Gig Review - Turnstile // London // Nov 5, 2025

Alexandra Palace, London
November 5, 2025

words by Luke Murphy

As fireworks were set off all around London, a different kind of firework was about to erupt for 10,000 people at London’s Alexandra Palace. The last time Turnstile played a headline show in London, they’d packed out the Kentish Town Forum, and have since graced the stages of some of the UK’s best festivals like 2000 Trees, Glastonbury and Outbreak. The fact that they immediately sold out a venue four times the size three years on is unsurprising, as their blend of pop and hardcore has inexplicably taken the world by storm.

The mood in the cavernous room is electric before the five piece take the stage, and it’s pretty clear that this is going to be a rowdy night. Now, Alexandra Palace is perhaps one of the worst venues in London. The sound is horrible, it’s way too big, and it’s rare that a band can fill the space with their sound to make it an enjoyable experience. As the euphoric synths of ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ started in the blacked out venue, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a problem for the Baltimore natives. They weren’t coming to play.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in a room that held so much excitement, especially one that big. Storming through a 22-song set that felt like it was nothing at all, the crowd never stopped. At one point, during ‘HOLIDAY’, the moshpit extended from the front of the stage all the way back to behind the sound desk, with somewhere in the region of 7000 people going absolutely insane. Circle pits opened up all the way through the venue, something that felt both like the final days of Babylon and a joyous outpouring of feeling.

At the same time, I’m not surprised at all. Turnstile have a knack for straddling the edges of pop, hardcore and stadium rock. Melding from hard-hitting like ‘ENDLESS’ and ‘TLC’ from their 2021 album GLOW ON, to more mellow poppy tracks like ‘DON’T PLAY’, this feels like a band at their absolute pinnacle. They don’t falter, absolutely commanding the stage. Frontman Brendan Yates held the crowd in the palm of his hand, switching between soaring vocals and guttural screams like it was the easiest thing in the world, not missing a beat despite the almost 90-minute set. The blistering set was matched with gorgeous, minimalist visuals, featuring solid colours that silhouetted the band onstage, transitioning to live, roaming crowd shots in the pit, and birds-eye crowd shots. When the giant mirrorball descended for ‘SEEIN’ STARS’, I think my heart was about to explode. Who knew that a hardcore band was capable of such stadium stageshow gorgeousness?

Sure, Turnstile are pretty hyped at the moment. But as they closed the set with the absolutely blistering ‘BIRDS’, it was abundantly clear. Are they worth the hype?

Abso fucking lutely.