Turnstile kicked off their Coachella set by addressing news that their former guitarist Brady Ebert hit singer Brendan Yates’ father with his car.
READ MORE: Turnstile – ‘Never Enough’ review: heartfelt hardcore poptimism
Earlier this month, reports emerged that Ebert, who parted ways with Turnstile in 2022, had been arrested for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault, and it later transpired that Ebert was said to have run over vocalist Yates’ father, William, with his car.
According to The Baltimore Banner, Ebert had allegedly driven up to the house, fired his horn and cursed at William before driving off. Yates then accused Ebert of returning to the house and intentionally hitting his father with his car. Ebert then allegedly returned once again to tell William he “deserved it” before first responders arrived.
Turnstile later confirmed that Ebert had caused “severe physical trauma” by running over William, who underwent surgery and was “hoping for the best possible outcome in his recovery”.
Seemingly addressing this, the band opened their set at Coachella on Friday night (April 10) with a pre-recorded video message from William Yates. “I’m Bill Yates, I’m the proud father of Brendan — they’re all sons of mine,” he said.
A video recording from Brendan Yates’ father, William Yates, introduced Turnstile’s set at Coachella pic.twitter.com/QPXWqHCALf
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) April 11, 2026
“They’ve been practising in the house for 13 years. Just recently, they vacated the basement. Finally, after a dozen years. The larger the venue, the better. They just enjoy the energy. All the fans out there: we love you, and Turnstile loves you. Enjoy the ride!”
Though the video appeared to have been filmed before the incident, and while Turnstile did not address the news directly, its inclusion felt highly intentional. The move to include it also drew praise from fans, with one writing: “Very heartfelt and smart way for them to address the elephant in the room before getting on with the show.”
Recently, The Baltimore Banner revealed that Ebert had told a district court commissioner that the alleged incident was “pure self-defence”, further claiming that he “was straight-up attacked”. He also reportedly told the commissioner that CCTV footage would contradict police accounts of the incident.
Since leaving Turnstile, Ebert founded a new band in 2025 called The S.E.T (or ‘The Self Evident Truth’).
However, Ebert was kicked out of The S.E.T in February after accusing Turnstile of misusing funds from a benefit gig. He also claimed Turnstile were “pandering to their audience” (per Vice) when the band posted a graphic reading “abolish ICE”.
“Brady is no longer a member of THE S.E.T,” the band wrote online, just days before the release of their debut EP. “We will not stand by his ridiculous comments and behaviour toward the members of our band and our community”.
Ebert’s other former band, Experience, have confirmed they will release their debut EP with Ebert’s contributions intact, calling his attempted murder case “serious and deeply upsetting”.
Elsewhere, Turnstile will soon play a UK-exclusive headline show at The Piece Hall in Halifax and open for Tyler, The Creator at London’s All Points East.
You can check out the set times for Coachella weekend one here, along with details on how to watch the festival online.
The post Turnstile open Coachella set with recording of Brendan Yates’ father after band’s former guitarist was arrested for his attempted murder appeared first on NME.
