Johnny Borrell
Encyclopedia
Johnny Borrell is an English
guitarist
and singer, currently the frontman of the band Razorlight
.
. He attended St Anthony’s Preparatory School, and also St Michael's, Camden School Sixth Form, and Kingsway College. Part of his education took place in Paris
where he studied at the Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel
, before moving back to England, where he attended Highgate School
with John Hassall
, bassist of The Libertines
and frontman of Yeti (band)
. He completed his A Levels in English, French and Philosophy at Fine Arts College
, Belsize Park, Hampstead.
Johnny was involved in music and the Camden
scene while still at school. At 17 he played bass guitar
in a band called Violet, who regularly played gigs on the Camden circuit. The band recorded an EP
and started to gain some recognition before splitting acrimoniously live on stage at Dublin Castle in late 97/early 98. The title track of the EP was subsequently used in the Soundtrack of the 1998 Michael Winterbottom
film 'I Want You'. After the split, he briefly switched to being a solo artist covering The Clash
and Leadbelly
songs. Many of these shows were played with close friends The Libertines
.
Through his friendship with schoolmate John Hassall, Borrell was involved in the early formation of The Libertines. He was present at the sessions for debut Libertines album ‘Up The Bracket’ and appears as a character in songs, notably ‘Boy Looked At Johnny’ and ‘Death On The Stairs’.
In 2002 he went on to form his own band which played house parties, rehearsing at a Hackney
warehouse called Unit 13, comprising Carl Dalemo
, Christian Smith-Pancorvo (later replaced by Andy Burrows
) and Björn Ågren
. The band were watching a video recording of themselves playing a gig, and misheard the ending refrain ‘Its alright, it’s alright’ from the song ‘In The City’ as ‘razor-light, razor-light’ which was then chosen as the band name. In early 2003 XFM DJ John Kennedy began to play the band’s demos, recorded at Toerag Studios in east London with producers Liam Watson and John Fortis. Razorlight signed to Mercury Records on 23 May 2003 after the Universal label fought off bids from Sony.
After the number 8 single "Golden Touch", their debut album, Up All Night
, was released on 28 June 2004, and charted at number 3 in the UK. The critical reception was generally good, receiving good reviews from NME
(“Razorlight’s debut packs more tunes than Franz, more spirit than The Strokes and more balls than nearly every band out there right now.”), Q
magazine, Billboard
and Rolling Stone
who said
“Razorlight's debut is a masterpiece. He's (Borrell) got the golden rock-star mop, the London sneer and a band full of crazy Swedes. But fortunately, he's also got the tunes.”
Michael Parkinson
saw coverage of the band performing at Glastonbury Festival
and invited them onto his TV show. Razorlight performed "Golden Touch" with a gospel choir in front of the Parkinson studio audience and guest Tom Cruise
. After 2004’s constant touring Borrell was placed at No. 4 in the NME’s Cool List and Razorlight won Best New Act at 2004’s Q Awards
and the Best New Band category at the NME Awards
In Feb 2005. French fashion brand Dior
’s creative director Hedi Slimane
based his 2005 Autumn/Winter collection on Borrell and Pete Doherty
and chose Razorlight to write music for the Paris show.
In the Spring of 2005 Razorlight played two sold out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace
with Noel Fielding
from The Mighty Boosh as their support act. Meanwhile in between-album’s single "Somewhere Else
" reached number 2 in the UK charts. Q Magazine called it: “A punk rock symphony, a thrilling change in direction. High profile support slots with U2
, Queen
, The Who
and Oasis
and the band’s appearance at Live 8 kept Razorlight
occupied through the rest of the year prior to entering the studio for their second album in early 2006.
The self titled follow up was produced by Pretenders, Sex Pistols
and Roxy Music
producer Chris Thomas
. First single ‘In The Morning’ went to number 2, and when the album was released on 17 July 2006 it gave the band their first number 1 in the UK album chart. The NME gave the album 8/10 and said: “A soulful romantic album that sees Razorlight comfortably leap the ‘difficult second album’ trap,” The Observer Music Monthly gave it 4/5 saying “His band’s second album justifies the self-belief.” Q Magazine called it “The best guitar album since Oasis
’s ‘Definitely Maybe
’.”
2006 saw Borrell and the band grow into an arena act and extend their international reach. Second single ‘America’ went straight to number 1 in the UK on 14 October dominating UK radio charts to the end of the year, and climbing airplay and singles charts in Ireland
, Holland, France
, Denmark
, Germany
, New Zealand
, Australia
, Japan
and beyond. The Rolling Stones
asked the band to support them in Europe
. An Autumn UK arena tour culminated in a sold out Wembley Arena show and tours of Japan, Europe and the US lead into a second UK arena tour and a sold out show at London’s 17000 capacity Earl’s Court in April 2007. Razorlight
were the only UK band to headline the main stage at Reading Festival in August 2007, with US artists, The Smashing Pumpkins
and Red Hot Chili Peppers
taking the top slots on the other two nights. The Razorlight
singer next emerged in October, duetting with The Kinks
’ Ray Davies
on ‘Sunny Afternoon
’ for the BBC Electric Proms
at London’s The Roundhouse
.
In late 2007 Borrell secluded himself on a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides to begin writing for the bands third album. 2008’s London sessions at Air studios lead to a more contemplative third album titled ‘Slipway Fires
’. The album went to number 4 in the UK album charts in November 2008 and first single ‘Wire To Wire
’ got to number 5.
Press reaction to the record was mixed although Q’s Paul Rees gave the record 4/5 and said: “Borrell and his band come up triumphant. It does what third albums traditionally used to do, which is to say, have the confidence the leap into the previously unknown, and for that, all credit to Borrell.:
In Germany ‘Wire To Wire
’ was the sixth biggest chart hit of 2009 and the album went Gold. Two round the world tours, including first visits to Australia
, a move to a new US label, Mercury Records
/Island
Def Jam and major festival appearances in the UK and across Europe took Razorlight
to the end of the decade, finishing with a December headline at XFM
’s Brixton Academy Christmas show where they donated their fee to Borrell’s charity of choice, Anno’s Africa.
December 2009 also saw the digital release of a documentary on Razorlight
made by acclaimed UK film director Charles Henri-Belleville.
Titled ‘Rock’n’Roll Lies’ the 70 minute film follows the band on a week of eccentric UK shows, intercut band member interview about Razorlights history.
interviews, Borrell and supporters have accused the magazine of misrepresentation and emphasising quotes out of context.
Borrell has made numerous contributions to charity. Razorlight
recorded ‘Kirby’s House’ for the 2005 Warchild
album and played London, Royal Albert Hall
shows in 2006 and 2008 for The Who’s Teenage Cancer Trust
events (in 2008 the band performed ‘Summertime Blues’ with Roger Daltrey
). In 2006 Borrell started to work for Friends Of The Earth
’s climate change campaign ‘The Big Ask’, a relationship which has continued through 2006’s show In Trafalgar Square for the ‘icount’ campaign to playing at FOE’s November 2009 Hammersmith Apollo fund raiser. Razorlight
were deemed to be one of the highlights of the 2 July 2005 Live 8 charity concert in Hyde Park
and continued to support Borrell’s global warming concerns by taking part in the 7 July 2007 Live Earth
event at Wembley Stadium
. Borrell is one of the few new generation stars to have appeared on the cover of a national UK newspaper because of his political views. On 4 November 2006 his essay on climate change was the front cover story of The Independent
. Razorlight have also regularly supported Nelson Mandela
’s 46664 Aids charity. In July 2005 the band flew to Tromso, Norway to play a 46664 fundraiser. Mandela invited the Razorlight
to perform at his 1 December 2007 World Aids day concert in Johannesburg, which allowed the band to visit township AIDs projects. Borrell also worked with environmentally friendly
charity Global Cool
on their 2007 green campaigns.
They also played at Mandela’s July 2008 90th birthday celebration fund raiser in Hyde Park. Through his love of cricket (he appeared on the cover of Time Out’s cricket edition in August 2005 holding a cricket ball) Borrell has become friends with some of the English cricket team including former captain Andrew Flintoff
who asked Razorlight
to play at the inaugural night of his charity, The Andrew Flintoff Foundation (Of which he is a patron) in July 2009 at London’s The Hurlingham Club. Borrell also played charity shows for Nordoff Robbins
, and Save The Children
in the latter part of 2009 and in September duetted on ‘Je Suis Venue Te Dire Que Je M’en Vais’ with legendary singer Jane Birkin
as part of a fundraiser for Kenyan children’s charity Anno’s Africa.
, Pete Doherty
, Carl Barât
, John Hassall
, and the Queens of Noize
. It has been reported that he was briefly a stand-in bassist for The Libertines
before they were signed, but in recent interviews he has claimed that this is not true. In Pete Welsh's Kids in the Riot, it is alleged that Borrell was sacked as The Libertines' bassist for unreliable behaviour and not having the same musical ability as the other members, but in general there is little animosity between the two bands, and Borrell remains friends with Carl Barât
. The Libertines' song "The Boy Looked At Johnny" is reputedly about Borrell, and Razorlight's "Don't Go Back To Dalston" is reputedly directed at Pete Doherty
, telling him to curtail his drug habit.
, Borrell joined it for an eight week stint hosting a Sunday night show called The Sunday Service. It began on 6 September 2009 and ran for 9 weeks with Borrell playing a broad range of records spanning Jamaican dancehall, blues, rock’n’roll, krautrock and spoken word.
, once alone as a giant rapist rabbit in the 2006 stage show and once with Razorlight
in the episode "The Priest and the Beast". Noel Fielding
also opened for Razorlight at their two sold out Alexandra Palace shows in 2005 and appeared in the Razorlight video for the song 'In the Morning' and 'Up All Night'.
Borrell appeared on the front cover of the May 2007 issue of Vogue magazine, alongside supermodel Natalia Vodianova
, in his trademark skinny white jeans and topless. Borrell is one of only seven men who have appeared on the cover of the UK version of Vogue.
In 2008 Borrell and bandmate Andy Burrows
appeared at the Teenage Cancer Trust
comedy night at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Borrell's friend Noel Fielding. The two played a short acoustic set.
Late in 2007 Borrell played keyboards in a band he helped put together for Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine
. The pair had met through Florence’s manager Mairead Nash. Borrell went on to co-write and produced two songs with Welch, ‘The Hanging Song’ and ‘Building Bricks’ although these did not end up on Florence’s debut album.
It was reported that Borrell would star in an Irvine Welsh
scripted film alongside Colin Firth
and Robert Carlyle
called 'The Meat Trade', however the film did not make it into production. He has been approached with further film roles but has yet to commit to one.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer, currently the frontman of the band Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
.
Early life and career
Borrell was born in Carshalton, London and grew up in the Muswell Hill area of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He attended St Anthony’s Preparatory School, and also St Michael's, Camden School Sixth Form, and Kingsway College. Part of his education took place in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he studied at the Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel
École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel
The École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel is an elite private day school in Paris, France. It was founded in 1955 by Jeannine Manuel, and also has a separate boarding school campus in Lille. EABJM is known for its rigorous bilingual curriculum...
, before moving back to England, where he attended Highgate School
Highgate School
-Notable members of staff and governing body:* John Ireton, brother of Henry Ireton, Cromwellian General* 1st Earl of Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice, owner of Kenwood, noted for judgment finding contracts for slavery unenforceable in English law* T. S...
with John Hassall
John Hassall (musician)
John Hassall is an English musician and bassist for The Libertines. He now performs with his own band, Yeti. He has been described by Dirty Pretty Things bassist Didz Hammond as "...a fucking class bass player. Top grade...
, bassist of The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
and frontman of Yeti (band)
Yeti (band)
Yeti are an English rock band, founded in 2004 by John Hassall, of The Libertines. Hassall met Brendan Kersey, Andrew Deian and Mark Underwood through mutual friends, and the line-up was completed when drummer Graham Blacow responded to a classified advertisement...
. He completed his A Levels in English, French and Philosophy at Fine Arts College
Fine Arts College
Fine Arts College is an independent college in Belsize Park, North-West London. It was founded in 1978 by artists Candida Cave and Nicholas Cochrane. It is a small college with never more than 120 students at one time...
, Belsize Park, Hampstead.
Johnny was involved in music and the Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
scene while still at school. At 17 he played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in a band called Violet, who regularly played gigs on the Camden circuit. The band recorded an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and started to gain some recognition before splitting acrimoniously live on stage at Dublin Castle in late 97/early 98. The title track of the EP was subsequently used in the Soundtrack of the 1998 Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom is a prolific English filmmaker who has directed seventeen feature films in the past fifteen years. He began his career working in British television before moving into features...
film 'I Want You'. After the split, he briefly switched to being a solo artist covering The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
songs. Many of these shows were played with close friends The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
.
Through his friendship with schoolmate John Hassall, Borrell was involved in the early formation of The Libertines. He was present at the sessions for debut Libertines album ‘Up The Bracket’ and appears as a character in songs, notably ‘Boy Looked At Johnny’ and ‘Death On The Stairs’.
In 2002 he went on to form his own band which played house parties, rehearsing at a Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
warehouse called Unit 13, comprising Carl Dalemo
Carl Dalemo
Carl Gustaf Dalemo was the bassist of the Anglo-Swedish band Razorlight.In his native Lidköping, Sweden, he wrote songs, sang and played guitar with different bands, most notably Lo-Fi outfit Spiral Stairs. Shortly after arriving in England in the summer of 2002, he was called by a friend, the...
, Christian Smith-Pancorvo (later replaced by Andy Burrows
Andy Burrows
Andrew William Burrows is a British musician. He first began his musical career as a percussionist in the Hampshire County Youth Band. He was the drummer the Razorlight from 2004 to 2009, and as guest drummer We Are Scientists from 2009 onwards.-Razorlight:He joined the band in May 2004...
) and Björn Ågren
Björn Ågren
Björn Sten Ågren was the guitarist for the British band Razorlight.He is originally from Lidköping, Sweden where he met Carl Dalemo, the bassist of the band. Ågren encouraged Dalemo to audition for the band in 2002, when Ågren was already a member....
. The band were watching a video recording of themselves playing a gig, and misheard the ending refrain ‘Its alright, it’s alright’ from the song ‘In The City’ as ‘razor-light, razor-light’ which was then chosen as the band name. In early 2003 XFM DJ John Kennedy began to play the band’s demos, recorded at Toerag Studios in east London with producers Liam Watson and John Fortis. Razorlight signed to Mercury Records on 23 May 2003 after the Universal label fought off bids from Sony.
After the number 8 single "Golden Touch", their debut album, Up All Night
Up All Night (Razorlight album)
Up All Night is the debut album by English indie rock band Razorlight, first released in June 2004. The album reached #3 in the UK Albums Chart upon initial release...
, was released on 28 June 2004, and charted at number 3 in the UK. The critical reception was generally good, receiving good reviews from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(“Razorlight’s debut packs more tunes than Franz, more spirit than The Strokes and more balls than nearly every band out there right now.”), Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
who said
“Razorlight's debut is a masterpiece. He's (Borrell) got the golden rock-star mop, the London sneer and a band full of crazy Swedes. But fortunately, he's also got the tunes.”
Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
saw coverage of the band performing at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and invited them onto his TV show. Razorlight performed "Golden Touch" with a gospel choir in front of the Parkinson studio audience and guest Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
. After 2004’s constant touring Borrell was placed at No. 4 in the NME’s Cool List and Razorlight won Best New Act at 2004’s Q Awards
Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
and the Best New Band category at the NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
In Feb 2005. French fashion brand Dior
Dior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
’s creative director Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer of Tunisian, Italian-Brazilian origins. He studied political sciences , and Art History at the École du Louvre, and was also educated as a tailor...
based his 2005 Autumn/Winter collection on Borrell and Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
and chose Razorlight to write music for the Paris show.
In the Spring of 2005 Razorlight played two sold out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
with Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
from The Mighty Boosh as their support act. Meanwhile in between-album’s single "Somewhere Else
Somewhere Else
"Somewhere Else" is a song by English indie rock band Razorlight, and was featured as a bonus track on the 2005 re-release of their debut album Up All Night...
" reached number 2 in the UK charts. Q Magazine called it: “A punk rock symphony, a thrilling change in direction. High profile support slots with U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
and the band’s appearance at Live 8 kept Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
occupied through the rest of the year prior to entering the studio for their second album in early 2006.
The self titled follow up was produced by Pretenders, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
producer Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas (record producer)
Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
. First single ‘In The Morning’ went to number 2, and when the album was released on 17 July 2006 it gave the band their first number 1 in the UK album chart. The NME gave the album 8/10 and said: “A soulful romantic album that sees Razorlight comfortably leap the ‘difficult second album’ trap,” The Observer Music Monthly gave it 4/5 saying “His band’s second album justifies the self-belief.” Q Magazine called it “The best guitar album since Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
’s ‘Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English rock band Oasis, released in August 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and "Live Forever"....
’.”
2006 saw Borrell and the band grow into an arena act and extend their international reach. Second single ‘America’ went straight to number 1 in the UK on 14 October dominating UK radio charts to the end of the year, and climbing airplay and singles charts in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Holland, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and beyond. The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
asked the band to support them in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. An Autumn UK arena tour culminated in a sold out Wembley Arena show and tours of Japan, Europe and the US lead into a second UK arena tour and a sold out show at London’s 17000 capacity Earl’s Court in April 2007. Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
were the only UK band to headline the main stage at Reading Festival in August 2007, with US artists, The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
taking the top slots on the other two nights. The Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
singer next emerged in October, duetting with The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
’ Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
on ‘Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon
"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by The Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well...
’ for the BBC Electric Proms
BBC Electric Proms
The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
at London’s The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse , a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway...
.
In late 2007 Borrell secluded himself on a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides to begin writing for the bands third album. 2008’s London sessions at Air studios lead to a more contemplative third album titled ‘Slipway Fires
Slipway Fires
Slipway Fires is the third album by English rock band Razorlight. The album was released on 3 November 2008.The first single from the album, Wire to Wire, was released on 26 September 2008...
’. The album went to number 4 in the UK album charts in November 2008 and first single ‘Wire To Wire
Wire to Wire
"Wire to Wire" is a song by Anglo-Swedish rock band Razorlight, written by singer Johnny Borrell, from their third album Slipway Fires. It was officially released as the album's first single on 27 October 2008. It was released for downloads digitally, however, on 26 September.The song marked the...
’ got to number 5.
Press reaction to the record was mixed although Q’s Paul Rees gave the record 4/5 and said: “Borrell and his band come up triumphant. It does what third albums traditionally used to do, which is to say, have the confidence the leap into the previously unknown, and for that, all credit to Borrell.:
In Germany ‘Wire To Wire
Wire to Wire
"Wire to Wire" is a song by Anglo-Swedish rock band Razorlight, written by singer Johnny Borrell, from their third album Slipway Fires. It was officially released as the album's first single on 27 October 2008. It was released for downloads digitally, however, on 26 September.The song marked the...
’ was the sixth biggest chart hit of 2009 and the album went Gold. Two round the world tours, including first visits to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, a move to a new US label, Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
/Island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
Def Jam and major festival appearances in the UK and across Europe took Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
to the end of the decade, finishing with a December headline at XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
’s Brixton Academy Christmas show where they donated their fee to Borrell’s charity of choice, Anno’s Africa.
December 2009 also saw the digital release of a documentary on Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
made by acclaimed UK film director Charles Henri-Belleville.
Titled ‘Rock’n’Roll Lies’ the 70 minute film follows the band on a week of eccentric UK shows, intercut band member interview about Razorlights history.
Reputation, controversy, charity work
Borrell has sometimes been regarded as having a very arrogant attitude towards the press and is famous for his proclamations of his own abilities. However, like many other artists who come across negatively in NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
interviews, Borrell and supporters have accused the magazine of misrepresentation and emphasising quotes out of context.
Borrell has made numerous contributions to charity. Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
recorded ‘Kirby’s House’ for the 2005 Warchild
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
album and played London, Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
shows in 2006 and 2008 for The Who’s Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
events (in 2008 the band performed ‘Summertime Blues’ with Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
). In 2006 Borrell started to work for Friends Of The Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
’s climate change campaign ‘The Big Ask’, a relationship which has continued through 2006’s show In Trafalgar Square for the ‘icount’ campaign to playing at FOE’s November 2009 Hammersmith Apollo fund raiser. Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
were deemed to be one of the highlights of the 2 July 2005 Live 8 charity concert in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
and continued to support Borrell’s global warming concerns by taking part in the 7 July 2007 Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
event at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. Borrell is one of the few new generation stars to have appeared on the cover of a national UK newspaper because of his political views. On 4 November 2006 his essay on climate change was the front cover story of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. Razorlight have also regularly supported Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
’s 46664 Aids charity. In July 2005 the band flew to Tromso, Norway to play a 46664 fundraiser. Mandela invited the Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
to perform at his 1 December 2007 World Aids day concert in Johannesburg, which allowed the band to visit township AIDs projects. Borrell also worked with environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
charity Global Cool
Global Cool
Global Cool is a green lifestyle campaign run by the Global Cool Foundation, a registered climate change charity in the United Kingdom. Global Cool works with celebrities and the media and entertainment industries to promote green behaviours such as using public transport and taking flight-free...
on their 2007 green campaigns.
They also played at Mandela’s July 2008 90th birthday celebration fund raiser in Hyde Park. Through his love of cricket (he appeared on the cover of Time Out’s cricket edition in August 2005 holding a cricket ball) Borrell has become friends with some of the English cricket team including former captain Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
who asked Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
to play at the inaugural night of his charity, The Andrew Flintoff Foundation (Of which he is a patron) in July 2009 at London’s The Hurlingham Club. Borrell also played charity shows for Nordoff Robbins
Nordoff robbins
The Nordoff Robbins approach to music therapy developed from the pioneering work of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins in the 1950s/60s. It is grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music, no matter how ill or disabled. The unique qualities of music as therapy can enhance communication,...
, and Save The Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
in the latter part of 2009 and in September duetted on ‘Je Suis Venue Te Dire Que Je M’en Vais’ with legendary singer Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
as part of a fundraiser for Kenyan children’s charity Anno’s Africa.
Borrell and The Libertines
Borrell is one of "The Dalston Set", a clique of indie notables connected to the early days of the London scene of the early 2000s, along with Dominic Masters of The OthersThe Others (band)
The Others are an English rock band, signed to Poptones in July 2004 and their eponymous debut album was released on 31 January 2005.-Career:...
, Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
, Carl Barât
Carl Barât
Carl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
, John Hassall
John Hassall (musician)
John Hassall is an English musician and bassist for The Libertines. He now performs with his own band, Yeti. He has been described by Dirty Pretty Things bassist Didz Hammond as "...a fucking class bass player. Top grade...
, and the Queens of Noize
Queens of Noize
Queens of Noize are an English indie/disco or Wonky pop DJ duo based in London. The constituent members are Mairead Nash and Tabitha Denholm.-Career:...
. It has been reported that he was briefly a stand-in bassist for The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
before they were signed, but in recent interviews he has claimed that this is not true. In Pete Welsh's Kids in the Riot, it is alleged that Borrell was sacked as The Libertines' bassist for unreliable behaviour and not having the same musical ability as the other members, but in general there is little animosity between the two bands, and Borrell remains friends with Carl Barât
Carl Barât
Carl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
. The Libertines' song "The Boy Looked At Johnny" is reputedly about Borrell, and Razorlight's "Don't Go Back To Dalston" is reputedly directed at Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
, telling him to curtail his drug habit.
Xfm
Following his four week residency on London radio station, XfmXfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, Borrell joined it for an eight week stint hosting a Sunday night show called The Sunday Service. It began on 6 September 2009 and ran for 9 weeks with Borrell playing a broad range of records spanning Jamaican dancehall, blues, rock’n’roll, krautrock and spoken word.
Other work
Borrell has appeared twice on The Mighty BooshThe Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the...
, once alone as a giant rapist rabbit in the 2006 stage show and once with Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
in the episode "The Priest and the Beast". Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
also opened for Razorlight at their two sold out Alexandra Palace shows in 2005 and appeared in the Razorlight video for the song 'In the Morning' and 'Up All Night'.
Borrell appeared on the front cover of the May 2007 issue of Vogue magazine, alongside supermodel Natalia Vodianova
Natalia Vodianova
Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova is a Russian model and philanthropist who now permanently resides in the United Kingdom.-Early life:Born in Gorky, Soviet Union , Natalia Vodianova grew up in a poor district of the city with her mother and two half sisters, one of whom has cerebral palsy...
, in his trademark skinny white jeans and topless. Borrell is one of only seven men who have appeared on the cover of the UK version of Vogue.
In 2008 Borrell and bandmate Andy Burrows
Andy Burrows
Andrew William Burrows is a British musician. He first began his musical career as a percussionist in the Hampshire County Youth Band. He was the drummer the Razorlight from 2004 to 2009, and as guest drummer We Are Scientists from 2009 onwards.-Razorlight:He joined the band in May 2004...
appeared at the Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and related diseases by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. The units are dedicated areas for teenage patients, who are involved in their concept and creation...
comedy night at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Borrell's friend Noel Fielding. The two played a short acoustic set.
Late in 2007 Borrell played keyboards in a band he helped put together for Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
. The pair had met through Florence’s manager Mairead Nash. Borrell went on to co-write and produced two songs with Welch, ‘The Hanging Song’ and ‘Building Bricks’ although these did not end up on Florence’s debut album.
It was reported that Borrell would star in an Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
scripted film alongside Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
and Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
called 'The Meat Trade', however the film did not make it into production. He has been approached with further film roles but has yet to commit to one.