Calling all StageSiders! Welcome back to another post here at StageSideUK, this time around we are happy to be sharing an interview conducted by Lucy Roue at Chameleon Music Marketing. In this interview, Lucy talks with Razorlight, the iconic 00’s Indie Rock Band about touring in 2025, playing at a festival and what Darlington can expect at Touch Down Festival.
Razorlight are the definition of early 00s Indie music, selling more than 4 million albums worldwide and contributing to the sound of a generation.
Now they’re BACK touring with the original line-up and fans are loving it.
Ahead of their headline slot at Touchdown Festival in Darlington Arena on August 23, we speak to guitarist and founding member Bjorn Agren about his favourite festival moments, the setlist, parmos and that time Batman kicked them out of a dressing room in Newcastle…
It’s great to see Razorlight touring again. How do you think the experience differs for fans who saw you 20 years ago?
“I think we’re at our peak. We’re actually playing the older songs better now than we did back then.
“I’m pretty sure it’s because we had so much energy in our 20s that when we got on stage the adrenaline just kicked in. I remember thinking why is it that we have to play everything at a hundred miles an hour?
“We still play faster than the record, which you should do live, but the groove and the power is there as well.
“The more we tour the tighter it gets so, as we say in the business, we will be s**t hot by the end of Summer for Touchdown.”
What’s it like with the original line-up playing together?
“It’s really cool to be back together again and a very similar vibe musically.
“I’d say we are all a bit more chilled out as people. We still have the same intensity when we’re playing live but as you grow older you can’t be bothered to fight about every single thing.
“I’m mainly talking about Johnny wanting things a certain way of course (laughs) but it’s like ah well you did write the tunes so.
“What I really love about the mature Razorlight and playing in the band again is being creative – the process is still a lot of fun.”
What can fans expect from the Darlington performance?
“We’re headlining so we want to leave people on a high – it won’t be a selective B-Side set.
“We will do most of the classics and throw in a few new ones to keep it fresh. We have a new single coming out in mid-July so we will probably play that too.
“When you’re playing a festival, the main thing is to keep people in a good mood and enjoying themselves.
“The fans are the ones who have put us where we are and have sustained the whole thing, so it feels a bit like we’re cheating them if we don’t play the big tunes. Especially when people are singing along to entire songs.”
What do you make of the line-up at Touchdown Festival? Who are you looking forward to watching?
“There’s lots of other good bands playing as well which is great – it’s nice to see Jake Bugg still doing his thing.
“I’ve heard lots of good stuff about The Pastels, and it’s cool to see White Lies on there too. That’s fun. They came out right at the end of that ‘Indie Sleaze’ era and it felt like that first album condensed a lot of ideas from the whole wave sound-wise.
That sound is still around and still popular so it’s going to be really nice to see them play live again.”
What’s is like playing a festival like Touchdown rather than an indoors gig?
“It’s a lot of fun and it’s a very different kind of thing to playing a small sweaty venue. You’ve also got more floor space – I feel like I can walk out and wave the guitar and run around a bit more.
“Playing live means there’s that extra little bit of electricity with the crowd – we all know if we screw up here nothing will go on playing.
“Our lane is we will do everything super old school with a few mod cons in the studio but largely stick to what we know.
“Playing live makes it feel a lot fresher because I will always throw in a little extra note there – or an extra delay or something.”
What’s is your personal favourite song to play live?
“It’s got to be In the Morning.
“The ultimate goal for me was to write a guitar part that when people hear it, or sing along in their head, they not only hear the vocals but the guitar part too. People sing along in the intro which is absolutely amazing.”
What is your experience of playing in the North East? Do you have any favourite memories from touring here?
“The further North you go the more rowdy and enthusiastic people become and it peaks somewhere around Newcastle.
“I find how people dress fascinating too. For a very sensible Sweed growing up with your parents always telling you to put enough clothes on, so you don’t get pneumonia – you get to the North of England and no-one is wearing anything!
“One of the funniest memories in Newcastle was around Halloween.
“There was a themed party after our gig, and the DJ turns up dressed as Batman and kicks us out of the dressing room.
“It was a wonderfully surreal thing. Although (laughing) there was mixed feelings about it among the band.”
Big question – have you ever had a Parmo before?
“Well, (smiling) you will have to tell me what it is first.
“P-a-r-m-o, hmmm not knowingly.
“I’m guessing it’s some kind of a sandwich with parmesan on it?
“Actually, not parmesan if it’s the North East it will be something way more hearty than that.
“A pizza base made of chicken?! How does the chicken get flattened?
“(Writes it down) I need to look into this, it sounds interesting. If it’s super popular it sounds a bit hard to do!
Final thoughts, why is going to see live music still so important to people?
“Live gigs are almost the final frontier – there’s no digital thing that can re-create that feeling of standing in a stadium with thousands of other people and singing-a-long.
“I think it’s really special when your voice is joining a whole bunch of other ones and you’re having this common experience together. To me that’s why people still go outdoors and buy into festivals.”
A huge thanks to Lucy from Chameleon for sending us this interview to share.
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