Thunder, lightning and torrential rain failed to dampen the spirits of 4,500 music lovers at Oxfordshire's ninth annual Truck Festival.

Festival goers from across the country descended on Hill Farm, Steventon, near Didcot, for two days of live music and performing arts.

The weekend festival, which finished late last night, was hailed as the best ever by punters, performers and organisers.

The event, organised by promoters, musicians and representatives of Oxford's Truck Records label, is a magnet for national and international artists, and a respected showcase of homegrown Oxfordshire talent.

This year's festival saw a capacity crowd of 3,500 revellers, plus a further 1,000 musicians, staff and volunteers enjoying a wide range of performances, covering everything from acoustic folk to heavy metal and dance music.

This year's Truck', the biggest ever, was the result of 11 months' planning by the 15-member Truck committee, and featured a host of major bands, including Sunderland's The Futureheads, London's Mystery Jets, New York singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, rock bands Battles and Hundred Reasons, and Brazilian drum 'n' bass legend DJ Marky.

Joining them were scores of local bands, including Oxford's Fell City Girl, The Young Knives, and The Rock of Travolta, Eynsham's Winnebago Deal, Faringdon band Belarus, and Steventon's Goldrush, who co-organised the festival.

Oxford promoter Alan Day, of TCT Music, booked many of the acts for the weekend.

He said: "It has been the best ever Truck again, despite the weather on Saturday.

"I was gutted when it started raining but we survived and everyone is really proud of the way the site held together. There were no real problems and everything ran to time. It went really well."

He singled out Alan Binning, the owner of Hill Farm, for special praise.

Mr Day said: "He is amazing. We have basically been having a party in his garden. It's a working farm and we are really grateful for Alan for his support. He is a man of incredible energy."

Mr Day listed his personal highlights as sets by Battles, The Futureheads and Skindread.

Fellow Truck organiser Per-Christian Rae spent the weekend working behind the scenes ensuring everything ran smoothly.

He said: "It went very well. People got a bit damp on Saturday and there was a lot of hay scattered around, so I suppose the cows will go hungry this week. The best band I saw was Battles, but then that was the only band I saw."

Festivalgoers also gave Truck the thumbs-up. Guy Henstock, of Oxford music magazine Open View, said: "It has been a fantastic weekend. We have seen some great bands. It's really well organised and everything has been really high quality. This is the best yet, but every year is always the best ever at Truck."

Aaran Griffiths, of London blues rock band Morrison Steam Fayre, said: "It's been really fantastic. "This is a small festival with a massive reputation and it's a real honour to play it."