Destroy All Lines has had some fantastic double bills recently and the British extravaganza of Razorlight and James was yet another. The delighted fans who packed out the Hordern Pavilion for the two British bands were treated to a fantastic night of indie rock, with Razorlight kicking off the night. It seemed there were perhaps even more fans there for Razorlight than there were for James and the atmosphere was accordingly intense to kick off the night.

With Johnny Borrell doing an exceptional job of kicking off the energy with Razorlight, the British indie rock band performed a set of some of their biggest hits, spanning nearly an hour. The crowd loved their strong vocals and amazing energy on stage, with the Hordern Pavilion mosh pit feeling pulsating and packed.

As the band played through their set, the energy continued to build, none more so than when they performed “America” at the end of their set. It was a great way to close setting the tone for the night and getting people hyped. It almost felt like they should have been the closers but everyone got in early to see them and they did not disappoint.

James then took to the stage and performed a lengthy set that spanned over two hours. It was perhaps a little too long and did drag a little but the crowd were having a great time, although they thinned out as the set progressed.The band commenced with “Five-O” before moving into “Low Low Low” and “Ring the Bells” as they took the audience on a journey through their greatest hits. There was a great deal of spontaneity to the set, with a number of the songs being picked by the band as they went. The section after “Born of Frustration” was one of the highlights, with “Knuckle Too Far”, “Stutter” and the beautiful “Lullaby”, before they continued through “P.S.” and “Beautiful Beaches” and closed the main set with “Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)” and “Sit Down”.

Tim Booth still has an extraordinary voice, with both strength in his chest voice and his falsetto and he was well backed up by the band who were the lineup that brought them their biggest hits. Booth also commanded the stage very well, at many points walking through the audience and indeed through every section of the audience, giving them a wonderful experience and making everyone feel like they were a part of the show.

While many of the crowd did end up leaving before the encore, the band still performed a lengthy closing set, with “Out to Get You”, their new song “Nantucket” and “Sometimes (Lester Piggott)” before closing with the anthemic “Laid”, which allowed the audience to sing at the top of their lungs as Booth’s wonderful falsetto closed out the night.

Overall, this was a strong show, with the double bill meaning that the audience really got a bang for their buck with two fantastic British acts. While this did mean that the night dragged on for frankly far too long and the audience thinned out by the end of the concert, which is a rare occurrence, it was still a fun night for all in attendance and a great celebration of British music.

Rating: ★★★★

James + Razorlight – Hordern Pavillion – 10 October 2026