Live Review: Turnstile Kick Off 2026 at the Edge of the World at Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Turnstile played The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia on Tuesday 6th January 2026. After the biggest six months of their career, 2025’s princelings of alternative rock, Turnstile didn’t so much kick off their 2026 in Sydney as load up the gangways and detonate it.
The last time The Travel Magazine saw the Baltimore five-piece was on the other side of the world, headlining Outbreak Festival in London last June (a top billing that seemed surprisingly confident at the time).
Their fourth studio album, Never Enough, had only just been released. Since then, they’ve gone on to rake in the accolades, including six Grammy nominations, a Billboard Alternative No. 1 album, and appearances on nearly every end-of-year list. With it, they’ve absolutely proven their headliner status.
All this while the Never Enough tour has ploughed its way round the world, one mosh pit at a time. Perhaps it’s only because of the enforced break over Christmas and New Year that they’ve actually had a few days to hold it and take stock of what they’ve achieved, so when they catapult themselves down to the outer reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, their indefatigable energy is matched by a newfound reflectiveness. “Coming to shows has always given me a home,” says singer Brendan Yates from the stage. “A place to show up and be yourself in a way words can’t provide you.”
Usually happier to let the music do the talking, his address to the crowd is unusually candid and shows he’s not been taking their upward trajectory for granted. “Speaking of Never Enough”, he says, with a noticeable tremble of emotion in his voice, “We felt we bit off more than we could chew trying to figure out what it is we were trying to get out — just shooting in the dark.”
But the 5,000 or so fans bouncing dutifully in time to every charged riff and hardcore breakdown are no blind target, and while the rest of the world hibernates, here in Sydney we dance. By now the Turnstile live formula is well honed: a blend of melodic, cross-genre almost-pop songs like “I CARE,” the electronic-infused “LOOK OUT FOR ME” and “SEEIN’ STARS”; a deep dive into early-days hardcore classics like “Real Thing” and “Keep It Moving”; before rounding off the show with an outrageous run of mega bangers — “Holiday,” “Mystery,” “Blackout.”
Showing their respect to Australia’s own thriving hardcore scene, Sydney’s torchbearers SPEED are given cameo appearances throughout, first appearing on screen during “DULL” mimicking answering a telephone in sync with the lyrics “waiting for your call,” a kind of live-show meme not unlike Charli XCX’s repeatable Apple dance from her Brat tour; then Jem Siow appears on stage alongside half the audience to lend vocals to the rousing finale, “Birds.”
As we pile out of the venue into the sticky warm night air, you can only conclude that even in a moment of reflection, Turnstile’s natural state remains forward motion, loud, physical, communal, and very much alive.
Turnstile’s 2026 tour continues around the world as follows:
Australia – January 2026
Fri 9 Jan 2026 — Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD
Sun 11 Jan 2026 — Red Hill Auditorium, Perth, WA
North America & Europe – 2025
Mon 15 Sep 2025 — The Pinnacle at Nashville Yards, Nashville, TN, USA
Fri 19 Sep 2025 — Skyline Stage at the Mann, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Wed 30 Sep 2025 — Project 70: Under the Bridge, Denver, CO, USA
Sat 25 Oct 2025 — Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA
Sun 2 Nov 2025 — O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
Wed 5 Nov 2025 — Alexandra Palace, London, UK
Fri 14 Nov 2025 — Velodrom, Berlin, Germany
Sun 24 Nov 2025 — Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona, Spain
Thu 27 Nov 2025 — Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain
The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney’s Home for Wanderers & Music Lovers
Perched in Sydney’s entertainment precinct on the old showgrounds, the Hordern Pavilion has been both a literal and metaphorical waypoint on global tours for a century. Built in 1924 as exhibition space and evolving through multiple renovations, The Hordern has hosted everyone from Frank Sinatra and Nirvana to Queen, Coldplay and Billie Eilish – a roll call that underlines its status as one of Australia’s most iconic live venues.
Which is great, because it’s a comfortable space where everyone gets a good view. With capacity for around 5,500 fans and an interior that accommodates both tiered seating and a wide floor mosh pit, it bridges the intimacy of club shows with the scale of arena tours. The place is designed for movement, expansive domed ceilings, uninterrupted sightlines, and a plaza and beer garden out front that make arriving early, lingering late or simply soaking up the vibe part of the experience.
For travellers and music pilgrims alike, the Hordern Pavilion doesn’t feel peripheral; it feels central to Sydney’s cultural fabric, a venue where community and spectacle coexist, where locals and visitors converge under lights and sound systems that have guided generations of concert nights. Make sure you add it to your itinerary on your next trip to Sydney!
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