Author: Yasmin Ettobi
Header photo credit: Discover Magazine
The only thing that Turnstile and Turnover have in common is the fact that both bands feature the world “turn” in their name. So why in the world are they on a North American tour together? I honestly have no answer for this question, but I’m certainly not complaining. The punk metal Turnstile opened with complimented Turnover’s dream-pop in a very strange but very satisfying fashion.
Before either of these “turn” bands took the stage, Portland’s Reptaliens warmed the show up, immediately adding to the weirdness of the night. I’ve seen Reptaliens before when they opened for Of Montreal so I braced myself for what as to come, but nobody else was prepared for a man in a shiny cape and alien mask to take the middle of the stage and proclaim that Flat Earth was the world’s one true salvation.
The rest of the band quickly followed after the alien with music any fan of Foxygen would enjoy (they even had a song called “Shuggie…” what a strange coincidence…) The bright indie pop was backed up by a couple of wigs, a crocodile mask, and to top it all off, a strip show.
Their was still much confusion in the air 10 minutes after Reptaliens took the stage, but it all melted away the moment that Turnstile took the stage. As someone who had never heard a single song by the group before, every song pretty much sounded the same, but the raw energy that they brought to the stage was undeniable. Young men were either pushing each other as hard as they could or flinging oncoming crowd surfers over the barricade, where they would then run back into the pit and do it all over again. The scream-singing and guitar wailing that Turnstile brought to the Showbox grew on me quickly, and gave me plenty of new songs to put on my workout playlist.
After Turnstile left the stage, the crowd mellowed out pretty quickly. Those who were solely there to mosh just left, and avid Turnover fans swarmed the first couple rows in sheer excitement.
Listening to Turnover with headphones on makes it feel like summer no matter what the weather actually is, and the trio was able to transport this feeling to a live setting perfectly. The mellow guitar and sing-song melodies off of their most recent albums were complimented by glowing golden lighting and a child-like stop motion background featuring a sunny neighborhood. Songs like “Super Natural” and “Take My Head” stood out particularly to me, as smiles lit up on everyone’s face as soon as they recognized what song was about to be played.
In conclusion, will Turnstile and Turnover ever tour again? Probably not. I’m glad I was able to witness the strange yet endearing lineup that the two groups made up.
YASMIN ETTOBI | KXSU Music Reporter