Razorlight have dug into the archives to release a previously unheard demo of their chart-topping single ‘America’, retitled ‘Lost In America’, giving fans a rare glimpse at the earliest version of one of the biggest indie anthems of the 2000s.
The release lands alongside news of a deluxe edition of the band’s self-titled second album, due later this year, with a new track called ‘Wilfred Owen’ already appearing on streaming platforms ahead of the record. It also follows confirmation that Razorlight will head out on a huge UK and Ireland tour this November to mark 20 years since the release of that pivotal album.
‘America’ topped the UK Singles Chart on its original release in 2006 and featured on Razorlight, the band’s five-times platinum second album, which sold 1.6 million copies in the UK and propelled Johnny Borrell and co firmly into the mainstream. Speaking about the newly unearthed version, Borrell explained: “This was the first version that we put down. We tried to ‘sell’ it to any interested artists through our publishers but they were getting no interest. I loved it at this point but felt it was a little too safe for Razorlight.”
Built around a driving bass riff and featuring a group vocal on the chorus, ‘Lost In America’ offers a more straightforward, uptempo take on the song than the familiar single, with an alternate, more romantic lyrical perspective running through it. The track is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms.
The band’s classic four-piece line-up will perform Razorlight in full on the anniversary tour, including staples ‘In The Morning’, ‘Before I Fall To Pieces’ and ‘I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got’, alongside deeper cuts such as ‘Hold On’, ‘Who Needs Love’ and ‘Kirby’s House’. It’s not the first time the band have marked one of their album anniversaries on stage, having previously performed Up All Night in full at Kaiser Chiefs’ 20th anniversary Employment show in Leeds.
The UK and Ireland leg touches down at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on 26 November, before dates in Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, London’s OVO Arena Wembley, Bristol, Belfast and Dublin, with a run of European shows either side. Tickets are available at www.razorlightofficial.com.
Razorlight’s 2026 touring schedule has already been building steadily, with the band recently confirmed to headline alongside James at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and set to play Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington this May. The band’s debut album, Up All Night, went four-times platinum, selling 1.2 million copies in the UK, and in the years since Razorlight have connected with a new generation of fans, now averaging more than 1.6 million monthly Spotify listeners.
Their career achievements include a UK No. 1 album, a Number 1 single, three UK Top 5 albums, two multi-platinum albums and eight UK Top 20 singles. As well as the UK, Ireland and European dates, Razorlight will also tour Australia and New Zealand in October, including shows with James in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Razorlight 20th anniversary tour dates:
- Sat 3 Oct – Powerstation, Auckland
- Sun 4 Oct – Meow Nui, Wellington
- Tue 6 Oct – Max Watts, Melbourne
- Thu 8 Oct (with James) – Red Hill Auditorium, Perth
- Sat 10 Oct (with James) – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
- Sun 11 Oct (with James) – MCA, Melbourne
- Tue 13 Oct (with James) – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
- Thu 23 Oct – Kägelbanen, Stockholm, Sweden
- Sun 25 Oct – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
- Tue 27 Oct – John Dee, Oslo, Norway
- Wed 28 Oct – Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Fri 30 Oct – Kantine, Cologne, Germany
- Sat 31 Oct – Mühle Hunziken, Rubigen, Switzerland
- Sun 1 Nov – La Madeleine, Brussels, Belgium
- Tue 3 Nov – Roxy, Prague, Czech Republic
- Wed 4 Nov – Technikum, Munich, Germany
- Thu 5 Nov – Simm City, Vienna, Austria
- Sat 7 Nov – Kammgarn, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
- Sun 8 Nov – Trianon, Paris, France
- Tue 10 Nov – Den Atelier, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Wed 11 Nov – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Fri 13 Nov – Rolling Stone Beach Festival, Germany
- Sat 14 Nov – Heimathafen Neukölln, Berlin, Germany
- Sun 15 Nov – Circolo Magnolia, Milan, Italy
- Tue 17 Nov – Moon, Valencia, Spain
- Wed 18 Nov – Wolf, Barcelona, Spain
- Fri 20 Nov – Grand Mix, Tourcoing, France
- Thu 26 Nov – O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
- Fri 27 Nov – O2 City Hall, Newcastle, UK
- Sat 28 Nov – The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK
- Mon 30 Nov – O2 Academy, Leeds, UK
- Tue 1 Dec – Rock City, Nottingham, UK
- Thu 3 Dec – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
- Fri 4 Dec – OVO Arena Wembley, London, UK
- Sat 5 Dec – The Prospect Building, Bristol, UK
- Tue 8 Dec – Hedon, Zwolle, Netherlands
- Wed 9 Dec – Nieuwe Nor, Heerlen, Netherlands
- Sun 13 Dec – Telegraph, Belfast
- Mon 14 Dec – 3Olympia, Dublin
Image credits:
In this article: Razorlight, Johnny Borrell, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs, Leeds, Tartan Heart Festival, James, Neighbourhood Weekender, Warrington, Spotify, Apple Music, Wembley Arena, London, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Manchester, Bristol, Belfast, Dublin. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
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