THE sultry Anna Neale quickly became one of our favourite Oxford singer-songwriters when she hit the local scene while a music student at Brookes.

A former singer with Dublin soul band The Commitments (of movie fame) flame-haired Anna has crafted her own brand of sensual acoustic rock – appropriately described as “sex-folk”.

And while things went quiet locally, with her moving back to her home in Surrey, the gutsy guitarist has emerged, butterfly-like, as a fully-fledged star.

On Sunday she returns to her roots for the first time in five years, with a free show for the 15minuteclub @The Living Room, at Oxford Castle, at 9pm.

Since her early gigs in Oxford, she has amassed accolades, casually picking up last year’s Guildford Brit Award for Best Female Solo Artist, reaching the finals of the London Metro’s On-line, On-tour contest and MTV’s Get Seen, Get Heard.

Heck, she even warmed up the crowd for Elton John at his O2 Arena gig, as part of the O2 Undiscovered showcase.

A popular draw across the Atlantic, she has played SXSW in Texas, NXNE in Canada, and the Canadian Music Week Festival.

She has now released an album Touch, with producer Jez Larder (One Eskimo, Amy Macdonald).

“I thought I’d invade Oxford again as a special thank you to everyone who helped and inspired me in the early days,” she says.

Don’t miss a chance to see an unsung heroine, returning to the city that made her one of our best female artists.