Turnstile have spoken to NME about the need to call out political issues in the US, explaining that artists “serve as a mirror to reflect what’s happening in the world”. Check out the interview above.
The Baltimore band caught up with NME on the 2026 BRITs red carpet this weekend (Saturday February 28), where they were nominated for International Group alongside Geese, Haim, HUNTR/X and Tame Impala – with the award later going to former NME Cover stars Geese.
For Turnstile, the nomination at the BRITs came shortly after they took home two trophies at the 2026 Grammys in Los Angeles, named as winners of Best Rock Album for their ‘Never Enough’ record, and Best Metal Performance with ‘Birds’.
They were nominated in an impressive five categories there, later taking to social media to call out the “heightened state violence” across the world.
“This band has never been about the individual, but rather about a collective searching for a common thread in a world,” they said at the time. “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.”
Speaking to NME at the BRITs frontman Brendan Yates suggested that it was a duty of artists to use their platforms to speak out against injustice.
“It’s very important. I think artists kind of serve as a mirror to reflect what’s happening in the world,” he said. “Especially in the States right now, there’s a lot of dehumanisation and a lot of need for empathy and awareness. We’re a band and we try to do what we can to reflect that, and let people have a voice and shine lights on that.”
The band also spoke about the widespread praise they have received for ‘Never Enough’, and the huge crowd of people they have seen show up for their latest run of live shows.
“It’s been great and touring has been amazing, so something like this is [nomination at the BRITs], is like a cherry on top,” Yates explained. “It’s so cool just to be here with our friends and to celebrate.”
Turnstile’s ‘Never Enough’ was ranked at Number Eight on NME’s list of the Best Albums Of 2025, and the ‘Look Out For Me’ single made its way to Number 11 on the ranking of our Best Songs Of The Year too.
Later this summer, Turnstile will be playing a huge UK live show in Halifax. The gig will be held on Wednesday August 26 as part of the upcoming TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall live summer series.
The Baltimore rockers will also be performing on these shores as support for Tyler, The Creator, as he headlines All Points East on August 28 and 29. Visit here for tickets and more information.
The 2026 BRITs were held at Manchester’s Co-op live and marked the first time that the ceremony took place outside of London.
Jack Whitehall returned to host for the sixth time, and performances on the night came from Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, HUNTR/X’s EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, Wolf Alice, Mark Ronson, Alex Warren, Sombr, RAYE, and Rosalía – the latter of which brought out Bjork as a special guest.
Noel Gallagher was named as Songwriter of the Year, PinkPantheress was Producer Of The Year, and Ozzy Osbourne was honoured with the BRITs Lifetime Achievement Award following his passing last summer.
For the latter Robbie Williams performed some of his songs alongside members of Ozzy’s’ band, including Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde.
It was Olivia Dean who took home the most awards on the night, and you can check out the full list of winners here.
The post Turnstile on using their platform to speak out: “Artists serve as a mirror to reflect what’s happening in the world” appeared first on NME.
