Razorlight - 29th January 2009, Metro Theatre, Sydney

I must admit, I was kind of nervous entering the Metro. Only a week earlier I had attended a splendid performance there by My Morning Jacket and at the time it felt like I was standing in a sauna. Thankfully, I'm not sure whether it was because the air conditioning was better or My Morning Jacket fans metabolise alcohol at a faster rate, thus generating more heat..... but anyway... I was cool and comfortable and ready to be impressed.


We got there to catch the support act, for which I'm glad. These boys were called Slow Down Honey and they were pretty bloody good. Pop/rock sounds very fitting for pulling some cute dance moves, worth a listen.

I actually commented to my friend their night that they give me a beach vibe. I actually thought they might be from the northern beaches, but now i see (on their MySpace page) that they are from the Central Coast..... pretty close guess.... sort of! It's not that their music had a Beach Boys sound, it's just... well I don't know.... it was just the vibe.

AND... the most impressive thing is that it was said that this was their first gig played to more than 10 people but man, were they tight. It didn't sound like they were fresh out of their mum's garage at all!

Anyway..... if you're curious, have a look at their MySpace page and it will all become clear AND you might even be able to stalk them in real life. (I mention the Playground Weekender festival as an example - Primal Scream ooh!)

Razorlight were pretty much exactly what I expected they would be. Sold out show. No disappoinments.

Good old Johnny Borrell... I developed a negative opinion of him around the same time I developed a negative opinion of the NME. Cast your mind back to mid-2004....back when i used to lock myself away in my bedroom in Brighton and count the tools on the English music scene (and try to do the NME crossword, but fail miserably every single time). Maybe he's matured, maybe I was delusuional back then, who can tell? All i know is I sure wasn't going to be getting anywhere near him to find out!

But you have to admit.... he sure has a lot of energy and with energy comes entertainment.... and jumping around like a goose is exactly what i want to see. He didn't say a lot, but secretly, I was more interested in his shirt, and the rate at which it would no longer be covering his chest. I was also mesmerised by the fact that about halfway through the show Johnny looked like he had just had a fully-clothed shower, yet the rest of the band looked almost pristine. Spooky.... no, not really.

They played all the hits, new and old. In The Morning, Golden Touch, America, Hostage of Love... the list goes on. And didn't the kids love it! I almost felt ashamed that I didn't know every word to every song.

So where can you see them?

Well, it seems they're all over the shop in the months to come. Starting with Melbourne tonight (January 31st at the Hi Fi Bar - another sold out show), the US, Mexico then back to the sunny UK.... only to return to Australia in March for the V Festival and a side show supporting the Kasier Chiefs (pre-sale tickets go on sale on Feb 5th).

For more information and tickets:
Official Website: www.razorlight.co.uk
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/razorlight
V Festival Website: www.vfestival.com.au


Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com