Virginian Alt-Rock stalwarts Turnover took to the stage at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Saturday 14 September, as part of their Peripheral Vision 10 Year Anniversary tour. This show specifically acted triumphant as the closer for the tour, directly following a sensational concert at the London Roundhouse the night before.
Supporting Turnover were GLIXEN and WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL to get the crowd sufficiently warmed up for the headliner.
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Glixen describe their genre as ‘shoegaze’ with a sound consisting of tender melodies, grungy textures and heavy guitars. Lead vocalist Aislinn Ritchie’s vocals are a sweet pixie-like tone that wash over like a comforting blanket, making for the perfect blend of easy listing vibes with the occasional heavier riff or baseline. They were the perfect opener to get the crowd interested, but still ensuring they reserved energy for the main acts.
Adam McIlwee, currently known as Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, is a man known through many genres, from beginning his career in rock band Tigers Jaw, to then pursuing a solo career with a sound emalgamating musical stylings from hip hop, emo and witch house. In this current incantation - that was performing together as a band for the first time this tour - features a heavy country vibe to it with the acoustic guitar and heavy sultry vocals. This Mumford and Sons, Jake Bugg and George Ezra had a baby, that would be the musical stylings of Wicca Phase… and it works incredibly well. That low effortlessly gravelly tone just scratches an itch, and leaning into the southern twang at parts is glorious. Considering this is early days for this specific lineup of Wicca Springs (with a new album coming out soon!) this is the start of something special.
Onto the main act, the reason fans were sobbing on the barricade, Turnover.
Playing an album in full is always a risky move, as almost all albums have at least one filler track in it, but the audience screamed their lungs out to every single track, proving that Peripheral Vision is just as loved by fans now as it was when it was released, if not more.
Whilst they are heavily cemented in the punk and emo scene through their tours with Citizen, Moose Blood and New Found Glory, their music is a unique blend of the deep cutting lyrics and brooding vocals synonymous with soft-grunge mixed with the more indie-rock and dream pop aura of music.
Every track felt like this gut wrenching story that the audience were willingly dragging themselves through, though I was unfamiliar with the band, the sheer volume of the fans singing and seeing them all with their arms around each other in sheer comradery, I felt like I was witnessing something special, it felt biblical to be in that room for these fans to hear Peripheral Vision in full 10 years since it’s release. Their easy listening, blasé grunge crooning was all brought to a head at the end, where previously chill fans were encouraged to crowd surf for the last song, letting anyone with pent-up emotion or energy get it all out in that moment.
Aside from their incredibly talented vocals and music, their lighting deserves a huge praise as it was one of the most beautifully lit shows for that size of the venue I’ve seen in a long long time, it really helped to drive home the raw emotion of some tracks. Though initially uneducated on the liked of Turnover, consider me converted after this concert.
