St Etienne, The Rockingbirds, Whiteout: Haçienda, Manchester

SO THIS is how the other half live. It's a drizzly Sunday night and nine quid to get in, but the Haçienda is bulging under the combined weight of the record industry. Coiffeured MDs spill small talk in every stairwell, entire A&R departments spend hours agreeing furiously with each other about the week's coming attractions. In the midst of it all, Heavenly (label slogan: "Believe In Magic") are showing off their merry-go-round of delights.