On a cold but clear night, we made our way down the steps and into last night’s unlikely venue – The Living Room. As part of the new Castle complex in the centre of Oxford town, the area sparkles with a reclaimed nobility and upmarket (and I loathe to use this word here but it seems more apt than most) ‘trendiness’ that venues like Que Pasa and Chicagos/Ocean&Collins/whatever-it’s-called-now tried so hard to throw off.

I have to admit that it’s is not my usual haunt – in fact I’ve never been there before (probably due to the ‘no trainers’ policy). Obviously The Living Room were unaware of my own policy ‘If you can’t wear trainers, it’s not worth getting in’. However, last night I was prepared to make an exception, for word had quietly spread that Tru Thought’s very own Alice Russell, vocalist and songwriter extraordinaire, was making a quiet appearance in the VIP room.

So, seeing as the only non-trainers I own are my work shoes, the only way I would look slightly less than stupid was to go big and get the suit out. Following a muddled ironing session, myself and 3 friends ventured into this VIP part of The Living Room, cleverly titled The Study. A very small room with a single (well stocked) bar, manned by a single (knowledgeable and friendly) barman, lay before us with some large bedsized sofa-booths that Po Na Na could only dream of. Nicely upholstered in something that could’ve been expensive leather, with gloomy mood lighting and large expanses of mahogany wood, it looked like Ron Burgundy’s boudoir with only the many leather-bound books missing…

In the corner, an unassuming ensemble of musicians tinkled their way through some jazzy niceness and everyone felt ‘oh-so’ sophisticated. Taking our seats not 5 feet from the band, the demure Alice Russell giggled into her microphone and then the room fell silent as she began singing. With cute blonde hair and a slender frame, I think some of my friends (newcomers to Russell until last night) were more than a little shocked to hear her powerful voice filling the room with ease and clarity that belied the pithy sound system. Those that knew nodded their heads in silent acknowledgement of Britain’s finest voice; an instrument that could wipe the floor with her glossier and over produced contemporaries. If Russell was a Yank, then Timbaland would be making her beats, Pharell would be guesting and Timberlake would be a-courting. Thank god she’s Brighton born-and-bred – no Flake adverts or Hollywood cameos in sight for her – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tonight’s show features a rather stoned-looking, but very talented, double bassist; Grant Mitchell’s bigger and meaner looking older brother ‘Mike’ on the violin with a subtle dexterity to his fingerwork and a warm backing vocal that belies his huge frame; and Oxford’s very own (and Russell’s label-mate) Nature Boy on guitar. All casually dressed but supremely talented musicians played with a gentle authority that injected the room with an intimacy and subtle sense of humour that allowed Alice to freely stand and joke with her band and the small gathering whilst also dealing admirably with a request from the crowd.

Her voice at times soft and gentle and at others loud and soaring, was utterly captivating as it drifted from soul, to R’n'B to Folk, even to some Bluegrass and back again in a mesmerising and diverse 2 hour set. Covering classics such as ‘Boy From Ipanema’ and ‘Fever’, she didn’t try to out do anyone that had done them before, but sung them in her own style and they fit seamlessly into her set alongside my personal favourite, her own ‘Mean To Me’. The highlight of the evening was a cracking rendition of ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ that quietened the nescient crowd that had drifted in from next door. This night was an absolute gem and my enthusiasm wasn’t even knocked half-way through when Jake Shears rocked up in a hoody and trainers! I cannot recommend seeing Alice Russell in a live environment enough, and advise you all to keep your eyes peel for her name across the festival line-ups this summer.