By Kimberly Ilkowski
Staff Writer
The last time Turnover played at the College was at the very loved, loud and now demolished Rathskeller in the Brower Student Center more than three years ago. To the handful of students in the audience then, it was just another night at the campus bar.
Who would have thought that after several years and a monstrously popular, genre-bending sophomore album the band would find itself back onstage for one of the biggest CUB Alt shows in recent memory?
Turnover played to a packed crowd along with openers Rhea and Peaer for another gig on CUB Alt’s stacked spring lineup on March 7 in the Decker Social Space.
New Jersey four-piece Rhea opened the show with its own brand of melodic indie. Although the set was rather short, the band’s sound complemented the others’ of the evening, making for a very cohesive lineup.
As up-and-comers in the scene, Rhea told the crowd that this was the biggest show the band had played to date and made the most of the final song by performing a heartfelt solo to round out the set.
As the self-proclaimed “one piece-turned-three-piece subtle math rock trio,” Peaer played songs from its recently released eponymous second record via Tiny Engines such as the single “Pink Spit.” The band also went back into older material from 2014’s “The Eyes Sink Into The Skull,” a home-recorded effort solely developed by singer and songwriter Peter Katz.
The addition of two new members has allowed the band a fuller sound, which helps old songs like “The Dark Spot” gain a new, sturdier feel. The members of Peaer were all smiles throughout the set, noticeably at ease with the crowd and enjoying the lengthy jams they would dive into mid-song.
Turnover wasted no time after getting onstage, going right into 2015’s “Peripheral Vision” opener “Cutting My Fingers Off,” rallying the crowd and even prompting a few crowd surfers. As the band cycled through all of the album favorites, it was interesting to see the band a bit out of its comfort zone.
Just a day earlier, Turnover wrapped a two-month touring cycle with emo heavyweights Circa Survive for the band’s 10-year anniversary of its monumental second album “On Letting Go.” Vocalist and guitarist Austin Getz spoke to the crowd about how the intimacy of the venue was not something they were used to anymore, but a small-scale show like this one was a nice way to end the band’s experience on the road.
The Virginia Beach, Va.-based band buzzed through a speedy rendition of “Take My Head” before settling back down into more mellow territory a la “Humblest Pleasures” off the record of the same name, as well as the night’s closing number “Dizzy On The Comedown,” one of the band’s standout tracks.
The evening’s crowd was a dedicated one — across the room people sang along to every word while some started a mosh pit in the middle of the crowd. Although a strange dichotomy between the band’s laid-back energy and the audience’s sudden jolt of life, this isn’t a new territory for the band. Turnover has been on several hardcore show lineups in its history, such as the Back To School Jam in Freehold, N.J., last September.
In an interview with The Signal, the band members credited their ease in these environments to growing up listening to hardcore music, despite their own music not reflecting the styles of the genre.
With a third album in the works, it’s worth noting the prolific rise in popularity “Peripheral Vision” attained, as it redefined the band’s sound and scope from pop punk to more melodic, washed out tones.
Turnover told The Signal that the band continued to experiment with new ideas, but kept true to what it created on “Peripheral Vision.” While the group admits they don’t take quite as big of a leap as they did from 2013’s “Magnolia” to “Peripheral Vision,” there’s still plenty of growth to be heard.
“I’d say it’s more dynamic,” Getz said. “There’s probably some songs that could fit ‘Peripheral Vision’ and there’s some that would definitely surprise you.”
The band also noted how inspiring it was to come back to the College to such a large and welcoming crowd. The fans’ strong support is something that has not been lost on the them.
“It’s been a wild ride for ‘Peripheral Vision,’” Getz said. “We’ve been touring for a long time and in the last two years, and the growth has been very quick and very large. We’ve been working hard for it, and we’ve been very lucky.”
