Turnstile made their debut on Saturday Night Live last night (October 3), performing ‘Birds’ and a medley of ‘I Care’ and ‘Dull’. Check out footage below.
The Baltimore band served as musical guests on the second episode of the US sketch show’s 52nd season, which was hosted by Dakota Johnson.
For their first performance, Brendan Yates and co. tore through ‘Birds’, one of the heavier tracks from their fourth album ‘Never Enough’.
Watch it below:
Later in the episode, Turnstile returned to perform two songs back-to-back, opening with the dreamier ‘I Care’ before crashing into ‘Dull’.
Check out the performance here:
The appearance came just one night after Turnstile performed at Austin City Limits in Texas, and it capped a huge period for the band following the release of ‘Never Enough’ in June last year. ‘Birds’ won Best Metal Performance at the Grammys in February, while ‘Never Enough’ took home Best Rock Album.
Following those Grammy wins, Turnstile spoke out against what they described as “heightened state violence” around the world.
“We’re existing in a time of heightened state violence,” they said. “We are watching people be pushed out of their homes here in America, in Palestine, in Sudan, in Iran, everywhere, as if they don’t belong to them. As if we don’t belong to each other.”
Later, speaking to NME at the BRIT Awards, Yates said it was important for artists to use their platforms, adding: “Artists serve as a mirror to reflect what’s happening in the world.”
NME gave ‘Never Enough’ a glowing five-star review upon release, praising its “heartfelt hardcore poptimism” and describing the record as a continuation of the band’s “vibrant eccentricity”.
In August, they followed it with ‘Never Enough: Versions’, a complete reworking of the album featuring collaborators including Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, A.G. Cook, Julien Baker, Four Tet and Slayyyter.
Turnstile’s SNL slot followed KATSEYE’s debut appearance on last week’s season premiere. Rosalía is due to serve as musical guest next Saturday (October 10), when Shane Gillis hosts the show.
