Johnny Borrell of Razorlight Responds as Dave Golel Challenges Him to Land a Punch

Strange Encounter With Dave Grohl

Johnny Borrell from Razorlight reminisced about the moment when Dave Grohl once requested him to hit him in the face.

• READ MORE: The classic lineup of Razorlight has announced their first new album since 2008, stating: “We were ready to ceremoniously finish the group.”

A Look Into Razorlight’s Documentary

The frontman shares his recollections of a bizarre exchange with the Foo Fighters’ frontman in a video excerpt from the new documentary, Razorlight Fall into Pieces Field.

This film, currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, chronicles the 11-year journey since Borrell first met drummer and songwriter Andy Burrose, culminating in the group’s reunion in 2021.

In the video, Borrell reflects in a car about his encounter with Grohl. “Yes, I hit Dave Grohl in the face, yes,” he admits. “But only because he asked me to! He came up and said, ‘Come on, man, you damn British rockers are such wimps, hit me!’ It was all in good fun; he enjoyed playful interactions.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkzwb3q6oki

Borrell quickly asserts that his experience with Grohl was positive. “He was great, Dave Grohl is genuinely a nice guy.”

When someone off-camera remarks that “no one has a bad word to say about him,” Borrell quips, “That’s not true… The camera is off!” The clip then ends abruptly.

Razorlight and Foo Fighters shared the stage on December 10, 2005, during an enormous open-air concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, alongside Oasis, Coral, and others.

Fall into Pieces premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in 2022, but has been on hold for commercial release until early 2025. Directed by Ben Lowe, the film is named after a 2006 single and explores the often tumultuous relationship between Borrell and Burrose, tracing the band’s journey from its early 2000s beginnings to their reunion in 2021.

Razorlight released their fifth album 'Planet Nowher' in October, marking their first full-length album with the classic lineup since 2008. Borrell spoke with NME last year about the motivation behind creating new music, expressing that he had contemplated disbanding if they could not produce new work.

“I said to everyone, ‘If the new music doesn’t resonate, let’s part ways.’ I was prepared to ceremoniously say goodbye to Razorlight,” he explained. “That would have been significant. I even considered various dramatic ways to conclude things, including involving Japanese swords. But this album needed to happen.”

They have also announced a tour in the UK for April and May—check out the full list of dates here and purchase tickets here starting from February 14.