Offie Mag

Welcome to Reviews with Lou, a regular journal from Offie Mag’s first-ever intern, Louis Rowland. Known as Wachuwan when producing music or spinning tracks with Offie Mag DJs, Intern Lou can be found on our socials with a mic in hand — or right here on the blog, documenting the nights out, last-minute gigs, and everything in between.

He’s been spotted recently at Jazz Cafe for an electro night, various other gigs and club nights and even in Belfast for AVA Festival.

This time out he’s out in Stoke Newington, for Rian Brazil at The Old Church.

In a world and an industry that seems to be getting more and more rife with nepotism by the second, it's harder than ever to find artists that have done it the “hard way”, those who have had to work for every opportunity that comes their way, those who didn’t let the first, second or third setback stop them from getting where they needed to be. But they are out there, and in Rian’s case, they were under our noses the entire time.

Rian Brazil, the artist formerly known as Sly Fieri, has come a long way since the dissolution of cult Brighton rap group Nokia Mansion. Those tracks cooked up in a Blatchington Road bedroom were the soundtrack to the city’s underground rap scene. Across a myriad of unreleased tracks and scattered singles, you could figure out that the best songs they had were often the ones where Sly was at his best too.

I remember being sat on a bus on our way to a recording session, both working jobs we didn’t like, still looking to make this music thing work. We were the last ones left. London had already taken close friends and collaborators, and it would take Rian soon too. He told me that he needed to make this shit work out and, as much as I believed him, it’s still amazing to see where he’s gone since.

Years working on his craft have seen him turn from a decent vocalist who could manipulate the register and tone of his voice in ways that few can, into a genuine songbird whose melodies carry weight not only in the booth but in the live setting too. He didn’t stop there either, improving his production and becoming able to convert an idea into a song and now full projects, with just some additional production from those who fully understand his vision.

And that brings us to The Old Church in Stoke Newington. In preparation for the newly released Engine Heartbreak, Rian Brazil was joined by fellow Black Butter signee Saskia and producer Clearo for an evening filled with new music, all for less than £2.

Clearo started things off. He is an incredible producer I first met in Peckham Audio during the midst of the pandemic. He was 16 at the time and had somehow managed to get himself in. We kept loosely in touch and he even sent me some loops at one point. Three years later I saw him again after his relocation to East London, this time in the green room at one of the final Nokia shows. His work with Zukovstheworld had already put him in good stead, while further productions for the likes of Fakemink and his own project Artillery Corset have only continued the mysterious journey he seems to be embarking on. It’s never easy opening, especially in a setting that isn’t exactly typical, but the set was interesting and served to really establish the mood for what was to come.

Singer and jazz pianist Saskia provided an intimate performance that the sold-out crowd was totally taken in by. Her music is melancholic and personal, perfectly suited to the sanctum we found ourselves in. Her recent single ‘If I’m Alive’ was the standout for me. It’s a beautiful track whose textures are rich and filled with character while still leaving the perfect amount of space for her vocals to shine through it all. With just herself and a bassist on stage, the focus was entirely on the sonic experience they were creating. She is certainly one to keep an eye on.

And finally, who everyone had come to see. Brighton’s very own Rian Brazil. After years of work, countless studio sessions, Björk cosigns and many a broken laptop screen, he was ready to show the world what he had been working on, his true and unrestricted vision rooted in his upbringing and lived experiences.

There’s nothing fake, phoney or dialled in about it. Nothing sounded rushed or unfinished. This was a true complete project that was not only ready for release but ready to be played out too. His tracks are pitched up from the raw recordings and obviously that can create issues in a live setting, but instead of transposing them into a key closer to his comfortable range, he opts to harmonise instead, creating a thicker vocal part that really cuts through.

By the end of the night, what stood out most wasn’t just the quality of the performances but the feeling that everyone involved had genuinely earned their place there. No gimmicks, no industry shortcuts, just years of work slowly turning into something tangible. In a city and an industry constantly chasing the next thing, there was something refreshing about watching artists fully settled into who they are and confident in the worlds they’re building around themselves.

For Rian especially, this felt less like a breakthrough moment and more like the confirmation of something those around him had already known for years. The rest of the world is only just catching up.