Wellington band The Dims have released two EPs in the past six months, with the latest installment entitled No Chemical Ills. Drawing inspiration from cult Kiwi acts like The Gordons and The Dead C, the trio condense their sound into distorted songs best described as ‘noise-punk’, and lasting only a couple of minutes.

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If you let a bear loose in a lingerie shop, it might look like one of Mica Stills paintings. Stills is a painter based in Wellington, New Zealand.

She uses her dreams as inspiration for her brightly coloured works. Her recent body of work is titled Runaway With Me and will be on show at 19Karen Gallery in Mermaid Beach, Queensland from September 17th.

Good are a Kiwi creative team, illustrating gear for you to wear. Their influences come from cultures encountered, people surrounded, and good beats. We have three Good t-shirts to give away to randomly selected LAEM subscribers who say ‘g’day’ under this post and the name of the city you’re in.

Who knew that New Zealanders could make authentic, knock-out Turkish delights? Yet that is exactly what makes Wellington-based artisanal confectioners, Loukoumi, so renowned. This boutique company’s traditional Turkish delights are all natural, handcrafted sweets available in a range of flavors from New Zealand manuka honey, to Australian rainforest lemon myrtle, to their recently released pomegranate.

Fans rave about the melt-on-your-tongue, smooth texture of Loukoumi’s confections and their gorgeous and addictive taste. Each jelly is wrapped in thin paper and tucked neatly inside handsome packaging. The pomegranate, with its close-up shots of the deep violet fruit, is my personal favorite but the whole line of Loukoumi’s collections are beautifully boxed to match the gorgeous delights contained within.

I haven’t bought a CD in a while but I was strolling down Wellington’s Cuba Street looking for a bit of inspiration the other day when Liam Finn’s music tapped me politely on the shoulder and dragged me into the music store. Liam is New Zealand music royalty, of Neil Finn descent, although — with his wild hair and beard — he’s looking a bit more like a young Jesus these days. The record is made with the help of an analogue loop machine, and you’ll find the kind of stunning instrumental crescendos that I haven’t heard since The Beatles Hey Jude. He engages emotionally and spontaneously, with both skill and showmanship.

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