Since reuniting, Razorlight have sold-out a headline tour which included aLondon show at the Eventim Apollo, and played shows as guests to Muse, Kaiser Chiefs and James. But as the ever ambitious Johnny challenged himself, “Who wants to be a greatest hits band?” So he hatched a plan, and late in 2023 booked a five-day session with the legendary producer Youth (The Verve, James) at his Space Mountain studio in Spain. Youth knew what they had to achieve, telling the band, “Razorlight’s quite simple isn’t it? Just a driving bassline, driving drums and a story.”
For whatever reason, things weren’t that simple. After four days they had a stack of ideas, but nothing really worth pursuing. And then, as Johnny recalls, something remarkable emerged from out of nowhere.
“I’d been down in the barranca, and came back up to find the studio empty. So I picked up this weird six-string bass/guitar hybrid I’d never seen before and wrote this thing. On our last night, I started playing it with the guys. The drums came in hard, the bass pounded. It sounded like shit. Absolute shit.
But Youth was there, saying ‘Can, Velvets, see where it takes you’ and ‘Why don’t you try it like that?’ But still the track just wouldn’t budge, locked in its own inertia. Youth says, ‘You’re getting there, just one more’ and almost instantly the song came out, from nothing to something, like a statue coming up out of marble.”
That song was ‘Scared of Nothing’ and listening back to the finished track, it’s easy to see why it resparked Razorlight’s mojo. Exuding taut, spiky post-punk energy in a way that’s instantly infectious – the very traits that attracted highfalutin praise from NME back when they started out (“More tunes than Franz, more spirit than The Strokes, and more balls than nearly every band out there”). And as ever, Johnny demonstrates the swaggering, high-intensity charisma that took him from being a figurehead of the Camden scene to rise to become a Vogue cover star.
It was also the track which unlocked Razorlight’s creativity, leading the band to return to Spain with Youth for a second session earlier this year, during which they crafted an extensive catalogue of songs for the upcoming album. Other titles included are ‘Zombie Love’, ‘U Can Call Me’, ‘Dirty Luck’, ‘Cool People’ and ‘Taylor Swift = US Soft Propaganda’.
Today also sees Razorlight announce details of an intimate underplay tour in October, which consists of the smallest shows that the band have played in years, Fans who pre-order ‘Planet Nowhere’ from their official store HERE will receive access to a pre-sale for tour tickets. The pre-sale opens at 9am on Thursday, August 1st and will remain live until remaining tickets go on general sale from 9am on Friday, August 2nd.
The underplay tour adds to their previously announced ‘Up All Night’ show at the O2 Academy Brixton on November 21st.
Since returning, Razorlight have also looked back on their initial achievements, first releasing ‘Razorwhat? The Best of Razorlight’ (complete with the new song ‘You Are Entering The Human Heart’) and then last month issuing the 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of their breakthrough debut album ‘Up All Night’. Never a dull moment. Writing a new ending for themselves, Razorlight are back to cast out the boring in your life.
The band’s upcoming shows are:
JULY
28th – Poole, Harbour Festival (HEADLINERS)
AUGUST
11th – Hull, Zebeedee’s Yard (with special guests The Zutons and Reverend and the Makers)
23rd – Portsmouth, Victorious Festival (with Snow Patrol, Fatboy Slim)
30th – Nottingham, Wollaton Hall (with special guests Feeder, The Pigeon Detectives and The Sherlocks)
OCTOBER – UNDERPLAY TOUR
18th – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
19th – Edinburgh, Mash House
20th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
21st – Manchester, Band on the Wall
22nd – Brighton, Komedia
24th – Bristol, Strange Brew
NOVEMBER
21st – London, O2 Academy Brixton (with special guests Mystery Jets)