by Freddie Saunders
In May of 2026, one of London’s most promising young singer-songwriters took to the stage of The Old Blue Last, an intimate live music loft located in Shoreditch and on the same road as historic venues such as The Blues Kitchen. After covering Drez in a recent issue of Sleeve Showcase, it’s been an ambition of mine to see him in action, given the buzz around his first 2 singles.
Before discussing the performance itself, credit has to be given to both the venue and the show’s promoter Lazyitis for carefully curating a bill of emerging musicians. Each artist felt deliberately picked to compliment the next. Opening acts James Casper and Sweet Caporal blended nicely with the aesthetic of the dark Shoreditch loft, neatly leading into Drez’s hour long indie-soul set.
This London performance was a clear display of Drez’s songwriting ability and musical skill to deliver a diverse set that included ballads and covers to get the crowd moving. Additionally it was a showcase of a band confident enough in their material that they could play to the crowd and demonstrate their musicianship both individually and collectively. Drez’s vocals and guitar led the 5-piece, accompanied by live bass, lead guitar, drums and keys. Their presence on stage felt like time and creative thought had gone into every detail. Everything down to the guitars matching the clothes as well as the custom built-from-scratch bass guitar which I couldn’t help but ask about post-gig.
Musically, the setlist was diverse and featured a majority of unreleased tracks that varied between indie bangers and soulful slow jams. Knowing that the majority of the young crowd wouldn’t be familiar with all the original material, Drez kept the setlist fresh by throwing in a number of creative covers. Highlights of which, included a Jazz-pop take on Frank Ocean’s “Lost” and the ever-upbeat “Hell and Back” by Bakar.
Other notable highs included the tasteful work between Drez and his lead guitarist Eshan, who throughout the show played off each other and whose musical chemistry was apparent in each song. At one point Drez introduced a track by joking that their vibe together was getting a little “homosocial” which gained a big laugh from the crowd. That kind of self-deprecating humour was prevalent throughout the show and appeared to really endear Drez to the young and receptive crowd.
It was very encouraging to see such a diverse mix of everyone from rugby lads to artsy fashion students not just getting together and enjoying the music but actually dancing and singing back the lyrics to some of Drez’s original work. A sign that inspires confidence that his future music could reach a wider audience.
There’s no doubt in my mind that after having seen him perform to a small crowd in an intimate venue, that his sound will translate onto bigger stages over time. With the aforementioned confidence of his band and natural demeanour on stage, I think it’s only a matter of time before festivals begin to start calling and mainstream crowds will get a chance to see this underground talent.
In effect, Drez Camino’s show at the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch showed not just an artist clearly on the rise, but also that there’s still room for young songwriters to blend genres and find their crowd. Overall, the gig itself was clearly an early career high for Drez, headlining a show and performing a tasteful blend of both covers and original unreleased material to a more than receptive crowd. It did leave me wondering however, what’s next?
In a culture where it’s increasingly difficult for young people to go to gigs, a great weight rests on the shoulders of venues, artists as well as promoters to make it worth the price for us music fans, particularly in London. This was one of those happy occasions where everything felt worth the price of admission and every crowd member had a smile on their face.
Only time will tell how high the ceiling is on Drez Camino or whether he continues his rise by playing more shows across the UK, but after a performance like that, all I can hope is that he continues to find himself in front of larger crowds. A new voice of “indie soul” has arrived, and I’d highly recommend hearing it at whichever city he takes his sound to next.
by Freddie Saunders
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