One of the most anticipated tours of the year finally made its way to Arizona last week- Turnstile’s Never Enough Tour sold out Mesa Amphitheatre and the crowd was a bomb ready to unleash their energy upon this stacked lineup. The Baltimore hardcore outfit was joined by Speed and Amyl and the Sniffers for a night of community and crowd surfing under the stars.
All the way from Australia, Speed made a triumphant return to Arizona to open the show. The band gave a shoutout to The Nile and Arizona local hardcore, drawing huge cheers from an audience that is all too familiar with the tight knit scene in the Valley. Between heavy hitters like “Kill Cap” and “Shut It Down”, vocalist Jem Siow gave his own motivational speech about the impact that hardcore and bands like Turnstile have had on their band and the camaraderie that is fostered when musicians and fans come together to form such genuine, organic connections. The sincerity landed with the audience but they were ready to mosh so Speed picked up the pace once again, ending their set with “The First Test”.
Amyl and the Sniffers- yet another incredible group hailing from Australia- provided the direct support for the tour and a dash of eccentricity to the lineup. Singer Amy Taylor had the sold out crowd in the palm of her hand from the moment her platinum blonde hair and shiny red lipstick strutted onstage like the main event. The band played a fast-paced set of no-frills rock’n’roll, with songs like “Chewing Gum” and “Big Dreams” whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The pit never stopped moving as more and more people joined the throng of moshers and surfers before the final band of the night.
As far as anyone’s concerned, it is still Turnstile Summer and the band has not taken that label lightly. With relentless touring and consistently stellar performances, it’s safe to say that Mesa was vibrating with anticipation during the intro buildup to “Never Enough”. The band took the stage with little fanfare- save for the deafening cheers from a sold out amphitheatre- and would have blown the roof off the place had there been one. Never Enough has seen the same level of success as Glow On and the setlist was a seamless blend of tracks from both albums, with a smattering of older deep cuts for the day one fans.
The band rarely speaks between songs and that was still the case in Mesa, preferring instead to keep the bodies flying towards the front- and even joining them on the barricade during “T.L.C (Turnstile Love Connection)” to the absolute delight of the lucky fans in the front. Listeners from all walks of life have found their way into this corner of hardcore, as Turnstile shines a new light on the genre and the communities it builds around the world. This show was pure celebration, with thousands of voices lifted up on “Fly Again” and “Seein’ Stars” as vocalist Brendan Yates silently lifted his microphone towards the audience.
An exhilarated, sweaty crowd clamored for more as “Look Out for Me” faded out and the band re-emerged for “Blackout” and “Birds”. The energy emitted from the band and the fans could have powered the city for the evening as Turnstile summer rolls along to the next city and the countdown begins to their next highly anticipated visit.
