“I love this fucking town!”, Octavian chirpily yells towards the beginning of his set, fittingly sincere for an artist who wears the influences, the culture, that shaped him clearly and proudly.
The path that led to tonight’s sold out show is well documented. Born in Lille and then raised in Camberwell after his father died, Octavian was sleeping rough at one point a few years ago. He later released ‘Party Here’ which exploded after Drake posted a video of him dancing to the track on his Instagram. Collaborations, co-signs, modelling for Virgil Abloh followed. He released the acclaimed Spaceman mixtape last year, a diverse and intriguing record that signalled his introspection and virtuosity in equal measure. His love and appreciation for where he has come from is clear through references to his “Essie” gang often mentioned in his songs, and the sound of eclectic London can be heard in the sonics of his music.
He is clearly very happy to be here, as he often reminds us that even though he has been to France, Germany and Sweden (he asks the audience to give Swedish gig security guards the finger, so clearly Sweden definitely was not the best experience) London is where he is most happy to be. He has an excitable and engaging demeanour throughout, with only a screen of intriguing art piece videos serving as his backdrop. The love he gives to the audience is returned to him doubled, with the venue becoming electric during the well known, energetic statements of intent ‘Party Here’ and ‘Revenge’.
What makes Octavian one of the most interesting UK hip-hop acts right now is his versatility and scope, he can create tracks of menace and anger that employ typical genre tropes (‘Don’t Cry’), yet also create very melodic, beautiful electronic based songs (best shown by the glitchy, Bon Iver-esque ‘Hands', a track that is even more expansive and moving in a live setting), with smooth 90s G-funk existing somewhere in the middle. The contrast between him and others on the scene is made apparent with guest appearances by Suspect and AJ Tracey, with Skepta (Elder Statesmen of UK rap) appearing at the end for their new collaboration ‘Dot’ (so good it’s played once without and then later with him).
It’s easy to see Octavian in the lineage of great UK rappers that Skepta exists within, his presence at the show a seeming confirmation of that. Debuting new songs such as the 90s R&B reminiscent ‘Money Makes Me Go Down’ as well as another 80s funk sounding one, Octavian still clearly has much to say and explore. The moment in which he plays ‘Lightning’, a throwback to the breakbeat, two-step songs that UK rap was built upon and pays tribute to his friends, his hometown which the crowd predictably goes crazy for, you cannot help but sense the hopefulness and admiration in the air. The future is here.
