Turnover settle into their Emperor’s New Clothes at London’s The Dome

Their transformation from punk-rock to dreamy, borderline beach-pop now complete, Turnover take to a sold out Dome tonight following a metamorphosis few others could manage. Kicking straight into ‘Cutting My Fingers Off’, the dizzying opener from last year’s ace ‘Peripheral Vision’ LP, their metaphorical new clothes fit far better than the oversized outfits those both on- and off-stage have opted for.

That record forms the crux of this evening, Turnover’s vintage hazed, complex ruminations on melancholy and medication a world away from their more angsty teenage guises. ‘Take My Head’ is a rare moment of bounce amongst all the gloom, but they never sink into woe-is-me shoegazing, the bright, dualling guitar lines of frontman Austin Getz and his six-string partner Eric Soucy buoying every moment that threatens to sink into misery.

Turnover’s punk past still keeps its nails dug in, though. A few tentative stagedivers emerge, a baffling drag back down to earth as ‘New Scream’ threatens to soar into blue skies. Before long, it turns from a trickle into a tidal wave, body after body taking to the stage and leaping forth. It’s woefully out of place for a band now far more indebted to Real Estate than Real Friends – a going-through-the-motions statement of pop-punk points that becomes tiring long before Austin’s mic stand is kicked over by one particularly oblivious contender.

“This is 100% the biggest headline show we’ve played overseas,” Austin admits towards the evening’s end, taken aback by their growing numbers of devotees. Turnover might still have scraps of their cocoon to shed, but it won’t be long before they’re spreading their wings further still.

Photos: Carolina Faruolo.