Triple J Hottest 100 tips

Australia Day has become synonymous with a lot of things – backyard barbecues, bogans wearing Australian flags as capes, the unwarranted persecution of foreigners. It’s also the day Triple J holds its Hottest 100, the largest publicly-voted music poll in the world. Check out which songs we think will come up trumps this year.

In 2008 Muse took it out with Knights Of Cydonia, last year it was Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire. Who will claim Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2010? Let’s take a trip down short-term memory lane to find out who’s looking hot for this year’s Hottest 100.

MUMFORD & SONS – LITTLE LION MAN (ISLAND)



At Rip It Up, we didn’t much like the faux folk of Mumford & Sons’ debut album Sigh No More, but this song always stuck out as a highlight. Well and truly thrashed on the airwaves this year, it’s editor Scott Mclennan’s tip for number one.

ART VS SCIENCE – PARLEZ VOUS FRANCAIS? (INDEPENDENT)



2009 was a massive year for Sydney three-piece Art Vs Science and Parlez Vous Francais? was the anthem driving their success. And it hasn’t just been a hit on Triple J either, seeping into the mainstream and giving it all the more chance of taking out the poll this year.

DIZZEE RASCAL & ARMAND VAN HELDEN – BONKERS (LIBERATION)



Dizzee Rascal made everyone bonkers last year, for one reason or another. His dancefloor-ready collaboration with Armand Van Helden cast some of his old fans adrift while endearing him to a horde of younger listeners.

PHOENIX – LISZTOMANIA (V2)



The French collective returned in 2009 with their best album to date, and won over scores of new fans in the process. While 1901 got the ball rolling for Phoenix early in the year, it was Lisztomania that did the damage on the request line.

MUSE – UPRISING (WARNER)



Ever popular with Australia’s youth broadcaster, any Muse release will always poll highly in the Hottest 100. This isn’t a particularly amazing song, but it’s a Muse song, so you’d best keep your eye on it.

LILY ALLEN – NOT FAIR (EMI)



2009 saw lil’ Lily Allen go from pop princess to diva dynamo. With its risqué lyrics and catchy rhythm, Not Fair was a mainstay on all radio and television playlists last year. Definite contender.

JAMIE T – STICKS 'N' STONES (VIRGIN)



And for every mockney queen, there must follow a king in her wake. Jamie T’s white boy rapping may have had the aesthetes shaking their collective heads, but his bravado-heavy pop anthem had all the kids shaking their collective hips.

HILLTOP HOODS – CHASE THAT FEELING (GOLDEN ERA)



Australia Day brings out the bogan in all of us, and this inflated sense of patriotism sometimes leads to a shocking pro-Australian Hottest 100 winner (Bernard Fanning anyone?). But this is great news for Adelaide’s own Hilltop Hoods, whose hammy hip hop is favoured by your average sweaty, thong-wearing, singlet-clad male.

LA ROUX – IN FOR THE KILL (UNIVERSAL/POLYDOR)



The only thing holding this song back is its timing – by the 1000th listening, In For The Kill starts to grate on the ears a little. Nevertheless, La Roux dominated the charts in 2009 and will surely be up or around there on January 26.

BAG RAIDERS – SHOOTING STARS (BANG GANG)



Nothing more than a blip on the blog radar at the beginning of last year, Sydney’s Bag Raiders exploded onto the mainstream with their radio-friendly dance pop hit Shooting Stars. It probably won’t win, but it’ll get close.


Triple J will air the Hottest 100 on Australia Day, Tue Jan 26

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