THE last surviving independent music shop in Oxford has proved its pluckiness as it celebrated its seventh year in the city.

The city was once awash with record racks boasting national and local musical acts. Now Truck store stands alone in Cowley Road – with the only other music retailer being newcomer Fopp, in Gloucester Green.

Truck Store’s fortunes have been helped by the revival of interest in vinyl records.

To help it mark its seventh birthday over the weekend, the store invited local artists to celebrate its success.

Acts included Oxford’s Nigel Powell, formerly of The Unbelievable Truth, Dive Dive and a member of Frank Turner’s band, who performed songs on Friday under his new alias The Sad Song Co.

For the big day, yesterday, there were performances by singer-songwriter Megan Henwood and Be Good.

Truck Store manager Carl Smithson, who has been with the shop since it opened in 2011, said: “We had a lot of people in the shop and it was very busy for all the acts.

“Obviously that’s really great to see and the three visitors were fantastic.

“It was a  really enjoyable celebration all round.”

Crowds enjoyed the performances while sipping cold beer or coffee from the shop’s in-store cafe, and enjoying a traditional slice of birthday cake.

For a look at Truck Store's highlights over the past seven years see Tuesday’s Oxford Mail.