Before X Factor, before Britain’s Got Talent... even before Pop Idol, aspiring musicians perfected their craft, and found the platform they needed in much humbler surroundings – their local open mic night.

The concept is simple: if you have a talent – whether it be as a singer, guitarist, poet, trombonist, washboard botherer or bagpiper, rock up to your local night and give it all you’ve got in front of an appreciative audience. There’s no glitz, no celebs, no telephone vote and no public humiliation. If you’re good, you’ll go far – and many have. If you’re not, well, the chances are you’ll enjoy the experience anyway.

Oxford musicians are lucky to have the country’s best-loved, and possibly longest-running, open-mic nights – Catweazle.

The weekly session is the brainchild of musician Matt Sage who arrived in Oxford looking for a space to play. He began an informal gathering at the Victoria Arms in Jericho in 1994.

“There was nowhere like this to play when I came to town,” he recalls. “Now, mercifully, they’re everywhere.

“I arrived in Oxford with a guitar and some songs and no acoustic or alternative scene. It was all about the Zodiac. There were big bands like Radiohead and Supergrass but nothing community-based, so I started my own.”

It rapidly became a hit, attracting scores of plucky performers – among them a young Yannis Philippakis, now frontman of Foals, who, Matt says, turned up in school uniform to read poetry. Later, the band Stornoway played their first gig at Catweazle.

“We have had a few big names. Even members of Faithless have turned up to play an acoustic gig,” says Matt. “But it’s really about the unsung heroes, all of whom are great. There’s so much talent and I wanted to provide a listening space. It’s like a church for a lot of people, and has its shifting community of regulars. And while it takes energy to organise, it gives it back in spades.”

Next week Catweazle celebrates its 19th birthday at its long-term home, East Oxford Community Centre.

Matt and his friends are celebrating tomorrow by showcasing the best of the night in an altogether grander space – the Ashmolean Museum.

For one night, our sister paper the Oxford Times is taking over the museum’s hallowed galleries for a night of fun, art, discussion, drama and, of course, music. Catweazle will be at the heart of it all.

Matt, who lives in Florence Park, East Oxford, will appear with a clutch of his favourite performers – among them Matt Chanarin, Edward Pope, Megan Henwood, Phoebe Nicholson, Tarik Beshir (of the band Brickwork Lizards), and his own band Art Theefe.

“It will be an opportunity to showcase what we do,” he says. “So I have grabbed a clutch of artists from among my favourite performers to share them.”

He hopes visitors will be inspired enough to join Catweazle at either its regular Thursday night spot, or its spin-off sessions in Florence Park and at the Mad Hatter, in Iffley Road.

“There may even be one or two slots for performers at the Ashmolean,” he says.

And with the event celebrating its anniversary, Matt is confident it can only grow.

“Catweazle has been going for so long it has its roots deep into the Cowley Road and it is still a great outlet for creativity.

“I still play once every couple of weeks, but I’m much more of a curator.”

He is under no doubt as to the popularity of open mic nights like his (though, technically there is no microphone, PA or even a stage). “It’s a buzz. It can be scary because everyone is listening, but it’s scintillating and thrilling. The most magical aspect is the vulnerability people display when they are performing. There is nowhere for them to hide. No barrier, no stage – just a corner of a room. But vulnerability is beautiful. All the artists we admire, from John Lennon to Thom Yorke are loved because of their vulnerability.

“It’s the antithesis of X Factor,” he goes on. “And lots of people have come along and thought ‘I can do this better’ and set up their own nights, which is brilliant.

“You can never have enough outlets for creativity – the more the merrier.”

Catweazle artists play What’s The Story: The Oxford Times Live Friday night at the Ashmolean Museum, on Friday September 27. The evening runs from 7-10pm and entrance is free. For more details of other Live Friday events go to ashmolean.org/livefriday.