Armed with his Spanish guitar, record collection and a box of Russian fiction, James arrived in London and set about constructing a new life for himself, performing in a Masonic chamber, the basement of a brewery AND a huge Victorian hall. Piquing the interest of Anvil Records (http://www.anvilrecordingco.com/releases/index.htm) in 2006, James released an EP which laid the foundation for some of the characters that have come to populate his songs. Conspiring with an accordion player and a drummer, the musical backdrop for these narratives twists together dark folk, and motifs from vaudeville and French and German Cabaret. The songs feature a foreboding crew of chaste waifs and fallen strays, high society toffs and card-sharping cads,and reference a myriad of literary classics from the courtly-love of the Romantic poets to the dust bowls of 20th Century American Social Realism. Live and on record, hearing the songs of James and the Jewellery Store is like stepping into a dimly lit theatre, wanting to look away - but being glued right to your seat.
