Triple J's midlife crisis

It was meant to celebrate the best of Australian music, but the Hottest 100 countdown sounded more like a flashback than a fresh take, writes IA's music maestro, David Kowalski.

DID YOU CATCH the recent Triple J Hottest 100 Australian Songs on 26 July 2025? Judging by the press coverage, a lot of people did. As per usual, there were loads of keyboard warriors with pithy complaints about the list being filled with too many songs they’d never heard of, and of course, the classic complaint of “should’ve been higher”, in relation to a chart placing that didn’t seem to match the awesomeness of the song in question.

What I wasn’t expecting was the extent to which classic Aussie pub rock still holds sway on the Australian public, and how much it means to the Triple J target audience of 25s and under, who were the biggest voting bloc in the countdown. The fact that two Cold Chisel songs were in the top ten, back to back, and that the fourth single from a 1987 LP that missed the Australian top ten and has never ever appeared in a Hottest 100 previously, topped this countdown.

That song was ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ by INXS.

The top ten also featured Missy Higgins with ‘Scar’, Powderfinger with ‘My Happiness’ and Crowded House with their 1986 classic ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’. This prompted many comments in the washup that the countdown played more like a Triple M countdown instead.

I was also perplexed at how the songs of the last 15 to 20 years that have endured cultural ubiquity either didn’t chart very highly, or in some cases, charted at all. I actually thought that the song that has had the longest chart reign of pretty much any Australian single in recent memory (at 365 weeks at the time of writing), ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy, would be a top-five certainty. It charted here at #48.

The classic ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ by Gotye (featuring Kimbra) placed in the top ten. Meanwhile, the ubiquitous and interminable ‘Dance Monkey’ by Tones and I was nowhere to be seen.

For a poll that received over 2.6 million votes from the public, not everything can make the list. The next 100 songs were played out over the working day on digital station Double J in the week following the initial broadcast. It is here that the heartbreaks really begin.

One of the songs I voted for that I hoped would make it, ‘Blackfella Whitefella’ by the Warumpi Band, did actually make it, but in position #197. It was beaten by ‘Hot Potato’ by The Wiggles. Go figure.

Hottest 100 Unearthed Discoveries

One bonus aspect to the all-Australian music countdown that was fascinating, but largely underreported, was the countdown on Triple J Unearthed Digital Radio of the 100 Best Unearthed Discoveries. This was a countdown of the best artists discovered through the Unearthed program, which started back in 1995.

The overall winner of the countdown was, of course, the aforementioned Missy Higgins, who won the 2001 leg of the touring competition. Inaugural winners Grinspoon were voted in at number ten. It is truly amazing to look through the list and to see just how many artists are now such an integral part of the national music spotlight. It is also heartening to see that this humble outlet was the springboard for these acts to get a head start in the music industry.

Triple J Unearthed, both as a website and as a digital radio station, continues to do the heavy lifting when it comes to putting Australian music in front of many listeners, and long may it continue. It still needs more of a higher profile, perhaps with its own FM frequency, maybe.

Daniel Johns’ bizarre movements

Silverchair fans have had their curiosity piqued by recent social media posts by frontman Daniel Johns. He recently posted a cryptic message on Instagram: ‘It’s happening.’

He then appeared at a tiny venue on a South Australian farm with an Adelaide band called The Lizards, for a soundcheck with them. The Lizards were about to perform the Silverchair debut album Frogstomp in its entirety for the 30th anniversary of the album’s release. Johns had a brief jam with the band before the crowd arrived and then hid in the kitchen to watch the show, away from the glare of the punters.

The notoriously shy Johns has dispelled rumours about a Silverchair reunion, saying on his 2021 podcast, Who Is Daniel Johns, that he “wouldn’t even reunite Silverchair for $1million and a gun to my head”. I don’t think this means he will be reuniting with his former bandmates, although a lot of people have commented on his post that a Silverchair reunion would be somewhat akin to the recent Oasis reunion in the UK. We shall see what happens.

Col Joye passes

News just in that one of Australia’s original rock and roll legends has left the building for good. Colin Jacobson, better known as Col Joye, has passed away at the age of 89.

Joye was one of the pioneers of the new form of pop music, along with Johnny O’Keefe, in the late 1950s. He was the first Australian rock singer to have a number one single, in the form of ‘Oh Yeah Uh Huh’ in 1959. His recording career fortunes took a downward turn once Beatlemania hit Australia in 1964.

However, Joye cleverly pivoted into operating a music publishing company, an artist management company, a record label and studio complex in Glebe in Sydney, all known as ATA. Along with his brother Kevin, he also found his way into tour promotion, getting behind massive tours by Bruce Springsteen and the Bee Gees.

Speaking of the Bee Gees, Joye discovered them at a party in Brisbane and signed them to a publishing deal in 1963. He took them to Festival Records around the same time and while their initial singles were not successful, they wrote successful songs for others, including the hit ‘Coal Man’ for Ronnie Burns. By 1966, they had a number one hit locally with ‘Spicks and Specks’ and Joye’s faith in the band was finally rewarded.

By all accounts, Joye was a fantastic supporter of local talent and had a hand in encouraging and assisting many local acts. He is in the ARIA Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Order of Australia.

Vale Col, and thanks for everything.

New music from Kicked in Bickie Tin

Hailing from the thriving cultural hub of – ahem – Moree NSW comes the eloquently named punk band Kicked-In Bickie Tin. They started out playing DIY shows on stages made of shipping pallets, hundreds of kilometres from any reputable venue. They make a pretty raw sound for a three-piece and their latest single, ‘Deep End’, kicks all kinds of keister, in the best way possible. This track was inspired by the aftermath floods in Moree in 2022 and the mental health problems that came with it.

With any luck, this should be a future sound on a Hottest 100 countdown at some point. They have been doing some touring around the top end of the state, from Port Macquarie to up around Byron Bay and into south-east Queensland. I would like to see them head down this way at some stage in the future. This rocks.

Until next time…

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David Kowalski is a writer, musician, educator, sound engineer and podcaster. His podcasts 'The Sound and the Fury Podcast' and 'Audio Cumulus' can be heard exclusively HERE. You can follow David on Twitter/X @sound_fury_pod.