It’s a stiflingly hot night in England’s capital as a sell-out crowd makes its way into The Garage at Highbury. The Virginia natives Turnover have been slowly, but surely growing their fanbase over the pond in recent years and this tour has proven to be one of the band’s most successful to date.
Surprisingly tonight, there are only two supports, with the first act not taking the stage until an hour after the doors have opened. Meaning that by the time that Generation takes the stage the venue is filling up nicely. The boys waste no time diving into their set of up-tempo britpop-inspired rock songs, getting the crowd before them moving early. The songs are catchy solidly written and delivered with a spirited performance. However, it all feels a little unremarkable and ultimately a little flat. 6/10
By the time the headliners take to the stage the temperature has become uncomfortable, with the swell of onlookers creating a cloud of steam above their heads and the fans on stage working overtime to keep the heat manageable as the lights bathe the stage in purple.
From the very first notes of the opening song Tears of Change the band has the crowds undivided attention. The performance is locked in, and the lads have never sounded tighter. Turnover have never been a band that gets the audience into a frenzy (despite its ties to the alternative rock and hardcore scene), with the laidback sound and mellow vibe demanding attention to its detail, rather than encouraging people to throw themselves around and headbang. Myself In the Way and Ain’t Love Heavy from the group’s latest studio effort are welcomed warmly by the onlookers and are delivered with studio quality by the band with bassist Daniel Dempsey and drummer Casey Getz providing a water-tight foundation for the soulful vocals and beautiful lead guitars of Austin Getz and Nick Rayfield to float over, which they do so well.
The first big reaction of the night unsurprisingly comes for Humming from the fan-favourite album Peripheral Vision with the fans singing every single word back emphatically. This track has one of the finest choruses that Getz has penned to date and that is more than obvious with the way that it is sung back towards the stage. Like Slow Disappearing and Super Natural both receive the same enthusiasm when they are laid down and the adoration from the onlookers ramps up to fever pitch as the lads really start to hit their stride in the set.
New Scream is another set highlight. It is a testament once again to the creative high that the band were on when they penned Peripheral Vision and also an appropriate indicator as to the average age of the people in attendance tonight, given that the album is now nearly a decade old. At this point it is certainly worth a tip of the cap toward the venue itself and in particular the sound engineer on duty tonight. With a sound as delicate as the one that Turnover create, it is imperative that the acoustics are spot on and tonight they could not be clearer. Every nuance and intricate detail of the songs are captured perfectly and the performance benefits from it greatly.
Another point of note is that the crowd are swaying and singing along to tracks such as Parties and Much After Feeling, but with the lack of breathable air and space for them to move it is a slightly uncomfortable watch. Not that it takes away from the show at all, rather it gives more of a chance to concentrate on the act in front of them and the band gladly with a flawless rendition of the beautiful Diazepam. The lyrics on this song are raw and emotional and the vocal performance from Getz makes this a truly memorable moment from an already stellar set. Keeping the full room engaged fully throughout.
As the set reaches its final straight the band empty what is left in the clip. The classics such as Dizzy On The Comedown and Take My Head are both treated like the modern classics that they are and show the level of quality tunes that Turnover have in their arsenal. And just as you think that the set has reach it’s peak, the band drop the set closing Cutting My Fingers Off to a massive reaction. This is a fan favourite for a reason and works perfectly as the encore for a set that has delivered on all fronts. Some may argue that the Turnover live show is a little one dimensional and singularly paced, but if you are truly a fan of the band then you should be able to recognise the experience for what it truly is. A mellow, emotive experience that proves that music doesn’t have to be heavy to be hard hitting and that if you allow yourself to be swept away in the moment then you can have somewhat of an emotional epiphany. And as you look around at the beaming smiles across the sweat-drenched faces of the patrons as they make their way out into the still-humid London night, we would say that it has been mission accomplished. 8/10
