Baltimore-based hardcore band Turnstile played a blisteringly fast and loud 45-minute set on April 26, at the Gothic Theatre.

The 1,100-person maximum capacity venue was packed during each of the four openers: Ceremony, Truth Cult, Ekulu and Citizen. Stage diving and moshing were prominent long before the main act took the stage. 

The short, heavy sets of each opener had the crowd buzzing with energetic excitement while the roadies set up Turnstile’s gear. A sea of tattooed, black shirt-wearing punks launched into an enormously loud singalong of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” in the moments before the band kicked off their set.  

As the bubbly intro to “Mystery” rang out from the PA system and the lights dropped, the crowd launched into enormous cheers. People started moving as soon as the rhythm guitar launched into a crunchy drone of chords. The entire pit broke out into moshing when the rest of the band joined in.

Turnstile’s frontman Brendan Yates filled the air with a wild mix of soft, mellow vocals and hard-hitting yells — at times sounding like an oddly reminiscent mix of Zach de la Rocha and Maynard James Keenan crossed with Joji and Ruby da Cherry. Yates included a peremptory “I want to go fast!” before several songs, seemingly addressing both the crowd and his bandmates.

Floating between countless genres, Turnstile combined traditional elements of hardcore punk: Loud and fast drums, heavily distorted guitar riffs, thick bass lines and vocals that are designed to be screamed along to by a packed crowd, they are unique in blending pop-punk, bedroom pop, melodic hardcore, thrash metal and a whole variety of other sonic influences. Ever since the first hardcore album was released, numerous bands have attempted to blend genres and bring a wider audience than more traditional sounds. Few bands, if any, have been able to pull it off as flawlessly as Turnstile.

Thorough moshing ensued throughout the duration of Turnstile’s set, with a steady stream of stage divers crawling up before launching themselves out into the pit. The band’s energy matched that of the crowd.  

Despite battling several equipment failures and, at one point, a small fight in the mosh pit, they played hard and fast for the duration of their time on stage, wasting no time between songs. They made full use of the Gothic’s sound system, following up their openers with a discernibly loud set that was mixed well and a vibe that was a perfect fit for a small, tight venue like the Gothic. 

Following a pounding rendition of “T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)” to close out the night, sweat-soaked fans helped one another gather lost belongings dropped in the heat of the show. 

Turnstile turned the Gothic Theater into an unstoppable mosh pit for nearly an hour. The crowd did not stop moving once—the ultimate sign of a fantastic and, in this case, particularly memorable show.