Turnstile Just Made History as the First Hardcore Band on SNL Since 1981

Turnstile just pulled off something no hardcore band has done in 45 years. The Baltimore group made their Saturday Night Live debut on Dakota Johnson’s episode, performing“Birds,”their Grammy-winning Best Metal Performance track, along with a medley of“I Care”and“Dull.”The last hardcore act to take the SNL stage? Fear, back in 1981, in a performance that became infamous for a stage invasion. Turnstile brought the intensity without the chaos.

The timing couldn’t be better. Their fourth album, Never Enough, landed in the Billboard 200 top 10 and racked up five Grammy nominations and two wins, including Best Rock Album. Dakota Johnson even teased a“wall of death”in the show promos, and a surprise Taylor Swift cameo rounded out the night. Not a bad evening at 30 Rock.

If you missed it, the clips are already all over social media. Turnstile’s tour picks back up October 5 in Oklahoma City and closes out October 18 in Santa Ana, California. So here’s our question: is Turnstile the biggest rock band in America right now, or is there someone we’re sleeping on? Tell us in the comments.