Razorlight Tour Kicks off in NYC

Five days after the news hit that drummer, Andy Burrows had left the band, I had the chance to see Razorlight’ s Tour Kickoff and Album Release for their new LP, “Slipaway Fires.” The whole kickin’ shibang went down at the multi-leveled, multi-bar’d Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan.

Newcomer Diane Birch opened the show and quickly became the event’s highlight (for me, anyway). Sitting upstage singing and playing the keyboard, Birch was backed by four very -well dressed gentlemen (the word “dashing” comes to mind). Her musical style was very retro-themed, and if it weren’t for the adorable Cat Power-esque bangs and trendy outfit, it felt like the 70’s again. Birch’s voice has a depth that goes beyod her years. One of my favorites from the set was “Fools,” a ditty about New York City, said Birch. The guy standing next to me said to me, “Man, she has a lot of soul.” I can totally see Diane being the next Vanessa Carlton or Sarah Barellies-type of songstress. Look for her forthcoming album, “Bible Belt,” set to come out this spring.

After spotting 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski and what looked like Serena’s weirdo art-boyfriend from Gossip Girl in the audience, Razorlight took the stage. They fittingly opened with “Back to the Start,” from their self-titled first album. My thoughts upon seeing Johnny Borrell for the first time in person was that his pants were so tight that they looked like leggings. My second thought was Whoa there, how can I get my thighs to look that trim? Beyond his legs, Borrell looked as gritty and haggard as I had expected. Bjorn Agren (guitar) and Carl Dalemo (bass) had a really fun, relaxed vibe on stage that was fun to watch. It was interesting to see that kind of demeanor contrasted to Borrell, who is well-known for his god-complex. Also joining the band for this tour was New York local David “Sully” Sullivan on the drums. Even though it was his first night playing with the band, he did an awesome job.

The third song played was “Burberry Blue Eyes” from their new release, Slipaway Fires. Now, I’m not the most familiar with Razorlight’s discography, but I think it’s widely known that their first album is considered to be their best. The crowd clearly had a preference for these songs, and sang and clapped along to them all. The clear favorites of the night were “Golden Touch,” “America,” and Borrell’s hearfelt acoustic rendition of “Hostage of Love.” All of the new songs from Slipaway Fires played sounded quite promising to me.

After their set ended, the band came back out for an encore and finshed with “In the morning.” The crowd went crazy, per usual. As they were walking off stage, Johnny Borrell showed an unexpected decency and put his arm around Sullivan on the drums and said, “good job.” It was a feel-good, humane end to a set that really surprised me: I never thought I’d walk out of a Razorlight show thinking I’d just been to a really good show. Well played, Razorlight- Well played.

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