Fresh pours, next gen labels, big tunes, one very good night out. That’s the promise of the Pair’d Festival’s New Wave Gathering, which takes over crowd favourite Chow’s Table this year for a night of great wine, Malaysian Chinese food from Mal Chow, and live music headlined by Australian indie-electronic favourites Boo Seeka.
It’s a pairing that makes sense once you know Boo Seeka’s own story: what started as an outlet on tour (nine years of couches, spare beds and grateful hosts before Boo Seeka even existed) has grown into Food Seeka, a genuine second act built on the same instinct as his music, taste as you go, keep it simple, feed the people around you. That instinct now has its fullest expression yet, a cookbook bundled with the special edition vinyl of his album Cigarettes On Sundown, with every track paired to its own recipe. New Wave Gathering is where he brings the concept to life in person, wine glass in hand. We caught up with him ahead of his return to WA, a state he keeps coming back to and clearly can’t get enough of.
Touring and cooking do not usually go together easily. How has life on the road actually shaped the way you cook and eat?
Touring and cooking have honestly been connected since the beginning for me. After finishing school and starting a band with my high school friends, we toured around Australia for nine years before Boo Seeka, and we didn’t exactly have loads of money to be sleeping in hotels every night. We’d be on couches, spare beds, friends’ houses, or with anyone after a show who would help us out. My way of saying thank you was to cook for them on behalf of the band, using whatever was in the fridge and cupboard.
We read that you love Ogee in Hobart and Havilah Wine in Launceston, great choices, we love them too. What are your same favourites in Perth?
How good is that! Honestly, we are so blessed in Australia, you can find some absolute gems hiding away everywhere. We’re lucky enough to have been to Perth a number of times. Some of our favourites are Good Things in Mosman Park (their corn fritters are insane, though it’s just closed its doors) and Manuka Woodfire Kitchen in Freo, which was amazing. We also love Mayfair Lane for an English style pub, and you can’t go past Besk for a nice wine on a Friday arvo.
Has Food Seeka changed the way people relate to you as a musician? Do fans show up to shows wanting to talk about food as much as music?
I think OG fans of Boo know I’ve always been a bit of a foodie, but through the Food Seeka page, it’s definitely bringing in a new wave of fans from all over who are finding us through food. The internet is a pretty crazy place, but it’s incredible for being able to tap into fans from all over that probably wouldn’t otherwise. People have been chatting about music and food for a while now. They’re both my passions, so it’s bloody great.
Was there a song and recipe combination that was harder to land than the rest?
I wouldn’t say one in particular. To be honest, this whole recipe book thing was a much harder process than I thought. The biggest challenge for me was writing down the recipes, as most of the time I cook on the fly. Taste, taste, taste is always the key. I really wanted to make sure these recipes looked somewhat simple, and not something the average home cook looks at and gets scared to try. I know that sometimes terrifies me a bit too.
How involved were you in the recipe development itself? Are these dishes from your own kitchen, or built with others?
All these dishes are my wife’s favourites, ones I’ve been cooking variations of over the years. I guess I want them to look fancy, like there’s been a heap of effort put in, but in reality it’s something just about anyone can slap together.
If someone only had time to cook one recipe from the book, which one would you point them to first, and why?
I would probably pick the lamb shoulder with homemade mint sauce and pan gravy. It’s simple and always a favourite for people when I’ve been trialling the recipes. Plus, once it’s in the oven cooking, it gives you more time to enjoy some glasses of wine and socialise.
Do you have a drink of choice when you are unwinding after a show, and has that changed much over the years?
As most people who follow me know, I’m an absolute sucker for Pinot Noir. A good filthy martini is becoming a bit of a favourite lately too. It honestly hasn’t changed too much over the years.
Is there a meal from childhood or home that you still find yourself craving on the road?
Absolutely, I have many childhood favourites from my mum and dad. Mum’s would be her apricot ginger chicken, an absolute comfort meal for me. Dad always cooked an epic ham, cheese and tomato omelette, still a go to for me when we have a kitchen on the road. So simple and so tasty, and when on the road, simplicity is key.
You have played Fremantle, Karratha and Exmouth, so this part of the country is clearly familiar territory. What keeps drawing you back to WA specifically?
There’s an amazing live music scene in WA, and when you pair that with amazing food and wine as well, it’s pretty much a no brainer for us. We’ve been honoured to come back so many times, and that will hopefully never change for us. Exmouth and Karratha were a first for us this year, and they did not disappoint.
Pair’d brings together food, wine and music in a fairly unusual mix. Does performing at a festival built around all three change how you approach a set?
I think it does a little bit, for sure, but you never really know. Jay and I go into most sets without anything written down, reading the crowd as we go. That might change certain songs in the set or where they land. If people are a couple of drinks in, they might be ready to go straight away, other times you need to ease into it. That’s one of the best things about playing food and wine festivals, you never really know what’s going to happen.
Looking at everything on the go right now, the album, the cookbook, the tour and Pair’d, what are you most looking forward to when you land in WA?
It’ll be the first time playing new songs in Australia after the album drops. Considering food, wine, travel and good times are big influences on this album, I don’t think we could kick it off any better. We can’t wait, and we love WA.
Tickets are still available for New Wave Gathering at HERE If you’re making a weekend of it, ARRIVAL’s Pair’d Travel Package includes New Wave Gathering as part of a three-night Margaret River escape. Bookings for the package close 5 October.
Cigarettes on Sundown: Vinyl + Cookbook
Every song on the album is paired with its own bespoke recipe, forming part of a vinyl and cookbook release that blurs the line between album campaign, lifestyle project, and visual art piece. Inspired as much by shared meals and travel as by music itself, the rollout combines cinematic live performances, recipe films, intimate theatre recordings, documentary-style content, and daily short-form storytelling designed to build genuine audience connection beyond traditional music marketing. Pre-order yours HERE.