Live Review: Razorlight - Eventim Apollo, London 12/05/2023
Relentless Razorlight came brimming with the old classics for a solid victory lap on the last night of their reunion tour at Eventim Apollo.
It felt like they’d never been away, although a month on the road will do that, and the ‘Razorwhat?’ Tour was a healthy reminder of what the band offered almost two decades ago.
From opener ‘Rip It Up’ to closer ‘America’, the band rarely let up, but offered no nods to what the future holds for the band.
Friday night’s show was a very creatively incestuous affair – opener ELLiS·D is in Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell’s side project Jealous Nostril, who themselves will be opening for Afflecks Palace, the main support, at their headline gig in Hackney in October.
ELLiS·D is from Brighton. When most of the music industry has gone down to the South Coast for The Great Escape, it’s an interesting reversal. Armed with five backing musicians, he opened with a raucous wall of noise to the few rows of early birds shortly after doors opened. They were rewarded with a show that filled the stage, mostly hailing a ‘70s-style sound. ‘Straitjacket Blues’ was an early highlight of a show that looked fun and sounded cool. The last song ‘Drifting’ fell into a jam which brought to mind the early sound of Bloc Party, perhaps the closest they got to the present day in their 30 minutes. It feels like there’s promise for ELLiS·D’s solo project too.
Afflecks Palace are a four-piece proud of their independent roots, with a late 80s and early 90s Madchester vibe, and the persona to pull it off. Guitarist Dan Stapleton, bassist Steve Jackson and Peter Redshaw on drums deserve credit for being the sturdy architectural base for Afflecks Palace. Frontman J. Fender shines on these bricks, from his opening line to the crowd - “Come and dance with me” - to the hand actions accompanying the very catchy ‘Wake Up!’. It was a joyous experience stacked with up-tempo tunes. J. was proud to embrace the venue’s history, praising “legend” Tom Waits, and joking about his own stage banter. (“Live at the Apollo. Michael McIntyre.”) When he came on stage, J. waved a placard declaring “We Are Afflecks Palace”. The reverse said: “See you at the merch stall”, and with a performance like that, ending with the bucket-hat wearing frontman with the crowd on the front row during ‘Big Fish, Small Pond’, you can imagine that’s exactly what happened. They’ll drag a few more people down to EartH in October.
Razorlight are an indie rock phenomenon with a quirky history. Their heyday was marked with huge shows, a number one album with a self-titled sophomore in 2006, and a stack of hit singles. Andy Burrows, who drummed for the clan at their peak, left in 2009, and the following year Bjorn Agren and Carl Dalemo ditched their guitars and bass for other things. Johnny Borrell – the frontman who remained throughout all renditions of Razorlight since –welcomed them all back for a greatest hits record last year, and this year’s tour, which wrapped on Friday.
The core four began their set with ‘Rip It Up’, one of their breakthrough songs from 20 years ago, before fluctuating to a five-piece when keyboardist Reni Lane ran on stage for ‘In The Morning’. Their stack of ammunition allows them to be in-your-face, with ‘Stumble and Fall’ and ‘Golden Touch’ following in quick pursuit. The spirit is unwavering from the fans, and on stage.
Andy was a blur of hair behind the drums, making him look two decades younger than 43. On several occasions, Bjorn and Carl mounted the drum riser, and timed their jumps off it perfectly to land in time with epic drops. It was magical to watch.
Johnny didn’t say much in the main set, bar a courtesy “How are you doing?” and brief introductions to ‘Vice’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Lies’. The latter is one of the first Razorlight songs, but still felt fresh on the stage.
The show is mostly made up of debut album ‘Up All Night’ and the #1 follow-up. It was a blast with hit after hit – ‘In The City’ was distilled chaos, while ‘Who Needs Love?’ burst forth with joy.
Two tracks in the main set eschew the early days. ‘Violence Forever’, from last year’s best of, shows they’re still capable of making good songs. The other, ‘Wire to Wire’, was the big single from the difficult third album ‘Slipway Fires’, but came with the passion and excitement of the rest of the show. It becomes one of the night’s highlights, starting calmly, and kicking up a fuss when necessary.
‘Before I Fall to Pieces’ is huge, instigating an audience sing-along so loud, it would echo forever if it was allowed to. With Razorlight, it’s not really possible- it’s straight into number two hit single ‘Somewhere Else’ to close the main set. It’s a track that’s carved a place into playlists that summed up the indie world of the mid-00s – and it still gets a crowd going over 15 years later.
A 65-minute main set could feel short, but the blistering pace means we all deserve a breather. Then Johnny returns alone for a rare outing for ‘Fall, Fall, Fall’, which closes that first record, and fits the vibe of honouring the band’s early days.
In the encore, Johnny told the crowd: “Thank you so much for making it here.” With the show relocated from Brixton Academy, causing a date change to the middle of a train strike, it’s clear the crowd are grateful they could enjoy their Friday night vibe. The frontman is also proud of the band’s decision to stick to “real live music” – “No computers, no bullshit”, just five people on stage making it all sound like it dos. The only visuals come from a big logo with occasionally blinking lights. You don’t need them when the songs hold up.
‘Don’t Go Back To Dalston’ creates another audience clap-along, before ‘Good Night’, taken from 2018’s album ‘Olympus Sleeping’. Even though only Johnny was in the band then, it’s another punk-style hit that fits the huge, joyous world of Razorlight – old or new.
They close on ‘America’, their number one single that brought soft-rock haters to the fore in 2006. It still feels as poignant now and as relevant as maybe it has ever been. It’s not solving the world’s problems, but it’s a Friday night gig – nobody would remember them on Saturday anyway. It sends the fans into one last frenzy. With Razorlight, anything might have worked as the last song, but this is the most fitting closer of all. It’s what the band did best all those years ago, and it tied together the whole night. It’s huge, it always has been; maybe it always will be.
Razorlight have shows planned across the summer, but I don’t know if a full return is on the cards. Until then, this trip into memory lane is mesmerising. It feels old school, but it’s just as relevant in 2023. That’s all you need to start your weekend.
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by Abigail Shii
