Hardcore harriers TURNSTILE take a stand before lockdown.

ULU, LONDON

Maryland’s hardcore punk mob make a last stand

OUTSIDE, THERE IS

a world of chaos and uncertainty, as COVID-19 begins to pose a far more serious threat to the UK than originally anticipated. Just hours before doors open, support act One Step Closer have had to cancel amid fears of a travel lockdown and the tour’s dates in the Netherlands and Belgium have been postponed.

But inside London’s ULU this evening, sweat drips from the ceiling as the amassed throng mosh en masse to the melodic hardcore styling’s of Maryland quintet TURNSTILE. There’s almost an unspoken acceptance in the room that tonight might be the last time that we get to enjoy communal spaces and live music for a while, and it

makes the already charged atmosphere positively riotous.

Considering that Turnstile aren’t due another record until the end of this year (at the earliest, maybe later given current events) this tour acts as a sort of escape from the studio, a brief sojourn to promote their soft-release EP, Share A View (three Turnstile songs remixed by Newcastle producer Mall Grab). Consequently, the setlist is made up of songs taken from across their entire discography. Every release gets a look-in, from 2018’s triumphant second full-length Time & Space to 2011 debut EP Proceed to Succeed. It’s the big songs from Time & Space – Generator, I Don’t Wanna Be Blind and Moon in particular

– that get the biggest singalongs but plenty of energy is reserved in the pit for the likes of Fazed Out and metal stomp riffery of Gravity from 2016’s full-length debut Non-stop Feeling.

Turnstile’s short, sharp feelgood punk anthems are injected with as much of the Beastie Boys’ infectious enthusiasm as they are the grit and realism of Minor Threat and provide a perfect antidote to all the uncertainty we are facing right now. Tonight is about that most undervalued commodity – escapism – and those in attendance won’t forget that feeling of freedom whilst isolating in their homes in a hurry.

REMFRY DEDMAN

What’s the worst thing about being in a band?

“If a show cancellation comes up, letting down the fans really gets to me, especially if there’s nothing we can do. You can’t explain to absolutely everybody and that sucks.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

“I wasn’t often in a place where people could offer advice; I had to learn a lot on my own and take a few arrows! People often tell you to stay true to yourself, and it’s something I do agree with. I’d give that advice to younger bands, and to recognise the value of hard work.”

When was the first time you felt like a rock star?

“There are so many different ways you can be a rock star, really. The first time we got a tourbus, our first album… those kinds of milestones felt huge, but I don’t think anyone in our band has ever forgotten that it’s not long before we go back to reality again!”

When was the last time you cried? “My dad got really sick and I found out he got cancer – I cried for days. We were supposed to be in Paris doing a promo tour and that was really difficult.”

Do you have anything special planned for your 30th anniversary as a band? “We haven’t ever really been a band that marked those milestones; we love our history and are proud of where we come from and what we’ve achieved, but we’re still hungry and eager to go to places we haven’t before, to do new things.”

Are there any moments that make you feel like a 30-year-old band? “With so much going on it gets really hard to keep track of time! At the start; we were just kids in Gothenburg mixing musical styles we liked together and people just happened to like it.

But I don’t know what I’d do without it – I’d be fucked if I was working in a factory or in a desk job!”

What’s been the most surprising thing about the impact In Flames have made on the music world?

“In the beginning we were pretty removed from everything else – it took

“THEY STARTED THROWING SHIT AT US”