Rusty Pickups Release New Video And Announce A Chance To Win A Trip To The Tussock Country Festival In NZ

Since Rusty Pickups released their six-song EP Rattle In My Heart in 2023, the country and folk quartet have been on a golden run, picking up shows, tours, and festival appearances that would be the envy of many in the country, folk, and alt-country scenes across this sunburnt land.

The Darling Downs group (Michael Cook, Lee Fielding, Aimee Le Brocque, Ayden Roberts, and Waylon Katz) have a traditional, down-home, classic country-folk sound, built on their ability to effortlessly blend splashes of riverboat keys, melodic clawhammer banjo, rolling upright bass, and charming acoustic guitar, with classic story-telling vocals, memorable songs and four-part harmonies.

After meeting some of the crew from the Tussock Country festival (Gore, NZ) at the Tamworth Country Music Festival earlier this year, Rusty Pickups are rolling the smallest of their swags, workshopping the transportation of oversized instruments, and looking for a pair of new friends to take with them to New Zealand in 2026. They can’t risk no one believing they’re actually going to go abroad - so two lucky punters are getting taken along, free of charge!

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Thanks to Tussock Country and Greenmount Travel, Rusty Pickups are offering return flights to Queenstown, transfers, VIP tickets, and accommodation as the major prize of the Rusty Road to Tussock promotion and all you need to do, to be in to win, is head to rustypickups.com.au and sign up for the e-newsletter.

Even if you’re not jet-setting to Aotearoa, there are two house parties to be won featuring Rusty Pickups (if you're north of Tamworth) and Tussock Country's 2024 Freeze Ya Bits Off busking competition winners Rufous Whistler (for those south of Australia’s country capital). There are also merch packs and other giveaways for everyone who signs up, and a host of exclusive promotions over the coming six months.

Launch of the competition also coincides with the release of the film clip of their latest single 'California Widow', which premiered today with Countrytown. The single received airplay on ABC Country, across community radio and charted nationally with Amrap and Australian Country Radio. Written by the band's Lee Fielding and featuring the guest fiddle playing of five time Golden Guitar winner Pete Denahy, it's a jaunty folk song that formed and blossomed in the driving heat of a Tamworth Country Music Festival afternoon.

While you don’t even need to see them in person to enter this amazing competition, country fans will be hard pressed to miss Rusty Pickups on the tail end of 2025 with appearances at Dalby‘s Delicious and Delightful, Harrisville Boots On The Bank, Tyalgum Country Music Festival, Gympie Muster, Cooly Goes Country, Maleny Music Festival, MC-ing the Urban Country Music Festival, and performing at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2026.

Rest assured you'll be hearing much more from Rusty Pickups in 2025, as they head towards the release of their debut album later in the year and get out and about for plenty more rousing live performances across the country.

© Scoop Media