Turnover @ Kings Tut's, Glasgow, 29 Oct

It’s a tale of two crowds as Virginia Beach trio Turnover deliver a laid-back set ahead of the release of their fourth LP, Altogether

Live Review by Dylan Tuck | 04 Nov 2019
  • Turnover live at King Tut's, Glasgow, 29 Oct

Turnover’s transition from moody, kid-next-door pop-punk to delicately blended alt-rock and dreamy emo indie on cult-classic Peripheral Vision brought them a die-hard fanbase. While critically they haven’t lived up to that record since – although Good Nature was a solid record that doesn’t get the recognition it perhaps deserves – fans still worship the trio like great-haired gods (and they do have seriously good hair).

There’s an easy atmosphere around King Tut's as the band step out, aptly reflecting the three-piece's low-key entrance. Austin Getz takes a seat in front of a small keyboard, and the room falls into an enchanted hush as his caramel smooth vocals ooze over the short, gentle, keys-driven Still In Motion. Unsurprisingly, given they’ve got an album to plug, there's a plethora of new songs, many unreleased, littered throughout tonight's set.

There begins a slight murmur from the crowd, seemingly not all as involved in the newer material as the band are. Sunshine Type – one of the best moments on Good Nature – seems to quell this slightly, as Getz's buttery vocals again warm the ear on another chilled number. “I’m sorry we only ever play Glasgow when we come to Scotland, but it’s a pleasure to play such a legendary venue,” Getz utters in between songs, before dedicating the much-adored Humming to fans who have travelled from afar to be here tonight.

The change in dynamic around the room that follows is spectacular: fans bustle forward, arms above heads, screeching along. They only become more exaggerated as another flashback track, Take My Head, eases in with its fizzing notes. Even those less familiar with the band could spot this was playing older material.

In these moments, the show feels electric and even the chilled nature of the band can’t mask the energy of the crowd. But unfortunately as the set progresses a theme emerges, in that fans only seem to get up for the old numbers, and just talk over any new material the band are trying out. As such, the sparkling new tracks from Altogether, and even some from Good Nature, lack any energy from the audience, many of whom are hardly watching. Not that the band mind, being such relaxed performers who seem completely lost in their love of the music.

As the group approach the end of their set, Parties livens things up a smidge, before arguably the band's most-loved song Dizzy On the Comedown wakes the audience up like a bucket of ice-cold piss chucked over your bed-ridden body in the morning. Yet the energy can’t even contain itself for the finale of Super Natural – with the crowd only harping up for the final chorus. Sure, Turnover aren’t the liveliest of acts, but the overly-passive crowd mars what is otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable set.

http://www.turnovermusic.net