Alexandra Palace, London, November 5 2025
If there’s one thing about Turnstile, it’s that they don’t do things in halves. Baltimore’s finest, the collective have been pushing for it since 2010, and the last few years have seen them become a major staple in the hardcore scene.
‘GLOW ON’ – their critically acclaimed lockdown project – was a colossal moment for them, proving just how interchangeable their range was and how much people had been sleeping on them. It catapulted them into the spotlight for their fusion of hardcore, jazz-funk, shoegaze, and hip-hop. Over the years, their dedication to the grind has remained undefeated, and OGs will know that their 2013 record ‘Step to Rhythm’ was a statement of pure carnage.
After dropping their fourth album ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ in early June, days later, the collective revealed a stacked list of UK and European tour dates. After kicking off with a show in Dublin on Halloween night, the moment many had been waiting for came last night as Turnstile tore up London’s Alexandra Palace.
Joining them for support are English post-punk outfit High Vis. Warming up the walls of Ally Pally for the frenzy that was later to come, High Vis eased fans in with lighter, post-punk energy.
Picking up the pace are gothic horror duo Garden. Slamming it on drums with an outrageous level of angst is drummer Fletcher Shears. It’s not often you get a solid duo in alternative music, though favourable mentions; Ho99o9, Death Grips and House of Protection proceed to dominate this space.
Frontman Wyatt Shears is dressed like he’s in the Matrix in top-to-bottom leather, green fog surrounding him. ‘Ballet’ blares as a reckless electronic-infused prodigy. Rapidly lifting the energy from High Vis, Garden is exactly the angst fans need ahead of the next 90 minutes.
Lights go down and an ambience of synths fills the room alongside a glare of blue stage lights for ‘NEVER ENOUGH’. This moment resonates like a school assembly, as fans belt their hearts out in unison and oddly perfectly in tune. Despite ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ being one of the least mosh-centric tracks the band played, it didn’t stop fans from rushing to the front to muster up some pits.
In typical Ally Pally style, the smell of vape smoke and other filters the room, and the tip of a banana costume head bobs its way through the crowd. Waving his mic stand as the song fades out, Brendan Yates raises his hands in the air like a symbolic gesture, and their logo falls dramatically behind them – a grand entrance to say the least.
Playing a similar setlist from their Glasgow show just a few days ago, the group spins into ‘T.L.C.’. Beer cups and beanies are immediately yeeted into the air, and sprays of alcohol fill the room in cinematic slow motion. It took all of five minutes for this place to turn into an absolute sweatbox. It’s very unlikely anyone came away from that song dry. This is Turnstile, and it’s an amazing reminder that hardcore is alive and well.
‘I CARE’ is merged with ‘DULL’, and what starts as a cathartic moment of bros hugging and singing their hearts out erupts into blissful chaos. There’s a real unity that comes out of a Turnstile show. Somewhere along the front, one of the camera guys is stuck bouncing between the heads of energetic moshers.
“Pick your friends up. Put them on your shoulders. We wanna see you,” Yates commands, as the band thrashes into ‘REAL THING’.
Throughout their career, Turnstile has never failed to prove their ability to transform a room into a special moment. Earlier this year, the band made headlines when Yates stage dived during their Tiny Desk performance – a literal first in Tiny Desk history – but that’s not the only time their live shows have raised the bar. On May 10, the band put on a free show in Baltimore, Maryland, in support of the Health Care for the Homeless. The footage from this was shot like an MTV-style 90s music video, showing hundreds of fans diving off the stage, spin-kicking and living the moment to the fullest. It’s so manic that it’s almost dystopian.
Live, Turnstile don’t miss. They encompass every ounce of the energy you absorb from them on record, and vocally, Yates is incomparable. Their sound is unfiltered, yet every word is pronounced with perfect composure. Every performance they put on sees them exert the rawest energy and receive the purest of excitement from crowds across the globe.
With a discography packed with sultry jazz elements, trippy synths, and monster riffs, it’s hard to decipher what other bands are doing it like Turnstile right now. That’s because the only answer is none.
A disco ball lowers from the ceiling for the melodic ‘SEEIN’ STARS’, the diamonds shining spotlights around the room. It’s a beautiful and dreamlike moment, signalling that the night is coming to an end.
Two friends in luminous balaclavas shine brightly in the centre of the crowd amongst the ambient blue lights for ‘HOLIDAY’. While another guy stands on the shoulder of a friend helicoptering his shirt during the melancholic club-bounce outro of ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’. With a venue capacity of 10,000, the show resonates like one big house party. Think Project X but for alt kids.
“Free Palestine”, Yates blares into his mic. “This is so so special”, he adds, as the lights slowly fade and the singer rushes into the crowd to hug everyone.
From their Glastonbury Other Stage slot to their Tiny Desk, their free Baltimore show and the stomping ferocity of their Outbreak performance this summer, Turnstile have proved on several occasions just how special their live shows are, and no doubt the UK is always quick to throw the same energy right back at them.
With Turnstile, there’s no distinction between them and the fans. Everyone is interconnected. Every moment is sacred. In fact, it’s far from never enough.
