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Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Johnny Borrell switching off Razorlight to go solo
By Aly Barchi | Published on Thursday 28 March 2013
Okay, I’ll play this straight. Johnny Borrell has placed ‘the band Razorlight’ on ice, but will, he says, release a solo single and LP. Borrell and his new backing band – that’s Razorlight guitarist Freddy Stitz plus saxophonist Joao and keyboardist Darren (Joao and Darren, like Madonna and, er, Pope Francis, don’t need surnames) – have been playing live already, with extra dates added in April, whilst Razorlight will play (as Razorlight) one last time at the Paris Olympia on 3 Apr.
Talking to France’s Oui FM, Johnny recalls the scene that led to the making of his still-TBA first solo LP: “We had gone to the South Of France to a small house in the Pays Basque last year and the music just came very naturally. It’s an album that was born in the spirit of a party, and the arrangements for the songs come from that atmosphere. When music works its like love, you can’t force it and that’s what happened with this”.
He rants on: “I’m so happy that it’s come about this way, I’m just very removed from all the commerciality and the circus of rock n roll and I’m really happy that this record has come about in this way, and happy to have made the record”.
Johnny (and co’s) first single will be a double seven-inch vinyl, featuring tracks titled ‘Dahlia Allegro’ and ‘Pan-European Supermodel Song’, to be released on 8 Apr.
He’ll also make an ‘intimate’ live PA at London’s Servant Jazz Quarters – which really is quite intimate – on 1 Apr, and again on 5 Apr at London’s Rough Trade East, which is a shop.
