Rock legends, pop stars, reality TV celebrities and a new crop of exciting new bands. Oxford’s contemporary music scene is never dull, but even by our city’s standards, this year has been a cracker.

The year continues to have been dominated by the depth and breadth of the local music scene; the city which produced the likes of Radiohead, Supergrass and Foals showing that when it comes to producing new bands, few places can match it.

Big names came thick and fast. Lovers of charts music were delighted by shows from X Factor winner Matt Cardle, pop brats Rizzle Kicks, daft-hatted rapper Dappy; sassy girl band Stooshe, voice of an angel Charlotte Church, and heartthrob single-dad Peter Andre. And it gets better – with a New Year’s Eve show by Take That star and X Factor judge Gary Barlow.

Those who prefer artists of a certain vintage were treated to appearances by stars from the 60s: Joan Baez, Ian Anderson and Fairport Convention; 70s: The Damned and a Joy Division show by Peter Hook; 80s: The Stranglers, Ultravox, Dexys, Big Country, Adam Ant, Simple Minds and Level 42; and 90s: Blur’s Graham Coxon, Orbital, and Supergrass star Gaz Coombes.

Fans of new music couldn’t believe their luck when alt-J were awarded the coveted Mercury Prize the night before their O2 Academy gig. Another delightful moment came when Radiohead drummer Philip Selway flew back from his band’s 17,000-seat European arena tour to perform an intimate spoken word piece at the Pegasus Theatre.

The summer festival scene continued to flourish, despite tough trading conditions. Wilderness was probably the loveliest, offering not only sets by Spiritualized, Wilco and soul star Sharon Jones “doing the mashed potato” live on stage, but camel rides, skinny-dipping and lakeside hot tubs.

Cornbury earned its reputation as Poshstock with David Cameron, Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson all spotted in the VIP area, much to the chagrin of the headliner – left-leaning Elvis Costello – who urged the crowd to round on “unsavoury characters” in the crowd and “stab them through the heart”.

Fairport’s Cropredy Convention once-again attracted the faithful, for three days of folk-rock and tankard-waving, with 80s pop act Squeeze proving a surprise highlight, and Blur bassist Alex James topped off his Olympic summer by hosting the Big Feastival food and music gathering at his Kingham farm – joining drumming cook Jamie Oliver in a proper “jam” session.

But it was the rejuvenated Truck which took the festival crown. For a start it was a wonder it took place at all. The long-running event had previously folded but was rescued by the team from Y Not Festival in Derbyshire. Ralph Broadbent’s crew succeeded in not only staging a fabulous gathering with some glittering headliners (British Sea Power, Mystery Jets and Temper Trap) but also retaining the feel and homegrown philosophy of the original Trucks – complete with ice creams sold by the local vicar. Music was even restored to the pungent old cow shed.

One of Truck’s highlights was a set in the barn by one of the city’s hottest new bands Flights of Helios, featuring Sebastian Reynolds on keys and the remarkable vocals of singer Chris Beard. The band were among those celebrating one of the biggest events of the year – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which was commemorated in style with a two-day Jubilee Jam at the Jericho Tavern, brought to a rousing close by the Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band. That band also had a great year, putting the finishing touches to a new album, announcing their own brand of cider and releasing a single on wax cylinder – a format obsolete for almost a century.

The live music scene continued to be dominated by the O2 Academy, under the able direction of general manager Joe Roberts. Across town, The Jericho Tavern also flourished, attracting cutting edge acts which this year included synth-pop dance star-in-the-making Bright Light Bright Light, and one of just three shows by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich’s band Ultraista. The venue is also the new host for Britain’s longest-running weekly international live music session – the Famous Monday Blues, which, having jumped ship from The Bullingdon, is going strong with charismatic promoter ‘Silver’ Phil Guy Davis at the helm.

More interesting, has been the use of less conventional venues for performances. St John the Evangelist Church in Iffley Road is now an established venue and even hosted December's PinDrop Mid-Winter Festival, headlined by The Epstein (who end the year celebrating a record contract on mainland Europe and the imminent release of their second album). St Alban’s Church, in the heart of East Oxford, and St Barnabas, in Jericho, have also acted as beautiful settings for shows by the likes of, respectively, Richard Walters and Spring Offensive.

But perhaps the most unusual was the transformation of Oxford Castle for this newspaper’s 150th birthday party Live & Unlocked – the former jail’s 11th-century crypt hosting the likes of Swindlestock and Tamara Parsons-Baker and its 18th-century prison wing acting as a stage for Secret Rivals, Dubwiser and local heroes Little Fish, who played their first gig in the city for three years, unveiling not just a new line-up, but a completely new sound.

Of course, no look back at the year would be complete without some of the weirder moments: Seventies throwbacks Showaddywaddy raising the rafters at Dorchester Abbey; or Rufus Wainwright wrapping up a subdued New Theatre show by emerging for probablythe campest, and silliest encore in history, resplendent in a loin cloth and angel wings, accompanied by a scantily-clad body builder and a giant foam rubber baguette sandwich.

It was a year of moving, surprising and amusing performances. Now let’s see if 2013 can match it.