Razorlight, Hammersmith Working Men's Club, London - 18th July '03
"The front man of Razorlight is the mercurial Johnny Borrell, a familiar and persistent figure in the capital over the past couple of years, often spotted self-consciously scrawling in a notebook or dragging an acoustic guitar on stage to perform his Dylan-esque vignettes. This time, though, this endearingly needy character should have a real stab at the big time. Backed up by a couple of staring Scandinavians (one of whom bears the astonishing name Bjorn Agren) and a drummer occasionally given to wild, tribal thumping, he gives his songs, tight and wiry and catchy, room to shine. Older people might sniff at the familiarity of the sound, which owes plenty to the Patti Smith Group and early Clash (and the excellent guitar hook of Razorlight's debut single, "Rock'n'Roll Lies", first appeared on The Undertones' "You've Got My Number"), but they certainly match the likes of The Libertines, whom Borrell once worked with. Having already signed a deal, they should be on their way, but be warned that the audience favourite "In the City", itself a rewrite of Them's much-reinterpreted "Gloria", features some of the most embarrassing scene-setting lyrics ever penned, yet may not be their worst example. Such shamelessness deserves a reward."