Sextile played The Novo on October 11, 2025 and they left a lasting impression for anyone who was there to witness it. Walking into the venue that night felt like stepping into a vortex where underground club culture, raw post-punk perfection, and Los Angeles local band chaos fused into something futuristic. I’ve seen Sextile before, but this was different. This was a band leveling up in real time, playing like they were headlining a festival the world hasn’t invented yet. And Los Angeles showed up to The Novo, hard.
The Novo was already buzzing the second I walked in, bodies packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor, the balcony filling fast with goths, punks, ravers, skaters, fashion kids, and aging industrial heads who looked like they’d been waiting 20 years for a band like this. Sextile draws tribes. And when a band pulls that many subcultures under one roof, you know something important is about to go down.
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The night kicked off with the kind of opener that reminds you why LA’s underground is undefeated. The first band Discovery Zone hit the stage with gritty post-punk energy; sharp basslines, jagged guitars, and no patience for anyone standing still. They had that urgent San Francisco-meets-Factory Records vibe, the kind of band that sounds like they could’ve opened for Suicide in 1980 or played Part Time Punks in 2010. The crowd didn’t just tolerate them, they leaned in. Always a good sign.
Next up was Automatic: somewhat of a surprise as an opener for this show as they could carry a headlining spot themselves. Think minimal wave synths over driving drums with 4 on the floor and a vocalist who knew how to deliver cold intensity without losing groove. They pulled the crowd deeper into the night’s rhythm: less movement, more trance. People did start dancing, and the lighting tech got bolder.
By the time Automatic finished, the Novo was nearly full and vibrating. You could feel the shift. Everyone around me was thinking the same thing: “Sextile is about to burn this place down.”
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Lights down. Smoke machines on overtime. Strobes teasing. You could see silhouettes moving on stage, but the suspense made it even better. The crowd wasn’t just excited- they were ready to explode. The Novo has hosted every kind of show imaginable, but there was something uniquely electric in the air, like LA understood that Sextile isn’t just a great live band, they’re one of our bands.
Then the synths started. And everything erupted.
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If you’ve seen Sextile live, you know they don’t ease you in; they slam straight into you. They opened with purpose, a razor-sharp, body-moving groove that felt like a riot inside a sex club. The crowd started moving instantly. No warm-up. No hesitation. Pure kinetic release.
From there, it was a breakneck sprint through their discography. “Disco” came early and hit like a truck. “Contortion” turned the crowd into a bouncing mass. “Women Respond To Bass” had the energy of a late-night warehouse rave in 1992 crossed with the aggression of a hardcore show in 1984.
They blended post-punk guitars, EBM bass lines, electro-clash attitude, and pure punk urgency with zero downtime. Drummer and founding member Melissa Scaduto was a machine. The synths were vicious. Brady Keehn vocals cut through the room like a riot cop teaching a Zumba class. It wasn’t just tight; it was surgical.
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One of my favorite things about Sextile shows: nobody knows how to behave, so everyone just does everything. There were mosh pits and dance circles. Goth couples spinning in place next to kids going full hardcore windmill. People jumping so hard the floor shook. At one point, three different mini-pits formed and merged into one enormous cyclone of bodies.
And unlike so many modern bands, Sextile fuels the crowd. They feed on the energy. They move. They scream. They lock eyes with fans.
I’ve seen bands with louder production. I’ve seen bands with bigger light shows. But I have rarely seen a band command movement the way Sextile does.
The Novo’s production team deserves a medal for creating such fever dream like visuals. The lighting was insane; white strobes assaulting the beat, deep reds and blues washing over the band, sharp cuts into total darkness, then blinding pulses synced perfectly with bass drops.
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Minimal staging, maximum atmosphere. No gimmicky LED screens or props; just light, smoke, shadows, and bodies. The band’s aesthetic is already strong, but the visuals turned the Novo into a post-apocalyptic nightclub run by cyberpunks. Every moment looked like a still from a movie you’d want to watch on repeat at 3 a.m.
Every track felt essential. No filler. No slow burn. Just wave after wave of bangers.
When they walked off, the room was begging for more. Literally chanting. When they returned, the volume went up another level. The final song, “Lost Myself Again” turned into the most chaotic moment of the night- crowd surfing, bodies falling, strangers hugging, phones in the air, raining sweat at The Novo.
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Walking out of The Novo, ears ringing and shirt drenched, I had one thought: This is the band Los Angeles has groomed. Not nostalgic. Not derivative. Not trying to be anything. Just pure evolution. Sextile bridges the gap between punk, industrial, techno, and rock in a way nobody else is pulling off at this level. They honor the past without living in it. They sound like the future without relying on gimmicks.
And live? They are one of the most important bands currently hitting stages, period.
If you missed Sextile at The Novo on October 11, you didn’t just miss a show. You missed a cultural moment. You missed LA in peak form. You missed the band redefining what post-punk can be in 2025.
Don’t make that mistake again. When Sextile comes back, clear your calendar, get your dance shoes ready, and bring enough energy to survive the dance floor apocalypse.
Words by Danny Baraz
Photos by Chris Molina
