Since forming in 2002, Razorlight have cemented their place as one of Britain’s Classic Indie-Rock bands. Their vertiginous rise saw them tour their way from squat parties in London’s East End to the 2005 global TV charity event Live 8 where they established themselves as the urchin rock’n’roll challengers most likely to go stadium.
Their debut album ‘Up All Night ’ came out in 2004, capturing the incendiary energy of the original early 2000s London scene and carrying the era defining hits ‘Golden Touch’ and ‘Somewhere Else’. The album peaked at number 3 in the UK Album’s chart, and received glowing reviews from music tastemakers NME, Q Magazine and Billboard.
By the mid 2000s they were at the epicentre of the UK’s gangly guitar band re-surgence channeling the leftfield influences of Television, Patti Smith and the Velvet Underground into the pop mainstream, and in fractious alliance with The Libertines and Amy Winehouse, taking Camden waster rock into the tabloids.
With their self-titled, UK number one follow-up, Razorlight truly made the leap onto the international stage. Lead single, ‘In The Morning’, reached number three in the UK, and 'America’ went straight to number one. In 2006 Borrell appeared on the front cover of the UK Independent newspaper campaigning for Friends Of The Earth and in 2007 the band headlined Reading Festival. A third album, 2008’s ‘Slipway Fires, provided top-ten singles across the UK and Europe.
Following a shelved fourth album and a lengthy hiatus, punctuated by 2018’s ‘ Olympus Sleeping’, the line up from the second album re-united. In April 2021 Johnny Borrell, Andy Burrows, Björn Ågren and Carl Dalemo revealed they’d been back working together for the first time in over a decade, correcting the unsatisfactory conclusion to their original formation. The first phase of the group’s classic line-up reuniting included a live streamed gig, a series of festival dates to packed, wowed audiences, and a new collection titled Razorwhat? The Best Of Razorlight collated 11 of their finest moments plus two thrilling new tracks that demonstrated how the band’s creative spark has been relit.
The first fruits of their revitalised creativity came with the 2022 one-off single Call Me Junior, a punchy, energetic indie-rock gem, and two new songs on Razorwhat? broadened the sonic horizons further. Lead single ‘You Are Entering The Human Heart’ is bittersweet piano-pop that, in a sweet summation of their coming back together, features duel vocals from Borrell and Burrows. The snarling ‘Violence Forever’ was born out of a searing guitar riff from Ågren and captures the raw intensity of the quartet in a room together. Both bode well for the future.
A sold out 2022 UK tour reminded of their excellence as a genuinely live, no- backing-track guitar band, still in their prime and propelled the band into a new phase of recording. In two sessions during late 23 and early 2024, the band convened in the legendary producer Youth’s Spanish studio Space Mountain, and opened the door on a gallery of amazing new songs. “I think our best single is one we haven’t done yet,” says Borrell. “It’s gonna be interesting, that’s all I can say.”
The success of 2022 led Razorlight to return to Spain for a second session, crafting an extensive catalogue for ‘Planet Nowhere’. Standout titles include ‘Zombie Love’, ‘U Can Call Me’, ‘Dirty Luck’, and ‘Cool People’. Alongside creating new music, Razorlight celebrated their past with the release of ‘Razorwhat? The Best of Razorlight’ and a 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of their debut album ‘Up All Night’. Razorlight are back, ready to revitalise the indie rock scene.
Never a dull moment. Writing a new ending for themselves, Razorlight are back to cast out the boring in your life.