RAZORLIGHT + GIRL IN THE YEAR ABOVE – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 6.12.25
I have a confession. I heard ‘America’ by Razorlight about 20 years ago, at the time that song seemed to be everywhere. It was light, summery, upbeat while reflecting a concerning subject matter. The kind of bubblegum pop I’d put down to a one hit wonder. And yes, I was wrong. The life lesson; never judge a band or their longevity on a single song.
‘America’ was in fact taken from their self-titled second album. Their debut, ‘Up All Night’ received critical acclaim and commercial success with multi-platinum sales and spending an astonishing 84 weeks in the top 100 album chart. Razorlight had made it straight off the bat. The rest is history as regards the general way of bands.
Razorlight has seen changes in line-ups, tensions between members and various solo projects. But fast forward over twenty years since that debut album, the band have reformed with the original band members, and been reborn. Johnny Borrell didn’t simply get the band back together; he got them back in the recording studio too. And back on stage with new material.
This was absolutely not a ‘take the money’ tour as Borrell had stated it wouldn’t be. Tonight at the Concorde 2 the band played a lot of tracks from the ‘Up All Night’ album with all the swagger, energy and conviction as if they needed the audience and the adoration. They were already playing to a packed venue of fans. But this isn’t a band resting on the laurels of past glories. The songs, with influences that draw on The Jam, Talking Heads, The Clash, and are in themselves at least, two decades old, they seem fresh and invigorated. Carl Dalemo’s bass provides the muscle behind the anthemic tunes, Björn Ågren’s guitar giving that distinctive spiky, jangly, expansive style that makes Razorlight’s songs unique, along with Borrell’s charisma and delivery. And then, there’s the massive talent that is Andy Burrows on drums. Altogether, raw, energetic, tight, indie-rock band at its best.
The set goes through some storming crowd favourites with ‘Rip It Up’, ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Golden Touch’. The audience clearly enjoyed this rejuvenated back catalogue as well as some new material. ‘Sugar High’ shows the contrast in Razorlight’s songs; from a shouty chorus to the, at times, delicate, melancholic guitar. ‘Cool People’ is social commentary on the fixation with social media. Taking a selfie doing something cool makes it …not cool. “What do you want me to do? Turn up in a pair of shades and pout.” Great line. Borrell didn’t have that much to say to the audience but then again, he didn’t need to.
The set ended with ‘America’; their breakout single. Twenty years on, the song has a greater poignancy and relevance. Razorlight, after their history and 10-year hiatus, could have used this gig to play more of their new material from last year’s ‘Planet Nowhere’ album. The new songs they did play fitted seamlessly in amongst their earlier much-loved back catalogue. Just like ‘America’, Razorlight have shown they are certainly still relevant.
Razorlight:
Johnny Borrell – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Björn Ågren – guitar
Carl Dalemo – bass
Andy Burrows – drums
Razorlight setlist:
‘Rip It Up’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘In The Morning’ (from 2006 ‘Razorlight’ album)
‘Stumble And Fall’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Golden Touch’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Keep The Right Profile’ (from 2024 ‘Up All Night (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)’ album)
‘Vice’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Rock And Roll Lies’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Before I Fall To Pieces’ (from 2006 ‘Razorlight’ album)
‘In The City’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Sugar High’ (a 2025 single)
‘Los Angeles Waltz’ (from 2006 ‘Razorlight’ album)
‘Who Needs Love?’ (from 2006 ‘Razorlight’ album)
‘(Don’t Go Back To) Dalston’ (from 2004 ‘Up All Night’ album)
‘Cool People’ (from 2024 ‘Planet Nowhere’ album)
‘Black Jeans’ (from 2006 ‘In The Morning’ single)
‘Somewhere Else’ (a 2005 single & from 2022 ‘Razorwhat? The Best Of Razorlight’ compilation album)
‘Good Night’ (from 2018 ‘Olympus Sleeping’ album)
‘America’ (from 2006 ‘Razorlight’ album)
Support this evening came from Girl In The Year Above which is the project of Jennifer Ball and her chums. Tonight she was dressed in blue gingham and with a cute hair style. On first impression, this could be a band with an ethereal, whimsical feel, but then with three guitarists, a drumkit and keyboards, the audience knew this band might bring something unusual.
Being the support for Razorlight might be a tough act with the audience waiting for the main event. There was a feeling of anticipation as to what GITYA were about; they’re not on Spotify yet, a new band indeed. Thankfully we were not disappointed.
Jenni’s raw, powerful vocals and with her movements on stage make for a compelling performance. There’s a sassy attitude mixed with vulnerability. The songs have a bittersweet quality reflecting the complexity of love and relationships with a fragility but underlying strength. ‘Love Song’ isn’t quite that either; behind the cheery slightly folksy melody is someone disillusioned with the rousing chorus of upbeat despair: “This romance is built on top of me. I hope I find love like the kind in my dreams, nothing works out right for me”. The set took us through ‘Ode To The Glory Days’ where Jenni remarks it’s a song about a week of being sober. The lyrics hint at something regretful, “Did you mean to burn so bright before the night was over”, to ‘Hair’. This song is from Jenni’s days as a hairdresser and the pick up line she used. The words are powerful. The set ends with ‘Wet Paint, Don’t Touch’, a song about wanting real emotions from the situation. Jenni’s vocals convey heartfelt authenticity. She cites Blink 182 and Joni Mitchell as her influences.
The band are a cohesive unit that bring elements of indie-rock, pop and a laid- back feel which provide the perfect backdrop to Jenni’s emotive vocals. They’ve been together for about a year, although they’ve been doing separate musical projects for a decade or so. Great music, great songwriting!
Girl In The Year Above:
Jennifer Ball – vocals
Shane Kennedy – acoustic guitar, bass
David Kennedy – electric guitar
Nathan Coen – bass, acoustic guitar
Jeanie White – keys, vocals
Kapil Trivedi – drums
Girl In The Year Above setlist:
‘Mama, My Heart is Achin’’ (forthcoming 2026 single)
‘Territorial’ (unreleased)
‘Love Song’ (unreleased)
‘Ode To The Glory Days’ (unreleased)
‘Hair’ (unreleased)
‘Wet Paint’ (unreleased)
