SEGO Live at Kantine am Berghain, Berlin | 27 October 2026
Heavy riffs, unexpected turns and a sound that fills every corner of the room.
Joe Traxler Opens the Night
Joe Traxler gets the evening off to a good start. His sound is full, with drums, guitar and vocals working together to create a dark atmosphere. His voice is strong but still feels intimate, and the guitar solos are wild and free. The songs shift between rhythms without losing their flow. It’s loud enough that ordering a drink at the bar becomes a bit of a challenge. But the volume suits the music. The guitars have real weight and the sound fills the room. For the final song, Traxler asks everyone to come closer to the stage. The audience follows, and people start dancing and swaying along. There are only around 30 people in the Kantine am Berghain, but the response is warm. It’s a cold Tuesday at the end of October, after all, and the room is far from packed. Still, Traxler makes an impression before the main act has even started.
SEGO Live at Kantine am Berghain
SEGO open with hard guitar riffs. The bass and synths come in underneath, adding layers of rough, almost analog-sounding noise. It’s loud, direct and a little wild. The audience is already watching closely, with people swaying along to the music. There’s a feeling that this is going to be a good show. The band is playing in Berlin for the first time, on its first European tour and takes a moment to thank the audience. The introductions are short. That’s fine; there’s no need to fill the gaps when the music has this much to say. The singer and guitarist has a cast on his leg and plays much of the set sitting down. Every now and then, he gets up and moves with the music anyway. It doesn’t seem to hold the performance back. The riffs stay hard, the vocals are full of energy, and the band sounds remarkably tight.
Hard Riffs and Unexpected Turns
SEGO’s music is pretty straightforward in its force, but the songs don’t all follow the same pattern. The choruses are often wild, with shouts and strong backing vocals that bring a clear punk edge. Some verses are spoken rather than sung, before the vocals shift into more forceful, sometimes screamed passages. Reverb is used on the voice, especially in the choruses, adding weight without hiding the words completely. The guitar solos are one of the things that stand out. The songs themselves can feel unruly, but the solos often take unexpected directions. They don’t just repeat the main riff or push the volume higher; they bring something new into the arrangement. Bass and synths build a thick sound behind the guitars. At times, it’s hard to separate the individual layers, but that seems to be part of the point. The music has a rough surface, while the instruments still fit together remarkably well. The songs also run into one another surprisingly often. The drums keep going as one track ends and the next begins, leaving little space for the energy to drop. It makes the set feel continuous rather than like a series of separate songs.
Four Musicians, Plenty of Moving Parts
Watching the band is almost as interesting as listening to it. The stage setup is a little unusual, with the bassist in the middle, the singer and guitarist to the left, synths and guitar to the right, and the drums towards the center. The musicians also swap instruments during the set. At one point, the singer takes over the bass and plays it with power chords, while the bassist moves to the synths. The guitarist also handles synths and tambourine. There is a lot going on, but it never feels like a display of technical skill for its own sake. What I like is that the band can sound as if everyone is doing their own thing, yet the parts still come together. The bass and synths fill out the sound, the guitars cut through it, and the drums keep everything moving. It’s loose around the edges, but the playing is tight. Not every song is fast. The slower tracks have just as much power, only in a different way. Some have a surprising lightness to them, bringing to mind punk songs played on warm summer evenings. In one passage, the bassist adds soft backing vocals while the lead stays rhythmic and spoken. The contrast gives the song a dreamy quality without taking away its edge.
The Crowd Moves Closer
The audience is a mixed bunch. There are a few unmistakable punks, but also young women, couples and older concertgoers. People are watching the stage, swaying along and clearly caught up in the music. When SEGO ask everyone to come closer, the room follows. It’s a small moment, but it changes the atmosphere. The audience had been watching intently from a little further back; now everyone is closer to the band. The sound remains full and clear despite its intensity. The guitars are hard and loud, but the synths and bass give the songs more depth than a straight-ahead punk set might suggest. Spoken verses, shouted choruses and softer backing vocals keep changing the mood. Some songs hit hard from the start, while others take their time building. It’s this mix that makes the performance work. SEGO can be noisy without losing their sense of melody, and heavy without sounding the same from one song to the next.
From Tandang to Direct To DVD
SEGO’s Berlin set draws on “Tandang” (2024) and “Direct To DVD” (2026). The Los Angeles band has received attention from outlets including NPR, Paste, Rolling Stone and Consequence of Sound, but the live show makes a stronger case for them than a list of press mentions ever could.
Their mix of indie pop and art-punk leaves room for catchy moments, rough edges and unexpected changes in direction. On stage, the contrast between the hard riffs and the more atmospheric passages becomes particularly clear. The songs don’t need to stay loud all the time to hold the room’s attention. What also stands out is the way the band plays together. The instrument changes, layered vocals and shifts between spoken and sung parts could easily make the music feel scattered. Instead, they give the set its character.
A Strong Night of Live Music
Joe Traxler makes a good impression as the opening act, with atmospheric rock, powerful vocals and guitar solos that seem happy to go wherever they lead. SEGO take things further into punk territory, bringing harder riffs, shouted vocals and a dense mix of guitars, bass and synths. The Kantine am Berghain isn’t packed on this cold Tuesday evening, but the band doesn’t seem to need a big crowd to make the room feel alive. People watch, sway along and move closer when asked. The music is loud, but there’s more to it than volume: the slower passages, the backing vocals and the unexpected guitar solos keep changing the feel of the set. SEGO are a band worth seeing if you like your rock loud, atmospheric and a little unpredictable. They have the playing to pull off the harder parts, but also know when to leave some space in the music. That combination is what stays with you.
Remaining Dates on SEGO’s European Tour
28 October - Die Kaiserburg, Nuremberg, Germany
29 October - Lost Weekend, Munich, Germany
30 October - Music-House, Graz, Austria
31 October - Club Lucia, Vienna, Austria
3 November - The Black Heart, London, UK
4 November - The Peer Hat, Manchester, UK
5 November - Nice’n’Sleazy, Glasgow, UK
6 November - Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich, UK
Read our live review of Clover Stieve at Berlin’s Metropol and discover more independent music in INDIENOXZINE’s On This Track, Three Track Week and Artist Features series.
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