Sega Bodega at Band on the Wall

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Sega Bodega

Band on the Wall, Manchester
14 November 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image supplied by Band on the Wall
Book now

In support of his excellent third album Dennis, Sega Bodega brings his dislocated pop and surreal electronica to Band on the Wall this November.

Born in Ireland, raised in Glasgow and now based in London, Salvador Navarrete AKA Sega Bodega has built a reputation as one of the most precocious minds on the UK’s electronic scene. In the last few years he’s produced for everyone from Björk to Rosalía, soundtracked huge cultural moments including Rihanna’s Puma x Fenty show at New York Fashion Week, and launched two record labels – all while creating a stunning catalogue of solo releases.

Cutting through the chaos of early 2020, Bodega’s debut album Salvador saw the artist cast himself somewhere between club producer and pop star, pitting swirling emotional turmoil against experimental and hard-hitting productions. Fans of Arca (who features on the record) and Oneohtrix Point Never will love this trippy descent into Sega Bodega’s dark side, while 2021’s Romeo steps towards the light, folding garage, trance and glitch into a set of off-kilter love songs.

His latest album, Dennis, is a different, otherworldly beast. It arrived following turbulence in Bodega’s personal life – a period of mania that manifested itself in spikes of euphoria, sleepless nights and surrender to impulse. According to the artist, the difference between reality and this mind-altered state felt paper-thin, and the album is a translation of this experience.

Dennis indeed sounds like its beamed from some liminal space between realities, following a dreamlike logic that guides you down the rabbit hole of Bodega’s subconscious. Skirting the edges of cinematic folk, indie rock and hyperpop, the instrumentals pit the synthetic against the acoustic, the antiquated against the futuristic, so that the record feels untethered to one time and space.

Bodega’s voice, often pitched up and distorted, is pushed further forward than on his other records, creeping through the billowing mist of the productions with lyrics about everything from 7,000 year-old burials to musings on what it might be like to be liquified in a blender. It’s fantastical stuff, but works in the context of a record that that documents an unmooring from reality.

From ‘Elk Skin’ to ‘Dirt’, dark floor fillers take up half of the record, finding Bodega in pursuit of pleasure amid the psychological fracture, while quieter tracks like ‘Set Me Free, I’m An Animal’ plumb the depths of the fracture itself, extending a feeling of being lost, or trapped in a situation that’s beyond control, searching for intimacy and connection. And isn’t this precisely what music, and particularly intimate live shows, are all about? Finding a point of connection? Hence there’s no better place to hear a record like this than at a venue like Band on the Wall.

Bodega doesn’t play in the UK much; it’s been five years since he performed in Manchester. If you’re into his music, don’t sleep on this one.

What's on at Band on the Wall

Where to go near Sega Bodega at Band on the Wall

The Rose & Monkey Hotel
Manchester
Restaurant
The Rose & Monkey Hotel

The Rose & Monkey Hotel is one of the Northern Quarter’s best music-led bars, with a truly impressive beer garden. Our new favourite Manchester pub.

Stray
Manchester
Restaurant
Stray

Stylish modern bar serving sophisticated cocktails in the Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Restaurant
Foundry Project

The Northern Quarter’s self-styled ‘happiest place in Manchester’, based at the old Bluu site.

Ancoats
Restaurant
Ramona

If you haven’t heard of Ramona by now then where have you been? Taking Manchester by storm, Ramona is a Detroit Pizza restaurant, with a salty twist… Frozen margaritas!

Manchester
Restaurant
The Firehouse

The Firehouse serves up quality food and drink at its new Wednesday evening supper club.

Manchester
Restaurant
Mackie Mayor

A Grade II listed market building in the Northern Quarter, Mackie Mayor is a key fixture in the ever-growing Northern Quarter food and drink scene.

Fringe Bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Ancoats
Bar or Pub
Bar Fringe

No-frills bar on Manchester’s Swan Street. A wide selection of beers and ciders mixed with a great jukebox make this an ideal pre-Band on The Wall drinking spot.

Noi Quattro
Manchester
Restaurant
Noi Quattro

Noi Quattro is an independent pizzeria at the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

matt and phreds sign manchester music
Manchester
Music venue
Matt and Phred’s

New Orleans reaches Manchester with this dedicated jazz club in the Northern Quarter – a reliable choice for a good night out.

What's on: Music

Alpesh Chauhan
MusicCity Centre
Manchester Classical – Finale

Manchester Classical festival closes with a city-wide crescendo: all major ensembles joining forces for Respighi’s Pines of Rome.

From £9.00
Riot Ensemble
Until
MusicManchester
Manchester Classical

Manchester Classical returns to The Bridgewater Hall with a vibrant weekend of music that reaffirms the city’s reputation as a hive of world-class classical activity.

From £0.00
Music
MusicStockport
That Night In Manchester

Join the electrifying musical ‘That Night in Manchester’. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Manchester indie scene. Step into the Madchester time machine as you hear a father recount the highs and lows of his life to his only son during the Madchester era spanning his life through the 70’s 80’s & 90’s as you experience the music performed live on stage.

Culture Guides

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.