Andy Burrows

It can only be in Andy Burrows favour that he has been in one of the few UK bands (Razorlight for those that have been living under a rock) that made a notable dent in the charts during the naughties ‘indie/pop’ phase, as well as extending his talents to We Are Scientists and I Am Arrows, simply because Hoxton Underbelly is not ‘quite full’, it is absolutely packed to capacity.

The range and categories of people that make up this sardined crowd are as perplexing as they are impressive. Middle-aged mums (I know this because they spoke about their children the whole night), brooding, skinny-jean wearing ‘indie’ folk and leopard printed glamour girls are not exactly what I was expecting; the median age of the crowd is something I would not like to guess. We could put this down to the fact that perhaps many of these people were brought in by the supporting acts - perhaps one of the middle-aged mums came to support the girl in the first band whose sole purpose it was to slap a wooden box – though, I deem this unlikely when Burrows hops onto the stage to deafening cheers. Every single person in the room is here to see him. The mums whip out their digital cameras and coo over their zoomed in face shots and the boys in skinnies shuffle from the bar to the centre of the room; a hard feat, they obviously have eager ears.

Joined by his I Am Arrows band mates, who bring guitars and some percussion into the mix, Burrows begins the acoustic set performed in celebration of his new solo single ‘If I Had A Heart’. For the most part it is a blend of I Am Arrows tracks with the odd Razorlight song thrown in for the die-hard’s listening pleasure, performed in a luxuriously intimate fashion, though at times, perhaps too intimate. At some point in the middle i.e not the first two upbeat songs, or the last two upbeat songs, there is an ‘if you are not a serious Burrows fanatic prepare to be bored to tears and painfully unmoved’ string of ballads that feel as though they have merged into one long, soulless, drizzle (the ‘mums’ thought so too as they talked the whole way through). I suspect the ‘ballad section’ would have worked far more effectively if the set had been anything but extremely brief; although, this in itself was a blessing not too disguised.

Having said that, where the performance lacked in length and sometimes gusto, it equally made up for in the few tracks that did move me - contrary to popular belief, singing a slow, ‘moody’ song does not equate to passion. Burrows is best on the more up-tempo songs that include I Am Arrows’ Nun and Green Grass, which both sound sublime under the new arrangement; the tantalising harmonies and brassy textured guitars sound gloriously resonant in the chambers of the Underbelly. Then there is Razorlight’s Before I Fall To Pieces, whose folky indie/pop is always a pleasure to hear.

However, it is new single If I Had A Heart that pulls my gaze (and ears) away from the ‘mums’ and up to the stage. Avoiding the original arrangement, this lush rendition of the single is almost orgasmic to the ear. Jagged, striking guitars behind a chorus of lavish vocals is a treat to say the least. I think to myself, forget all that tosh before; this is why people come to hear live music, for this refreshing aural experience that you just will not get with a recording, for the lux harmonies you just don’t appreciate when they fail to float out of laptop speakers and of course because the drummer of your favourite band is within touching distance.


Andy Burrows brand new single 'If I Had A Heart' is out now!