Turnstile @ PICA, Melbourne

Turnstile

After ringing in the new year at Beyond The Valley’s 10th anniversary, American hardcore punk band Turnstile tore into Melbourne’s PICA for a blistering sideshow on their NEVER ENOUGH Tour. 

The tour arrived fresh off a history-making year for Turnstile. Their latest album NEVER ENOUGH – their first release without founding member Brady Ebert following his 2022 departure, and the first to feature guitarist Meg Mills – became the band’s highest-charting record in several countries and arguably their most divisive, with fans and critics torn over the genre-blurring sound.

The risk paid off, and The Recording Academy took notice. NEVER ENOUGH scored five Grammy nominations across Rock, Alternative, and Metal—making Turnstile the first band ever to land in all three categories in a single year. 

Naturally, the internet spiraled, questioning how one album could compete in three genres at once. But the discourse only underscores Turnstile's long-standing resistance to classification. Punk, at its core, is a genre built on the refusal to conform, and Turnstile have never played it safe. 

Rising from Baltimore's hardcore scene in 2010, the band has been stretching genre limits since the beginning. From the instrumental interludes on their debut Nonstop Feeling, to the cautious experimentation of Time & Space, Turnstile have treated hardcore as a foundation to build upon rather than a boundary. 

By the time GLOW ON arrived, that evolution had fully materialised, shedding genre lines in favour of a fluid sound that pulled from a kaleidoscope of influences, including dream pop, funk, samba, and melodic alt rock without ever abandoning its hardcore roots.

Local hardcore heroes Iron Mind set the night in motion with a short but ferocious opening set. Formed in 2006 under the moniker Hold Up, the five-piece band have built a sterling reputation as one of Australia’s best hardcore acts. 

The excitement was palpable, and order dissolved almost instantly as a circle pit erupted, bodies colliding to each bone-crushing song. No strangers to sharing the bill with Turnstile, the Melbourne boys performed with the confidence of veterans, turning up the dial with punishing, rageful precision. 

The crowd responded, shouting and bouncing, returning every ounce of energy. Clearly, the boys had some fans in the room. 

British emo revivalists Basement were up next. After a career marked by hiatuses and returns, the band played to an eager audience acutely aware of how fleeting this moment might be. 

Formed in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 2009, the band played a ten-song set that felt both defiant and fragile. Fronted by Andrew Fisher, with James Fisher on drums, Alex Henery on rhythm guitar, Ronan Crix on lead guitar, and Duncan Stewart on bass, Basement cut through the crowd with Are You The One, Spoiled, and Pine, while the opening chords of Covet triggered a heartfelt, mass sing-along – a reminder of Basement’s understated but enduring grip on modern emo. Between the mournful melodies and explosive choruses, fans hung on every note. 

Attention then turned to the night’s main event, Turnstile. The setlist spanned 20 songs across the full breadth of their discography, as well as two songs taken from the band’s second EP Step 2 Rhythm. 

Frontman Brendan Yates, bassist “Freaky” Franz Lyons, drummer Daniel Fang, and guitarists Pat McCrory and Meg Mills filled PICA’s gritty, industrial interior with kinetic energy, transforming the venue into a whirlwind of sweat, exhilaration, and unfiltered joy. 

They opened with the title track NEVER ENOUGH, immediately setting the tone for a night that was as relentless as it was dynamic. By T.L.C., the venue was one giant mosh pit, the Turnstile love connection in full effect. 

Most shows hinge on standout moments, but last night Turnstile were unstoppable, each moment a triumph. I CARE and SEEIN’ STARS glimmered, while FLY AGAIN saw fans hoisted onto each other's shoulders, suspended in bliss. DON’T PLAY was a masterclass in layered complexity, while LOOK OUT FOR ME delivered an electrifying mid-way gear shift, both songs showcasing Turnstile’s full dynamic range. 

Irresistible earworms like ENDLESS and MYSTERY had everyone singing along, and HOLIDAY proved that no one composes a breakdown like Turnstile. BLACKOUT brought the lights down before the band closed with BIRDS, pulling fans onstage for a final wave of shared delirium. 

From the first chord to the final pull, Turnstile left nothing in reserve, serving up the kind of music that makes you want to step into your power and throw yourself into the crowd. They tore through every song with reckless, joyful abandon in an unrelenting celebration of the boundary-shattering spirit that has come to define their music.

 This is music that pushes boundaries, that surprises you just when you think you have it figured out. This is music you can skateboard to, music that dares you to live boldly and ignite a personal revolution. What a way to set the tone and start the year.