Red Bus Radio is a novel idea: a real-life, full-size double-decker bus that’s been converted into a recording studio! It’s the brainchild of a chap called Nick, who turned a 1979 Bristol VRT bus (trainspotter – or bus-spotter – alert) into a comfortable space with solar and wind power generation. The conversion took two years, and since then a variety of Oxfordshire musicians and bands have stopped by the bus to record a session. The archive of Red Bus Radio sessions is available on Red Bus Radio website.

To celebrate the musicians of Oxfordshire, The Red Bus Radio Awards will be held at Didcot Civic Hall on 15 March. Along with live performances from Über:Tone, The Majestic, Smash Robots, Coco Alice and Ijay & The Acoustic Messanjaz, five categories of awards – and the winners – will be announced on the night.

From the organiser: “There isn’t a financial benefit attached to the awards. The event is designed to make artists feel good about themselves and celebrate what they do. It took a long time to convert the bus including having to rebuild the engine by myself; my intention is to travel the world collecting music and helping out my fellow musicians along the way. I really intend to make it up as I go along. I’ll take a small amount of time on the awards night to show people how I converted the bus and what I’m trying to do.”

Bands and musicians that are interested in getting involved and recording a session just need to get in touch via the Red Bus Radio website. The awards event will run from 8.30 pm until late on 15 March, and admission is free – contact enquiries@redbusradio.com to get a ticket.