Tag Archives: Hardcore

TURNSTILE @ Depot Mayfield, Manchester. 3rd November 2025.

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I think the happiest place on earth could well be a Turnstile show. Now, I’ve waited a ridiculous amount of time to see them live, and I’m just glad the venue wasn’t the Victoria Warehouse. If you ever make a list of shit venues- that one should be top. Anyway, the venue was alright last night. Stood at the back on a platform with a pretty much perfect view. The sound was solid, but the band were truly something else. Part of me wanted to cry because I was just so happy. But all I could do was stand and stare and just be in awe of one of the best bands around. They could easily sell out arenas over here, and maybe that’s next. But for now, these decent sized venues are it.

Turnstile start the show with Never Enough, and for the next hour and a half- the crowd are theirs. They are ours. Everything is alright in the world. The set is mainly the new record, but they through some gorgeous oldies in there, and it’s pretty much a perfect setlist. In an ideal world, Generator would be in there but who cares?! When you’ve waited what seems like an eternity to see a band you adore live, you don’t care what you see so long as you’re there. Every song played is screamed back from the crowd, and there’s not a still body in the crowd (apart from the person stood next to me for a bit who was with her partner- he was having a great time, but she was having none of it!) As far as crowds go, this one felt utterly safe and just full of love. You could really feel how much everyone loves the band, and every song just meant the world. You’ve got a band right up there in front of you, playing with everything they have and to see everyone around you give that same energy back was just divine.

Much like Amyl and The Sniffers set up- the projector on the screen shows the crowd on stage, and also the band. To see the amount of love and joy on everyone’s faces was just beautiful. I know some have said it was a shit venue, but maybe we got lucky from where we were stood. I think Turnstile may just be up there as one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live, and last night’s show is definitely in my top 3 favourite gigs of the year. It was just such a beautiful atmosphere, and it felt really safe. That’s all you can ask for (although, it should just be a given!)

The energy the band have is beautiful. Brendan leaps around the stage doing leaps and star jumps, and you just feel how much he loves being on stage. Meg is one of the slickest guitarists around, along with Pat. Franz is one hell of a bassist and Daniel is one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen. Turnstile are made up of the best of the best, and the way they play together on stage is honestly such a joy to watch. The just exude pure love for what they do, and for each other. I genuinely miss them right now and wish I was at a Turnstile show. I think I’m going to carry that feeling around for a long time, and I just know I’m going to get that same feeling next year when I finally (finally!!!) get to see Deftones. I’ve waited over 20 years for that; it’s going to be something else- I don’t think I’ve mentally prepared myself for it. But for now, I’m going to stay in the moment of being at a Turnstile show.

The only bad thing about last night was the cost of merch. A hoodie does not need to ever EVER be £100- especially when they are selling them on their merch online shop for £50. It doesn’t need to be that much at all. I got a bootleg one outside of the show for £30. Come on now, £100 for a hoodie is insane, there’s just no need for it.

Back to the show.

If you ever want to experience sheer euphoria and a sense of freedom, go to a Turnstile show. The crowd were just heavenly, and you could see how much it meant to everyone. Seein’ Stars is a billion times better live, and I feel when I listen to it on record now, I’ll just have to sulk because it isn’t live. Blackout and Mystery were a joy to witness. Closing the show with Birds was WILD. The amount of times I probably annoy my cat but picking her up and singing this to her is a lot! Turnstile are her favourite band. I’m raising her well.

Off the new record, Light Design was the one for me. There’s something about this song that just hits me and to see it live meant the world. Hearing old ones like Pushing Me Away was insane too, and it was just a dream to witness. I genuinely don’t think I can fully put into words how special a Turnstile show is. Like, I can try write about it but it’s one of those things where you HAVE to see for yourself. You can watch all the footage online or on YouTube but being there, being right there is something else.

Holiday saw a group of lads in front of us go absolutely apeshit, and it was wonderful. Just to see a band bring so many people together, and to see how happy everyone was….you can’t define that, ever. All you can do is soak it all up and truly be grateful for the band that mean the world, and so much more to you.

DEATH GOALS: A Garden Of Dead Flowers.

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Death Goals have released some incredible music over the years, and instead of writing about how great they are in general- I’m going to try put into words why their latest release A Garden Of Dead Flowers (released in May) is one of the most exciting records of the year, and why it is the perfect Queercore record. These angels truly know how to make incredible noisy music to piss off your neighbours!

The fact that my cat is able to sleep whilst the washing machine goes full pelt and I’m blasting out Death Goals ridiculously loud makes me question if she can hear in general or if like me, probably has selective hearing! Pet welfare aside; A Garden Of Dead Flowers is way ahead of its time. It’s a magnificent Hardcore record that isn’t intimidating, and it is ahead of everything else around and it’s one of those records that just amps you up. I sometimes have a hard time focusing on things because my brain likes to go 500 miles an hour and think about everything at once- but when I listen to bands like Death Goals- my brain can calm down and focus.

It’s weird because say if I have an anxiety or panic attack, certain bands or songs can ease my mind and for the most part- it’s really loud bands that do it. I don’t get it, but I go with it. Loveless is one of the many highlights for me on this record; I could have it on repeat for hours and not get tired. Harry’s vocals have some serious bite to it; how they can belt out those vocals is beyond me- imagine being able to do that! The sheer range!

Everything about Death Goals blows my mind; there’s only two of them making this noise, and my god it sounds like there’s about 20 of them. That’s when you know you’ve found a band to really fall in love with and adore. I love the unity around them band, and how their music is for everyone. All too often we can feel like we can’t connect with something because it doesn’t speak to us, but there’s something so beautifully different about Death Goals, and how exceptional they are is truly shown on this record. They’re the kind of band that’ll easily influence others to make their own filthy, noisy music that appeals to us misfits. We need more of this.

What I love about this record is that it gets heavier with every song. There may only be 11 songs on this record, but every single song is delivered with such urgency and a fury that makes you feel every single note and word. Harry is a beast on guitar and vocals. Nothing can compare to the noise they make. And as for George; well, if you’re looking for someone to burst your eardrums with their ferocious drumming- George is the one for you! There are so many moments on this record that will blow your mind, and everything perfectly comes together on Faux Macho.

Death Goals just quite simply, reinforce my love for duos. Duos always seem to make more noise and deliver it with more urgency. The sheer loudness of their sound, the comfort in the lyrics and the general insane talent Death Goals posses is worthy of anyone’s time. One of the most exciting bands around, and A Garden Of Dead Flowers truly shows us all just how bloody brilliant they are.

KRAUT.

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Last week I went to my favourite record shop (in London.) It’s about 15 minutes from my work, so when I go I plan my dinner break carefully around it but I’d rather buy records than food anyway. Blasting in the shop was a sound that seemed familiar but unlike anything I had heard before. It was raw, loud and beautifully obnoxious. Sometimes at 12:30pm you need to hear something that feels like a smack to the face. Become totally enamoured by it.

I went to the record shop to pick up my uncle’s present, but I ended up buying something for myself also. It happens, I guess. But if it makes Christmas shopping easier- then so be it. The band that was being blasted out in the shop was Kraut. I’d never heard their music before, but as I was listening to them I could reel off the bands in my head that resembled them in some way. Kraut were one of the first hardcore bands and are responsible, quite possibly, for a lot of bands I love and listen to.

An Adjustment To Society was the record that I picked up last week, and for a week solid I have been playing it over and over. I play it irrespective of my mood. I’ve found every single song to be a real masterpiece and each song is you guessed it, a punch to the gut. The songs are deafening and full of an enviable fury that you wish you could unleash. We live vicariously through the bands and songs we love. However, the songs on An Adjustment To Society are equally as important now as they were in 1982. From disdain and despair felt towards to those in power and the way society is, never has a band like Kraut been so vital. What they started I feel is still being lived out by others bands, but Kraut started it. They were the blueprint- and are not to be tampered with.

Only one song on An Adjustment To Society creeps up to the 3 and a half minute mark, the rest make their point in a little over 2 minutes. Their sound didn’t require the urge to go on and on. All it required was the urge to be heard, and for anyone who listened to fully take on board what these guys where saying. Their songs were a middle finger to everything around them; they made their own rules and that is worth admiring. Also, as if being one of the first hardcore bands wasn’t enough- Kraut were also the first independent band to be played on MTV. That’s right, MTV used to play music videos rather than shitty TV programmes about who got drunk and got pregnant. It used to be the home of music videos. Not really sure what the M stands for now to be honest.

Not all great music must hold a message but a fair but of it does. With Kraut, what they stood for included everyone- mainly those who were pissed off at their circumstance, and I think that is something that is so apt for most of us right now. Their music was made to be played loud and to share daily frustrations to. The frustrations can come from what you see happening around you to an underlying frustration you carry inside your head to do with yourself. None of these frustrations are petty or less significant than anybody else’s. I may be entirely late in finding out about Kraut and I’m not going to act like I am their biggest fan ever, but I know this much- I know what they stood for, I know how important they were and still are. I know the best education I received came from record shops and not textbooks.

Everyone has their own take on what makes a band great or what makes a band important to them. It can come the lyrics, the sound and all in-between. Kraut had something else. They had something about them that just made your ears prick up and listen. They didn’t tame anything in the mind or body. They fuelled the rage towards all that was happening around them, and that just makes An Adjustment To Society as essential now as it was in ’82.