Turnstile Makes Historic SNL Debut With Dakota Johnson and Taylor Swift
- 4, performing three songs from their Grammy-winning album Never Enough on the Dakota Johnson-hosted episode.
- The band played in front of a wall of rotary telephones during their second performance, setting up a transition where the lights went dark and a single phone...
- Turnstile appeared on the late-night sketch show the night after performing a set at Austin City Limits.
Turnstile made their Saturday Night Live debut on Oct. 4, performing three songs from their Grammy-winning album Never Enough on the Dakota Johnson-hosted episode. The Baltimore hardcore band opened with “Birds,” which won best metal performance at the 68th annual Grammy Awards in February, and later returned for a medley of “I Care” and “Dull.”
Turnstile Makes Explosive SNL Debut With Birds and Never Enough Medley
The band played in front of a wall of rotary telephones during their second performance, setting up a transition where the lights went dark and a single phone blinked red on the wall as lead singer Brendan Yates sang, Deep in the night, I’m waiting for the call,
Yates supplied high kicks and stage spins, while Daniel Fang delivered a drum solo to open “Birds.”
Turnstile appeared on the late-night sketch show the night after performing a set at Austin City Limits. Their tour schedule immediately resumed with a Monday stop in Oklahoma City, followed by dates in Lawrence, Kansas, St. Louis, Ventura, California, and Las Vegas before wrapping up Oct. 18 in Santa Ana, California.
Dakota Johnson Hosts SNL Season With Taylor Swift Cameo
Dakota Johnson hosted the episode while promoting her new movie Verity, which had received a theatrical release the previous day. In her monologue, she joked about dating musicians, referencing her recent relationships with Chris Martin and Role Model. Keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, who joined the SNL band in November 1980, delivered a joke during the segment, and Johnson later brought out her friend and video costar Taylor Swift, introducing her as my literal therapist,
Swift later returned during the goodnights carrying a cake.
Hardcore Genre Milestone Marked on Late Night Television
The appearance marked a significant milestone for the band and their genre, as Turnstile became the first hardcore act to perform on Saturday Night Live since Fear’s famously chaotic 1981 appearance, (Though then-Jesus Piece drummer Luis Aponte did play with Charli XCX on the show in 2021.) Host Dakota Johnson had teased the booking in a show promo earlier in the week, joking that she was ready to start a wall of death
for the band.
Never Enough, released in June 2025, serves as Turnstile’s fourth album and the follow-up to their 2021 breakthrough Glow On. The record debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, topped the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, and earned five Grammy nominations, making Turnstile the first band ever nominated across the rock, alternative, and metal fields in a single ceremony. The album won best rock album alongside “Birds,” and in August, the group released Never Enough: Versions, a reimagined edition featuring Elton John, Hayley Williams, Slayyyter, Julien Baker, Four Tet, Blood Orange, Faye Webster, and Alex G.
Band Schedules Performances Through October
Following their weekend television appearance and Oklahoma City concert, the band has scheduled performances running through mid-October before heading back to Austin for Weekend 2 of Austin City Limits. NBC continues its season 52 lineup with Rosalía performing alongside host Shane Gillis on Oct. 10, and Gracie Abrams booked for Oct. 31 with host Inde Navarrette.