Turnstile and Taylor Swift Shared the SNL Stage Last Night — SkimNews
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- Turnstile made their Saturday Night Live debut, becoming the first hardcore band to play the late-night stage in 45 years, and performed "BIRDS" and an "I CARE/DULL" medley as the season's second musical act.
- Taylor Swift made a surprise cameo during Dakota Johnson's monologue, presenting the host with a birthday cake; Johnson introduced Swift as "my literal therapist."
- FEAR was the last hardcore group on SNL in 1981, reportedly causing roughly $20,000 in damages to NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center — a figure frontman Lee Ving contested in 2009 as closer to $500,000.
- Swift's most recent SNL appearance was in 2023 introducing Ice Spice; her last run as musical guest was in 2021, when she performed the ten-minute extended edit of "All Too Well."
- Swift released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore on September 25 ahead of the VMAs, a deluxe edition of 2025's The Life of a Showgirl with four new songs, where she received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors.
- SNL's 52nd season continues next week alongside host Shane Gillis with musical guest Rosalía, followed by Gracie Abrams and host Inde Navarrette on October 31.
Why it matters: Turnstile's slot closes a 45-year gap between hardcore acts on SNL that began with FEAR's notorious 1981 performance, which reportedly cost NBC thousands in studio damage. A band that headlines Camp Flog Gnaw in November now shares the same stage that hosted Swift's 2021 ten-minute "All Too Well" performance.
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