IF you asked what band would be most likely to see a fight breaking out at the Oxford Academy, Zero 7 would probably be my last guess.

But that's exactly what two people decided to start doing right in the middle of one of the act's tenderest and most emotional songs.

So unlikely was it, that singer Eska Mtungwazi commented on it incredulously mid-song.

The violence over and the pair separated, the focus was back on the lush, haunting, soulful and occasionally somewhat random music from duo Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker and friends.

And haunting it was, with a setlist mixing up less familiar material from their new album Yeah Ghost with firm favourites such as Destiny and Waiting Line.

Idle chatter from the crowd unfortunately spoilt some of the more subtle nuances of the gentler numbers, which would perhaps have benefited from a more tranquil and chilled out environment.

But the glorious melodies and harmonies still soared through the roof, with guest singers Eska and Olivia Chaney – who earned a few friends in the room by remarking she grew up less than a mile away in Southfield Road – tear-jerkingly mournful one moment and downright funky the next, dreamlike in places with a hint of mockney in others.

Olivia's squeezebox brought a more folky element to proceedings, but her renditions of some of the band's earlier tracks such as Waiting Line did not quite match the inspired and almost ethereal original versions as sung by former singer Sia Furler, now off pursuing a solo career.

A band always difficult to classify, Zero 7's performance brought elements of electronica, soul, funk, and folk to the table.

They did not quite bring the house down – possibly not what they're all about – but they did bring a smile to my face, and left gorgeous melodies delicately floating through my mind and into my dreams.