That terrible period where we have to wait for the next Vivid Sydney to bring us Studio Parties, is fast approaching. Before this string of partying in one of Sydney’s best venues comes to an end, the nothing-but-quality label Astral People were invited to curate arguably the best line-up of all the Studio Parties this year. This one was a no-brainer, hands down the best Studio Party I have been to since Club Kooky brought Azari & III to us in 2011.

Tijuana Cartel’s latest show at Oxford Art Factory took the term "Pparty band" to a new level, with the group making a seriously valid argument that they now are its definition.

This 8 hour conference was one of the most popular Vivid Ideas events this past week and, due to the concept’s good reputation, was completely packed with people of all ages and professions. It’s not about some sadistic need to know other people fail; the conference was about about knowing and realising that failure is part and parcel of success.

While Computer Chess is spruiked as a ‘hilariously offbeat comedy’, it only draws a few tepid chuckles, most of which don’t make the trip from brain to mouth. But assuming it’s one of those comedies where you’re not supposed to laugh, it’s still enjoyable. I’m just not sure if it’s enjoyable enough to invest your hard earned cash and time on.

I’ll See You Again is a book that will resonate with any person, male or female, with or without kids. A family is pulled into darkness at the awful and sudden loss of their three daughters in a car accident and the parents Jackie and Warren have to come to terms with a house filled with silence instead of chattering, banter and laughter.

When Kaye Harrison set out to make a schizophrenia documentary she had no idea her subject would make a come-back to music. It’s a fitting chapter in the long and often complex history of The Sunnyboys and unsurprising that once again a curveball would appear out of leftfield. Except that this time this ball has resulted in a home-run- an excellent feature documentary about one enigmatic creature.

Every now and then a documentary film comes along that manages to transport you directly into the mind of the filmmakers. Their passion and dedication to their subjects becomes your passion and dedication. Not because it’s forced on you, but because the film handles its material so deftly that you can’t help but become an active participant in the journey. A River Changes Course is one of those films. It’s the second documentary from Khmer-American director, Kalyanee Mam, and it focuses on the effect that rapid modernisation is having on the gentle, traditional ways of life and family structure in contemporary Cambodia.

Friday night at Rocket Bar (AKA the only place in Adelaide you can expect to see beanie-clad pseudo hipsters crowd surfing on a purple dolphin boogie board) hosted a night of hazy garage pop courtesy of Console Warriors, Sures and Bleeding Knees Club.

In 2012, The Sunnyboys had performed as Kids In Dust and made a jubilant return to the live scene at the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dig It Up! Festival. In a little over a year they’d make a come back once again and do a concert proper. It could’ve been the “gig that never was” or “may have been” but instead it lived up to and exceeded expectations.

A mere two minutes before ‘Here Comes The Night: Songs from the Van Morrison Songbook’, was due to start, there was a 50-metre queue stretching far beyond the doors of the Palais Theatre out into the streets of St Kilda. Shielding from the rain and trying to fit the part amidst the classy, yet unashamedly enthusiastic, middle-aged crowd, I eventually managed to manoeuvre my way into the magnificent concert venue in time for Joe Camilleri to stride on to the stage for this special Melbourne International Jazz Festival event.

The touch-screen supported Izakaya has become a more recent addition to the Sydney food scene, with Wagaya and Mizuya both proving popular destinations for both Japanese locals and westerners with Karaoke rooms, booths for almost all guests and a wide and varied selection of food and drinks on hand. Yebisu Izakaya in Regent Place (next to the George Street Cinemas, a section of Sydney which is fast being referred to as "J-Village") is the latest to enter the Sydney market, bringing the touch-screen style of service to a more casual setting. No karaoke or booths, but in their place one of the widest and most impressive selections of beer, sake and food you're likely to find in Sydney.

One of the best ways to learn about the sometimes intimidating realm of acronyms, code, and complicated-sounding marketing terms is to listen to an experienced speaker calmly tell us that we are making it out to be harder than it actually is. This is what the Vivid Ideas event Digital Marketing 101: Demystifying the Dark Arts was all about and it gave us a terrific speaker in Annabel Hodges, a digital marketing expert with almost a decade of related experience.

It’s always fun when three local bands get together to put on a show and when these three acts are incredibly fun electro acts, it makes it rather rad. We have Michelle Xen to thank for this.

It would not have been surprising if the walls of Black Bear Lodge had been decked in ‘Welcome Back Andy’ banners, as the celebratory mood of the sold-out crowd was absolutely palpable. Many people arrived early as they eagerly awaited the return of Sydney’s musical wonder, Andy Bull after an unofficial hiatus of more than a year.

The look and atmosphere in The Spice Cellar makes it a perfect place to host a weekly wine tasting. The owners realise this and have quickly reached out to emerging brand Cake Wines to host a limited deal named ‘Wine Down Tuesdays.’