Andrew William Burrows (born 30 June 1979) is an English songwriter and musician. He's best known as the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

for

Razorlight Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delem ...

from 2004 until 2009 before rejoining in 2021. He's also served as the drummer for

We Are Scientists We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock band that formed in Berkeley, California, in 1999. It consists primarily of guitarist and vocalist Keith Murray and bass guitarist Chris Cain, with drummer Keith Carne joining the band in the stud ...

from 2009 to 2014. After he left Razorlight in 2009, Burrows went on to enjoy success as a solo artist and a soundtrack composer.

Biography

Early life

Burrows was born on 30 June 1979 in Winchester and he was educated at The Westgate School. He stated that the first albums he bought were '' Bad'' by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and a compilation album titled ''

Ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

'' by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

. The first instrument he played was the

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a so ...

and he later transitioned into drumming.

Razorlight (2004–2009;2021-present)

Burrows joined the band in May 2004. He was discovered in open

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece ...

to replace the original drummer for the band, who left in early 2004. Since he joined Razorlight, the group have released three albums, '' Up All Night'' which reached No. 3 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

; ''

'' which debuted at No. 1 in the UK chart and Slipway Fires which debuted at No. 4. His first performance with Razorlight was at London's Bull and Gate on 25 May 2004. Burrows was seen as a key figure in shaping Razorlight's sound and songs, having co- written the

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

" and " Before I Fall to Pieces", and more recently from the album '' Slipway Fires'' – "

Hostage of Love "Hostage of Love" is the second single from Razorlight's third studio album, Slipway Fires, released on 12 January 2009. The song featured biblical imagery running throughout the song, as during the songwriting process for Slipway Fires, Borrel ...

", "Burbery Blue Eyes", "60 Thompson" and "

Stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

" with

Johnny Borrell Jonathan Edward Borrell (born 4 April 1980) is an English guitarist and singer, currently the frontman of the rock band Razorlight. Early life and career Borrell was born in Sutton, London. His father, New Zealand-born John Borrell, was a war ...

. On 5 March 2009, Burrows left Razorlight with immediate effect, after playing for five years with the band. Burrows explained that there were "personal reasons" for the split. In May 2021, it was announced that Burrows had rejoined Razorlight after 12 years alongside Johnny Borrell, Björn Ågren and Carl Dalemo (who rejoined the same time as Burrows). The band went on to tour across UK and EU festivals before starting work on the fifth Razorlight album.

We Are Scientists (2009–2014)

After Burrows left Razorlight, he almost immediately joined

. His first album with the band ''

Barbara Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...

'' was released in June 2010. The band's fifth studio album and Burrows' second with them, '' TV en Français'' was released in March 2014. Burrows left the band in 2014, but has occasionally teamed up with them for live performances since his departure.

Solo and Collaborative work (2008–present)

Burrows first released a solo album, '' The Colour of My Dreams'', on 26 May 2008. The album was released to raise awareness and funds for the "Jack's Place" Appeal at Naomi House, a hospice for children in his home town of Winchester. ''The Colour of My Dreams'' was written and recorded at home by Burrows during

downtime, after he stumbled across a book of poems by an old family friend and set about putting them to music. Using just

GarageBand GarageBand is a line of digital audio workstations developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or podcasts. GarageBand is developed by Apple for macOS, and was once part of the iLife software ...

he began work in his flat and sings and plays all the instruments on the record. Eleven days after he left Razorlight, it was revealed that Burrows had signed to

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, the same

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

as his ex-band. Six months later Burrows' new solo moniker I Am Arrows played their first show. Burrows revealed that he was working with Noah and the Whale producer

Eliot James Eliot James is a British record producer, songwriter, musician, audio engineer and mixer, based at Eastcote Studios in West London, England. Selected production credits include: * Tor Miller "Midnight" EP * Two Door Cinema Club ''Tourist Histo ...

and the album '' Sun Comes Up Again'' was released in August 2010 and reached No. 38 in the

. The song "Nice Try" from the album features in the film '' Friends with Benefits''.

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

frontman Tom Smith teamed up with Burrows to form Smith & Burrows – they released their debut album '' Funny Looking Angels'' in November 2011, an album of winter songs featuring the single "When the Thames Froze". Burrows would drop his I Am Arrows moniker for his next solo album '' Company'', which was released on 22 October 2012, and received critical acclaim. All singles from the album were put on the A-List on the

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...

playlist. Burrows would also spend time working with Columbia recording artist,

Tom Odell Thomas Peter Odell (born 24 November 1990) is an English singer-songwriter. He released his debut extended play, '' Songs from Another Love'', in 2012. It won the BRITs Critics' Choice Award in early 2013. Odell's debut studio album, '' Long W ...

, contributing drums and backing vocals to both the '' Wrong Crowd'' and ''Jubilee Road'' albums. He co-wrote "Sirens" from Odell's debut album, ''Long Way Down'', "Here I Am" from '' Wrong Crowd'', and the title track of ''Jubilee Road''. In 2018, he collaborated with the British author

Matt Haig Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is an English author and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre. Early life Haig was born on 3 July 1975 in Sheffield. He went ...

for the album ''Reasons To Stay Alive''. The songs were composed by Burrows while Haig composed the lyrics for his songs. In August 2018, the title track of the album was released. The album was released by Fiction Records on 1 February 2019, featuring further singles, "Handle With Care" and "Barcelona".

Soundtrack work (2011–present)

Burrows played drums on the ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

'' soundtrack produced by

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, ...

One of the songs is currently the theme tune to the ITV chat show, ''

The Jonathan Ross Show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, ''Friday Night with Jona ...

''. His drumming also features on the

Ilan Eshkeri Ilan Eshkeri (born 7 April 1977) is a British neoclassical composer known for his concert music, films scores and artist collaborations. Early life Eshkeri was born to a Jewish family in London. During his childhood, he learned to play the ...

soundtrack to ''

Johnny English Reborn ''Johnny English Reborn'' is a 2011 spy action comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and written by Hamish McColl from a story by William Davies. A sequel to '' Johnny English'' (2003) and the second instalment in the ''Johnny English'' ...

''. In 2012, Burrows was approached by the production company Lupus Films to work on ''

The Snowman and The Snowdog ''The Snowman and the Snowdog'' is a 2012 British animated short film. It is the sequel to '' The Snowman'', and was created to mark the 30th anniversary of the original short film. ''The Snowman and The Snowdog'' is dedicated to John Coates (th ...

'', the follow up to the 1982 classic animated film ''

The Snowman ''The Snowman'' is a 1982 British animated television film based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book '' The Snowman.'' It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an immediate success. It w ...

''. Collaborating with Eshkeri, Burrows co-wrote the soundtrack to the new film as well as writing and performing the official single from the film, "Light the Night". The flying-home sequence also uses an orchestral version of Burrows' track "Hometown" from his solo album ''Company''. The score was nominated for a BAFTA craft award in April 2013. In early 2015, Burrows featured on a re-recording of

Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the ...

's song "Share Your Air", replacing the vocals of

Passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

. In November 2013, it was announced Burrows would join

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...

' comedy band Foregone Conclusion, for a nominal period of time as musical director. Before the close of that year the Burrows played three shows as MD and drummer of the band. The soundtrack of the film based on the band, '' David Brent: Life on the Road'' was co-produced by Burrows and Gervais and released via Gervais' own label Juxtaposition, distributed through Caroline International/Universal. Burrows composed the soundtrack for

' 2019 TV series, '' After Life''.

Personal life

Burrows resides in Hackney with his wife and his two daughters, Chloe and Joni. He has maintained a good friendship with the lead vocalist of

, Tom Smith, who has collaborated with Burrows on '' Funny Looking Angels'' and within Burrows' solo discography. The two met at Glastonbury Festival in 2005 through Burrows' friendship with Smith's girlfriend

Edith Bowman Edith Eleanor Smith (born January 1974) is a Scottish radio DJ and television presenter. She hosted ''Colin and Edith'', weekday afternoons, weekend breakfast, and ''The Radio 1 Review'' on BBC Radio 1 until 2014 and has presented a variety of m ...

Discography

;Razorlight * ''

'' (2006) * '' Slipway Fires'' (2008) ;We Are Scientists * ''

'' (2010) * '' TV en Français'' (2014) ;Foregone Conclusion * ''

Life on the Road ''David Brent: Life on the Road'' (stylized onscreen simply as ''Life on the Road'') is a 2016 British mockumentary comedy film written, directed, and produced by Ricky Gervais and released by Entertainment One. The film stars Gervais as D ...

'' (2016) ;Solo albums * '' The Colour of My Dreams'' (2008) * '' Sun Comes Up Again'' (2010) (as I Am Arrows) * '' Company'' (2012) * '' Fall Together Again'' (2014) * ''Reasons to Stay Alive'' (2019) ;Collaborations *'' Funny Looking Angels'' (2011) (as

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...

& Burrows) *'' Only Smith & Burrows Is Good Enough'' (2021) (as Smith & Burrows)

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrows, Andy 1979 births Living people People educated at Peter Symonds College English rock drummers British male drummers English songwriters English multi-instrumentalists English film score composers English male film score composers English television composers Musicians from Winchester Razorlight members PIAS Recordings artists 21st-century drummers 21st-century British male singers British male songwriters The Chavs members