Razorlight were formed in 2002, and consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Johnny Borrell, lead guitarist Björn Ågren, bassist Carl Gustaf Dalemo and drummer Christian Smith-Pancorvo.

Razorlight began by supporting The Libertines at various London venues, and were eventually signed to Liam Watson's Toerag Studios by scout Justin Cross, where Cross produced the tracks "Rip It Up", "Rock 'n' Roll Lies" and "In the City" alongside John Fortis. The band enjoyed immediate success with these songs, particularly on radio stations such as the John Kennedy Show on XFM, and they finally settled with Mercury Records, under the wing of Richard O'Donovan. Debut album “Up All Night”, released in June 2004, reached number 3 in the UK Album charts. However, soon after, Smith Pancorvo left the group, was replaced by Andy Burrows, and “Up All Night” was re-issued in April 2005, and included the previously unreleased single "Somewhere Else" (which climbed to number 2 in the UK).

Razorlight released their second album, the imaginatively titled “Razorlight”, in July 2006, and it debuted at number 1 on the UK Album chart, with lead single, "In the Morning" peaking at number 3 on the UK Singles chart. This was followed by one of their most successful singles, "America", which made number 1 in the UK. In 2007, Razorlight were nominated for 2 BRIT Awards, “Best British Band”, and “Best Song” (for “America”).

After many months of producing new material (some of which was written on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides), Razorlight released their third studio album, “Slipway Fires”, in November 2008. Drummer Andy Burrows quit the band in March 2009 due to 'personal reasons', with New Yorker David 'Skully' Sullivan-Kaplan taking over.