The tousled locks, the Persil-challenge wardrobe, the ‘A’ List girlfriends -like it or not Johnny Borrell is a bonafide rock star these days, thanks to the radio-friendly jingles which made up 2005’s Razorlight.

If the odd clunker remains (“Hostage Of Love” could be a Meatloaf out-take) Slipway Fires largely sees a return to the introspection of debut album Up All Night, Borrell ditching the arena-rock for pin-sharp dissections of the fame game (“Tabloid Lover”), his own meteoric rise (“North London Trash”) and, in “The House”, his own mortality.

PAUL MOODY



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