Turnstile brings hardcore to the masses at KU’s ‘Day on the Hill’ with Slayyyter and Die Spitz

9 hours ago

Nick Spacek,

Turnstile with Slayyyter. // photo by Nick Spacek

Turnstile
with Slayyyter and Die Spitz
University of Kansas
Tuesday, October 6

Baltimore hardcore superstars Turnstile brought their Never Enough Part 2 tour to Campanile Hill at the University of Kansas on Tuesday night for the return of the hallowed outdoor concert series, Day on the Hill.

Yes, it started at 6:30 in the evening, making the “Day” part a little inaccurate. Yes, it was only three bands instead of the half-dozen in the past. No, it wasn’t free. But were there a slew of youths having an absolute blast to Turnstile’s loud and energetic set? Yup.

Also, there were a ton of folks my age. I wasn’t expecting to see a veritable who’s who of Lawrence’s musical cognoscenti (many of whom sport as many gray hairs as myself) for a weeknight show that was … well, loud as hell.

Turnstile’s obviously crossed over by now, with this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live appearance putting a capper on a summer that saw the band play main-stage sets at almost every festival that mattered. Still, it was heartening to see the band playing a headline set to their biggest Lawrence / Kansas City crowd thus far, and still finding ways to bring back songs from their second EP, Step 2 Rhythm, like “Keep It Moving” and “Canned Heat,” alongside the sole “old song” stalwart, “Drop,” from Nonstop Feeling.

Turnstile. // photo by Nick Spacek

The songs from Turnstile’s most recent album, the Grammy-winning Never Enough, saw the most enthusiasm, starting with set opener “BIRDS,” performed with opening act Slayyyter, who’d done her own take on the song for the remix/reimagine album Never Enough Versions. “I CARE” and “DULL” saw a massive reaction, with dancing for the former, along with a hearty sing-along for the latter.

With a roaming video camera capturing action in the crowd, the not-so-great sightlines improved for those of us near the back, and the huge crowd felt a little more like it might’ve been back when the band could play a place like the Bottleneck. And speaking of sing-alongs, though we dipped a little early in order to make the walk back to the house, even though we were nine blocks away, we could easily hear the crowd sing along to each and every word to “Never Enough” as though we were right there.

Slayyyter. // photo by Nick Spacek

Based on the number of people who exited after rising pop icon Slayyyter’s set, there were more than a few hundred people who came to see her and her only. The audience at the barricade was absolutely ravenous with anticipation for her set, and from the moment she walked on stage, they were there to give Slayyyter her flowers.

Each and every song of her set was crowd participation, and I saw more than a few tears of inconsolable joy from those directly up front. It was as though church had come early, and everyone was present to give testimony—even though that was in the form of “I hope I die/ I’m doing drugs tonight” as they deliriously screamed along to “OLD TECHNOLOGY.”

Also, can I talk about how great it is that we’d originally thought her band was just stage techs or roadies? Just three dudes who look like they’re in a metal band, rocking out on huge pop jams. It’s such a great look onstage that only adds to the grit in Slayyyter’s catchy songs.

Die Spitz. // photo by Nick Spacek

I’d been waiting for Die Spitz to return to the area since last year’s amazing Bottleneck show, and was heartened to see them on the bill. As the band’s Ava Schrobilgen said early on, “This is the best lineup of all time. I’d pay to be here,” and I couldn’t agree more. While they didn’t trade off instruments the way they had previously, with each member sticking to whatever they’d started with, the run-through of songs from their albums Something To Consume and Teeth was tight and feisty, easily winning over those who’d come for either of the other acts on the bill.

Personally, I could gladly watch Schrobilgen and Eleanor Livingston shred and sing, bassist Kate Halter bop around, and drummer Chloe de St. Aubin pound out rhythms every damn week if I could. While the ostensible set-ender “Throw Yourself to the Sword” is an all-timer, it was great to see the band pull a surprise encore and break out “Groping Dogs Gushing Blood” for one last cut to get the crowd really riled up.

All photos by Nick Spacek

Turnstile

Turnstile setlist
BIRDS (with Slayyyter)
Real Thing
ENDLESS
I CARE
DULL
DON’T PLAY
I Don’t Wanna Be Blind
Drop
WILD WRLD
LIGHT DESIGN
MYSTERY
SUNSHOWER
Drum Solo
Keep It Moving
Canned Heat
SOLE
MAGIC MAN
LOOK OUT FOR ME
HOLIDAY
BLACKOUT
NEVER ENOUGH
T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)

Slayyyter

Slayyyter setlist
*PRAYER*
DANCE…
OLD FLING$
OLD TECHNOLOGY
CRANK
YES GODDD
CANNIBALISM!
I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS
$T. LOSER
brand new chanel$
BEAT UP CHANEL$

Die Spitz