In my estimation, I must have seen Turnpike play nearly one hundred shows over the last dozen or so years. In fact, according to my calculations, I have seen them play at least every few months for my entire adult life. On an off night, they’re the best noisy guitar band in the country. On an ON night, they’re like… I don’t know… being struck in the brain my magical lightning bolts from outer space or something.

Brisbane has this habit of occasionally breeding bands who start out pretty good, then keep getting better, and, in the absence of interest in and/or from the Music Industry, just keep on doing their own thing, fine tuning their sound, continually improving, and wind up becoming unstoppable forces of nature. No one epitomises this better than Turnpike. They’ve been playing awesome music for the love of it for ages (although they’re all still young and good looking) and they’ve never shown the slightest sign of slowing down, mellowing out, or becoming jaded.

If punk rock taught us anything, it’s that “bigger” doesn’t necessarily mean “better”, and that there’s every chance that the band playing to twelve kids in the basement two blocks over from your house are a hell of a lot better than whoever’s on the cover of Rolling Stone this week. In my years as a patron of the lively arts, I’ve seen Saviours Of Rock’n'Roll come and go by the dozen, and for my money, Turnpike bury them all.

Turnpike are fucking inspirational, and it is my sincere hope that I get to witness Adam, Tim and Chris rocking a hole in the fabric of space-time on a regular basis for at least the next dozen years.

By Adam from Eat Laser Scumbag.

MYSPACE | BUY