Turnstile Makes SNL Debut as Taylor Swift Surprises — SkimNews
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- Turnstile made their Saturday Night Live debut, becoming the first hardcore band to play the late-night show in 45 years, performing "BIRDS" and an "I CARE/DULL" medley as the second musical guest of SNL's 52nd season
- Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance during host Dakota Johnson's monologue, presenting her with a birthday cake after Johnson introduced Swift as her "literal therapist"
- The last hardcore group to handle SNL's musical guest slot was FEAR in 1981, whose performance reportedly caused $20,000 in damages to NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center (frontman Lee Ving later contended it was closer to $500,000)
- Swift's latest album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore — a deluxe edition of 2025's The Life of a Showgirl with four new songs — dropped September 25, ahead of the VMAs where she received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors
- Turnstile will continue a North American tour through November with stops in St. Louis, Austin, and Las Vegas, concluding at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles, capping a 2025 breakout that earned them a major cover story
Why it matters: Turnstile's SNL booking — the first hardcore slot in 45 years since FEAR's 1981 set — gives the Baltimore band their highest-profile late-night platform as they tour through November's Camp Flog Gnaw, building on a 2025 breakout that already earned them a major cover story.
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