almost 100% crowd participation, and crowds were singing their lyrics. Turnstile will then see a boom in their popularity, and that was shown in their show in Los Angeles. The show was hosted at Exposition Park and the tickets were Sold Out with 13,000 people in attendance.
NEVER ENOUGH Film made by Turnstile
This show brought almost more attention to the band because one huge cause of this concert was everyone getting sick. The venue was plain dirt and with all the movement from the people, the crowd was full of it, people were getting black mucus, but yet everyone was still having a fun time.
Even though dirt was everywhere and dust was flying in the sky, videos surfacing around the internet still showed smiles on peoples faces and crowd surfing. On social media people posted how their outfits looked before and after the show, and they showed how dirty their clothes were. Fans would soon switch up their opinions about the band, and say turnstile never changed and never will. Although there genre might change, the energy is still there to keep the crowd moving.
Turstile has had a rollercoaster of critiques this year with their new album, but after the film and the tour, many people will sell their arm and leg to see them perform live. They are still touring this year now going to Europe with The Garden , and thanks to videos showing how active they get in their shows. Almost all of their venues are sold out with fans excitedly waiting for their lucky day to come.
Alexander Damian, Culture Editor