CityLife

Ian Jones' top five

MAGICAL: Feist

Cut Copy @ Night & Day - Easily the best of the modern electro-pop lot, Cut Copy are all set to go stratospheric in 2009 - their dance anthems always sounding bigger and more spine-tingling than the last. They mesh ‘70s soft-rock songwriting with up-to-the-minute rave samples and somehow turn a drizzly Sunday night into one of the most ecstatic clubbing experiences of the year.

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve DJ set @ Warehouse Project - Erol Alkan's side-project of ‘60s revival sounds, played with such incredible passion and skill, chopping and screwing to make the most obvious beat classic sound fresh and exciting. Exactly how 'retro' should be done - if all the generic ‘60s DJs in Manchester heard this 90-minute set they'd never be able to show their faces in public ever again.

Glass Candy @ Star & Garter - If Stevie Nicks had got into Italo-disco after Tusk. A glorious marriage of synthetic pop and other-worldy hippiness, fascinating to watch and even better to hear.

Feist @ Palace Theatre - How gigs should be done. Her lazy peers would have content to play a basic four-piece show and pocket the cash. Not Feist. This was more theatre than a mere gig, using Manchester's most beautiful space and combining mime, puppetry and constantly-changing backdrops. Every five minutes brought a new jaw-dropping moment.

Annie Mac @ Warehouse Project - The best modern DJ set of the year. Annie combined earbleeding dance anthems with ‘90s rave classics, neatly side-stepping the leery macho posturing of her electro contemporaries.