Wednesday 07/03/07 Richard James @The Wheatsheaf, Oxford

Richard James leaned into the microphone and his first utterance brought squalling feedback, causing him to fall back, like the mic was an electric eel. An Eels record was then played, during the time out. When James' introduction finally came, he mentioned "just" using his real name. His last band, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, of course, were more exotically titled.

The crowd were nearly all sat cross-legged, school assembly style. There isn't as much alcohol in assembly, so it was a bit noisier, to one man's frustration. He asked people to quieten down, because he "can't hear the words". This said in the most Oxbridge accent; it's unlikely he would have understood the previous song, being in Welsh. The songs were melancholic, some of them in English, like 'Empty and Cold'...
"Don't wash away those tears, 'cause you'll wash away those feelings so strong."

Despite the presence of a lap-top operator, the music was straight-up folk, with the lap-top just adding to the atmosphere. For example, as James sang about the wind, the lap-top was a glorified wind (noise) machine. The backing singer also seemed to be just a crutch, cooing back James' words. She was a revelation though, when roles were reversed and she took the lead, singing beautifully about how she used to be with someone "from morning sun to starry night".

Richard James has the gold-mine of Gorky's 'Stood on Gold', but instead modestly plucked his guitar through an instrumental for the encore. The crowd were appreciative; headmasters never got cheered so much at assembly.