Inside the Pit at Turnstile’s Free Benefit Show on the National Mall

Photography by Olivia Thomas

Photographing a hardcore mosh pit is not for the faint-hearted. D.C. photographer Olivia Thomas captured Turnstile's free benefit concert at the base of the Washington Monument and walked away with iconic snapshots of the body frenzy—and bruises.

"I probably should've dodged a bit more. I had a busted lip and a cracked phone by the end of the day, but it was unquestionably worth it."

This is Thomas' second time photographing a hardcore show, the first being Glitterer's September show benefiting Ward 1 Mutual Aid—also at the Washington Monument. See her snapshots of the mayhem:

The photos of the moshing have since added to the halo of rare, canonically punk and countercultural scenes against the backdrop of the National Mall. It’s a punk reclamation of the monument that goes all the way back to hometown punk icons Fugazi’s 1993 and 1995 concerts on the Mall, which both served as political demonstrations from the D.C. punk scene.

By Monday morning, Turnstile's concert raised more than $250,000 in collaboration with Human Concern International for aid to Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan.