Turnstile takes Baltimore hardcore to the ‘Saturday Night Live’ stage

Baltimore hardcore officially went live from New York on Saturday night.

Turnstile made its long-awaited “Saturday Night Live” debut, bringing the Baltimore band’s live energy to Studio 8H — and making a little history. The group became the first hardcore band to perform on the NBC show since Fear’s 1981 appearance.

Introduced by host Dakota Johnson, frontman Brendan Yates and the band ripped through “BIRDS,” the Grammy-winning track from Turnstile’s “Never Enough.” The band returned later for a medley of “I CARE” and “DULL.” Yates brought his signature full-throttle presence to one of television’s biggest stages. And the band was on hand for another memorable moment during the show, when Taylor Swift made a cameo appearance.

It was another big moment in a monster year for Turnstile, which won two Grammys in February for “Never Enough” and “BIRDS.” The band has spent much of the year touring Europe but found time to throw the ceremonial first pitch at an Orioles game in July. Turnstile then released in August “Never Enough: Versions,” featuring reimagined versions of songs from its 2025 album by Elton John, Hayley Williams and Baltimore musicians including Nourished by Time and Brandon Woody.

For a band that came up in Baltimore’s hardcore scene, there probably aren’t many bigger stages left to conquer: Baltimore hardcore, live from New York, on “Saturday Night Live.”