Stella Artois Tapping the Pulse

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Stella Artois Tapping the Pulse

High times and low life in the hospitality capital

Monday 16 October

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Diva's birthday party is one of the party season opening landmarks, and this year's - the eighth, on Tuesday - was no exception. People kept busy until 6am Wednesday, kicking off a very intense week in the capital.

Friday 13th: lucky for some.

A week after her successful showing at the Wellington Collection fashion show, Andrea Moore opened her new retail outlet in the Old Bank Arcade. It was the start to a great night - and not just because of clear skies, the big full moon, and the Wellington Lions thrashing Auckland in the NPC semi-final.

It was the opening of the 4th Wellington Jazz Festival, and already it's looking like the best ever. A full house at The Jazz Club (the St John's Ambulance building in Cable Street) enjoyed the Cuban-tinged keyboard sounds of Jonathan Crayford and his band, and the downstairs lounge bar was already busy when the New Jazz Transplant opened on the top floor at 11pm.

This temporary club, run on a 6pm-6am license for the duration of the festival by the Matterhorn crew, recalls their 1998 club Shopping, but is a much more stylish affair: wood floors, great architecture and a multi-room setup that makes it the definitive social place to be for big fun party action over the next couple of weeks.

Opening night had the Soul Emergency DJs laying down funky beats, and Saturday saw the Ebb crew, Cuff & Leon, B-Low, Zen and Clinton Smiley bringing the crowds Elective Surgery. Apart from the fire alarm interruptions, top times all round.

The Jazz Festival continues to the end of the month at the Jazz Club, The Space in Newtown, the bars and cafes of the Jazz Zone, and the streets of the capital. Too many highlights to list here - get yourself a programme.

TrinityRoots celebrate the release of their excellent debut EP tonight at Valve, and the annual Felix Awards take place on Sunday 29 October - but if you didn't get a ticket already, you missed out.

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