Boo SeekaAustralia is the world’s largest island. It is a land that is astonishingly vast, breathtaking in its austere beauty. Tim Winton, the acclaimed author, laments the fact that “Australia the place is constantly overshadowed by Australia the national idea, Australia the economic enterprise.”
The Australian landscape, to him, serves as an overwhelming inspirational force. He writes, “Despite a peopled history of sixty thousand years, Australia remains a place with more land than people, more geography than architecture. But it is not and never has been empty…Few landscapes have been so deeply known.”
Nothing that is made in this country, he argues, can compare to the nature that is already here. “An opera house, an iron bridge, a tinsel-topped tower — these are creative marvels, but as structures they look pretty feeble against the landscape in which they stand.”
Winton hails from Western Australia, in which Margaret River - a gorgeous pocket of scenery known for its craft breweries, boutiques, and surrounding beaches and wineries - is located.
This year, Pair’d Festival is returning to the Margaret River Region with a range of eclectic, internationally renowned musicians. From the 19th to the 22nd of November, Pair’d offers the chance to see amazing artists perform in unique locations in Western Australia: beneath lofty trees, within ancient limestone caves, upon arresting beaches. Winton marvelled at the WA landscape; it is time that it is thoughtfully soundtracked.
It is time that is experienced to its fullest extent. Here are some of the highlights appearing at this year’s festival.
Boo Seeka
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If you know anything about Boo Seeka's Ben "Boo" Gumbleton beyond the music, it's that the Newcastle-born electropop maestro is just as passionate about food & wine as he is music. A genuine food and wine devotee, Ben approaches a great menu with the same curiosity and depth he brings to his craft - which makes his appearance at New Wave Gathering feel less like a booking and more like a natural fit.
Taking place amongst the vines at local favourite Chow's Table, New Wave Gathering is a celebration of emerging wine producers - and honestly, Ben would probably be there anyway. The fact that he's also delivering a set of the smooth synths, layered textures and uplifting beats that have made Boo Seeka one of Australia's most celebrated acts? That's just a bonus.
Describing his addition to the festival to The Music, Ben said, "I'm excited to play a couple of shows in some of the best venues in WA, but almost moreso, I can't wait to immerse myself in the food & wine, and promote it as much as I can" Sounds a lot like a great drop of wine to us.
Bumpy
Bumpy, a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist and proud Noongar woman, creates a unique constellation of contemporary soul, funk, jazz and folk. triple j praised her ability to craft a “hypnotic serenade that's almost certain to get the spine tinglin' and the goosebumps bumpin'." Her debut album Kanana was listed amongst the best albums of 2025 for Rolling Stone and Double J. It was described by The Music as “truly breathtaking.”
Bumpy will take to the forest stage in the late afternoon amongst the towering trees of Tanah Marah. The performance will be accompanied by a signature long lunch from Nature’s Table, which will bring together dishes by celebrated chefs Paul Iskov and Mindy Woods, wines curated by Erin Larkin, and stories of Country shared by Wadandi-Pibulmun man Zac Webb.
Josh Whiteland
Wadandi custodian Josh Whiteland - whose traditional name is "Koomal", the Wadandi word for brushtail possum - will join Bumpy with his didgeridoo during a second performance amidst the ancient limestone chambers of Ngilgi Cave.
Following the performance, guests will emerge for a bush tucker experience and a glass of Cullen Wines, creating a rare opportunity to experience music, culture, wine and place in a single afternoon.
Mendy Indigo
A standout in Thailand’s techno scene, DJ and foodie Mendy Indigo has forged a path that has led her from Bangkok’s underground all the way to international stages.
She has performed at top clubs like Sisyphos and Watergate in Berlin, DC10 in Ibiza, and New Guernica in Melbourne, and soon, she will bring her deeply hypnotic sound and magnetic presence to the sands of Meelup Beach. Guests will arrive to Leeuwin Coast oysters, Margaret River sparkling, and coastal dishes from chefs Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson and Ben Ing, all while Mendy Indigo holds court behind the decks.
Kruder & Dorfmeister
As the sun sets over the magnificent waters of Meelup Beach, the legendary Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister will emerge. Their pulsating beats will cause sand to shudder, hips to shake, and good times to be had. The duo’s iconic trip-hop sound will resound through Pair'd Beach Club for their only Australian performance of 2026.
Returning to Australia for the first time in over a decade, Kruder & Dorfmeister – also passionate wine lovers – are pioneers of the “Vienna Sound.” With their music and involvement in the wine industry, they’re the perfect pick to perform during sunset and overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Isabella Manfredi
Isabella Manfredi is an ARIA Award-winning artist, a pop-rock singer-songwriter best known as the former lead vocalist of indie rock band The Preatures. She released her debut solo album izzi in 2022, which featured collaborations with Stella Mozgawa, Touch Sensitive, Kirin J Callinan, and Drew Erickson. With izzi, Manfredi proved herself to be a master of exploring power and joy through music that is at once grand and delicate.
She will be performing on the lawns of Howard Park Wines at the festival’s finale: The Grand Tasting, which brings together Margaret River's most celebrated wineries for an afternoon of tasting, discovery and conversation. Manfredi, with her lyrical depth and kaleidoscopic sounds, will be the perfect send-off for a festival that perfectly pairs music, nature, and taste.
More information about Pair’d is available on the festival’s official website here.
