TCCT 2014: Sonny Knight & the Lakers top best live acts

When we profiled him back in January, Sonny Knight said he was "ready to be doing not much of anything." Instead, the once "lost" soul singer spent the year putting on 60-some high-energy, low-bottomed gigs with his young, funk-blasting band the Lakers, ending the year with four full-house shows at the Dakota last week that were recorded for a live album. Smart move.

Twin Cities critics also liked electro-sleaze musician Elliott Kozel's hedonistic Tickle Torture shows and Grrrl Prty's similarly rowdy if slightly less bawdy performances, plus the more wholesome and pure joy of seeing teenage bands in action (the Stand4rd, Hippo Campus, Stereo Confession).

1 Sonny Knight & the Lakers  (62 voter points)

2 Tickle Torture (35)

3 Grrrl Prty (19)

4 The Replacements (17)

5 Prince and 3rdEyeGirl (16)

6 (tie) Black Market Brass

The Stand4rd (15)

7 Hippo Campus (14)

8 Stereo Confession (11)

9 (tie) Shiro Dame

White Boyfriend (10)