Turnstile Speak Out on “Heightened State Violence” After Grammy Wins

Turnstile got political on social media after taking home two Grammys on Sunday, warning of “heightened state violence” while showing solidarity with those who are currently oppressed in America and abroad.

The message came after the Baltimore hardcore band received some blowback from the hardcore community for not getting political during their two acceptance speeches at the Grammys’ Premiere Ceremony. In an Instagram post, the band shared footage of singer Brendan Yates’ speech for Best Rock Album, along with the following written statement:

“On Sunday our band won 2 Grammys for Best Rock Album & Best Metal Performance. We never thought we’d be in these rooms, but we are very grateful to be here.

This band has never been about the individual, but rather about a collective searching for a common thread in a world where those threads are being hidden from us.

The world likes to tell us who we are and what we’re not, but the truth is we belong to nothing and we belong to everyone.

We’re existing in a time of heightened state violence. We are watching people be pushed out of their homes here in America, in Palestine, in Sudan, in Iran, everywhere, as if they don’t belong to them. As if we don’t belong to each other. Music is a vehicle for voices that are buried, that are searching, that are alien. Turnstile has always existed as an alien thing.

Thank you to our family, our friends, our partners, our peers for continuing to shape us and give us a sense of belonging. Thank you to anyone who has ever come to a show and swung in the dark with us. Thank you to our team who fight for us to be in the room. Thank you to Baltimore for giving us a stage. Thank you to everyone who has allowed this band to be a mirror for this community. Thank you.

With love,
TURNSTILE”

Among the critics of Turnstile’s Grammy speeches was one TikToker who labeled the band “posers” for not calling out the “atrocities happening in America right now” from the “biggest musical platform in the world.”

Turnstile had previously shared an image of an “Abolish ICE” sign on their Instagram stories, as screencapped by SiriusXM’s Jesea Lee. Subsequently, former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert replied to Lee’s post, making headlines of his own by accusing the band of “pandering to their audience” with the political posts on socials (as reported by The PRP).

See Turnstile’s social media post below.