Barefoot, genre-confused and shaking a fishing tackle box – Hussy Hicks rewrites the rules of live music

WITH soulful vocalist Leesa Gentz rattling a fishing tackle box as an improvised percussion instrument and Julz Parker powering the sound with roaring guitar riffs, Australian roots band Hussy Hicks has built a loyal following through two decades of high-energy live performances, including a growing fan base across the Surf Coast and Geelong.

Often barefoot and joined by longtime collaborator Tracy Stephens on bass and Ali Foster on drums, with Parker’s father Greg frequently adding harmonica at local gigs, they are clearly at home on stage and give every performance their all.

“We have both been playing music since we were children so it’s a really comfortable place,” Parker said.

“It’s where we express what we do and we really get to be in the moment. It’s a really happy place for us. There’s no point in holding back.

“I always end up dripping with sweat after a gig. Then I usually hug about 100 people.”

Their passion for music extends off stage as well, with Parker revealing that when they’re jamming with friends, Gentz will sometimes disappear into the kitchen before returning with a rice container to use as one of the makeshift instruments she has become known for.

“It’s just a different element of our sound and it’s always fun to see a crazy woman up there shaking a fishing tackle box,” Parker said.

The pair formed Hussy Hicks in 2006 when Gentz accompanied Parker on a US tour.

“We’d both been playing in different bands and both just got back to Australia at the same time, so we were footloose and fancy free,” Parker said.

“Then I was heading to the US for a tour and I don’t really like playing on my own, so I asked Leesa if she wanted to come.”

At the time, Parker had been jokingly referring to their friends as “hussies”, and the name stuck.

The pair are also life partners, with Parker revealing they are fortunate to have found someone who shares the same passions.

“We’re lucky we really love to travel, making music and experiencing different things around the world,” she said.

 

The band has built a strong audience through constant touring and festival appearances, with their blend of Americana, folk, blues, country, rock and roots resonating with crowds around Australia.

Their 2025 album Swimming in Uncertainty reached number one on the ARIA Jazz and Blues Chart and the AIR Independent Album Chart.

With songs exploring adversity, relationship struggles, resilience and raw emotional snapshots, Parker said the duo had never tried to fit neatly into one genre.

“Leesa grew up in the country scene, then she got into jazz and soul,” Parker said.

“I grew up with Neil Young and things that my dad liked and then went into more hard-core guitar stuff.

“We try not to pigeonhole ourselves when we make an album. We just try to make the sounds that we like.

“I guess that’s why we’re such a genre-confused band.”

Their latest single, I’ve Got an Ache, was written at the tail end of the Covid lockdown era and explores the sense of helplessness and loss that can come from situations beyond a person’s control.

While it had been circulating in rehearsals and songwriting sessions for several years, the track took shape late last year when the band was in Alabama sharing whiskey and songs with friend Kristy Lee, who suggested she had an idea that could fit with it.

“It’s our first collaboration with her,” Parker said.

“It’s five minutes long but it leans into that live energy that we have as a band.”

I’ve Got an Ache was released digitally and on limited edition 7-inch vinyl this week.