There’s a common misconception that, in order to be eligible to rank in the Hottest 100, your music needs to have actually been played on triple J.
But that’s not true.
JJJ listeners can vote for any song they deem to be all-that-and-a-bag-of-potato-chips, as long as it adheres to the station’s voting criteria, as follows:
As the J’s mention on their website, they’ve provided you with “a shortlist of tracks”, which basically includes all of the songs that have received high rotation on the J-waves over the past year.
And inevitably, the songs that are championed by triple J all year round – and then featured on its shortlist – are also the songs that end up charting highest in the Hottest 100.
Which likely has a lot to do with the fact that artists such as Major Lazer, Kendrick Lamar, The Rubens, Tame Impala and Jarryd James are currently the bookie’s top picks to take out this year’s countdown.
But with only a matter of hours remaining until the final bell tolls for voting in the Hottest 100 of 2015, there are some things that punters who are keen to lodge a last minute ballot should take on board before they do.
And you can vote for them easily, by clicking on this icon on the countdown’s VOTING page:
Despite (or perhaps because of) the claims of sound bias that have been levelled at triple j in recent years, particularly when it comes to their support of local rock and metal, there’s been huge improvements to the makeup of the station’s playlist in 2015, with acts like Parkway Drive, Hands Like Houses and In Hearts Wake given high rotation alongside the usual crop of EDM, hip-hop, indie, folk, pop and Aussie punk artists.
“Triple J are playing heavy music again”, IHW frontman Jake Taylor proclaimed to the 5,000-strong crowd at last week’s sold-out UNIFY Gathering, before he urged punters to make sure that they do actually vote in the Hottest 100 to “make sure our genre continues to be heard”.
And that’s also our recommendation here at Music Feeds. If you happen to get time before voting closes at midday today, you can support quality local artists and bands in your favourite genre by giving them a guernsey in the Hottest 100. Even if their songs don’t end up charting in the big list (and, in all likelihood, they probably won’t), it may influence our taxpayer-funded youth broadcaster to consider them for airplay – and continue to diversify its playlist – in the future.
By all means go out, trawl the web or your local gig guide, and continue to discover quality local music outside the realm of triple j’s playlist for yourself. But if you need a hand, here are some of our suggestions of awesome Aussie artists (that you may or may not have heard of) who also did great things in 2015.
And even if you don’t vote for them, they’re definitely worth a listen.
Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams
With highly-danceable groove metal riffage, some of the most clever and hilarious lyrics you’ve heard this century and a bespectacled tea-sipping frontman who pelvic-thrusts like a sexual maths teacher whilst screaming like a deranged psychopath, Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams have one of the most captivating and entertaining live shows in Australia right now.
But they’re also packing some absolutely killer tracks. They released their latest single The General off their self-titled debut EP in early 2015, before being announced on the debut lineup of the now-postponed Legion festival. Get them into your facial orifices below.
Watch: Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams
DrawCard
Sunshine Coast rockers DrawCard had a massive 2015, embarking on a monster national tour in celebration of their Goons LTD EP, which included a showcase at the prestigious BIGSOUND industry conference. If you’re thirsty for the kind of defiant, incendiary modern rock anthems that make you want to raise your fist in the air and tell The Man just where to stick it, then give these guys a listen.
Watch: DrawCard – We Are The Future
The Dead Love
When they’re not hanging out with The Libertines in Thailand, Sydney rockers The Dead Love are performing some of the tightest, loudest and most dynamic rock n’ roll sets around. They’ve got two songs eligible for this year’s Hottest 100: Zombie Ghost Town and the Dune Rates-endorsed Yeah Nah. Listen below and keep an eye out for their new album dropping this year.
Watch: The Dead Love – Zombie Ghost Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDq8fRiJTRY
Watch: The Dead Love – Yeah Nah
Bellusira
Melbourne metal act Bellusira caught the attention of Evanescence drummer Will Hunt with their debut album Connection, and he wasted no time yanking them over to the U.S. Since making the big trip overseas in early 2014, Bellusira have performed at huge festivals like SXSW and Fort Rock, and shared the stage with the likes of Korn, Seether, Buckcherry, Hed PE, Saving Abel, Puddle Of Mudd and more.
They recently came back to home turf supporting US hard rock giants Halestorm on their debut Australian tour, and have since been busy recording their second album with the help of Dan Whittemore (Paramore, Macklemore, NE-YO) and Ulrich Wild (White Zombie, Pantera, Deftones). Check out the debut single from their new record, Black Seed, as well as the incredible Cachango off their debut album, below.
Watch: Bellusira – Black Seed
Watch: Bellusira – Cachango
EMPRA
Melbourne rock trio EMPRA are, quite simply, killing it. Not only are they so huge in Singapore that bands there are legitimately covering their songs, they’ve just inked a record deal with US label Thunderheart ahead of the release of their new EP and 50-date US tour, which includes multiple performances at SXSW. Check out their latest single, Rebecca, below, alongside their 2013 single Strange Condition, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Vanda & Young Australian songwriting prize.
Watch: Empra – Rebecca
Watch: Empra – Strange Condition
Kerser
OK. So you probably have heard of Kerser. The Western Sydney MC isn’t short on controversy, but whether or not you’re a fan of his music, you can’t overlook the fact that he’s one of the very few modern Australian artists to have achieved success without triple j support, going on Australian Idol or getting big overseas first (seriously, how many others can you name?). The outspoken rapper has been notoriously critical of triple j’s lack of support for his music, but it doesn’t seem to have affected his success. Kerser’s latest album Next Step hit Number 1 on the ARIA album charts, which is, you know, kind of a big deal. Listen to its titular single, below.
Watch: Kerser – Next Step
Troye Sivan
With almost 2 million Facebook fans, 3.3 million Insty followers almost 3.5 million Twitter followers and over 3.6 FUCKING MILLION YouTube subscribers, Perth (by way of South Africa) indie pop young gun Troye Sivan had surged to international success on the back of a social media empire. His music has won acclaim across the globe, earning him appearances on Ellen, The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and praise from international music authority BBC Radio 1. And yet the total number of plays Sivan has received on triple j has remained somewhere in the vicinity of zero. The singer released his debut album, Blue Neighbourhood, at the end of last year. Check out his massive 2015 single WILD, below.
Watch: Troye Sivan – WILD (Blue Neighbourhood Part 1)
Betty Who
Like Sivan, Betty Who has achieved international success largely under the Australian public’s radar. She’s performed at the world’s biggest music festivals, including Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo on top of a just-announced slot at the 2016 Governors Ball alongside triple j-endorsed acts Meg Mac, Courtney Barnett and Chet Faker. The Sydney-bred singer-songwriter’s latest single, All Of You, was released in 2015 off her debut album, Take Me When You Go. Check it out below.
Watch: Betty Who – All Of You
Red Beard
Gympie-bred outfit Red Beard combine indie and electronic elements with heavy rock to create a unique and genre-defying sound. After sharing the stage with an eclectic mix of big-name artists, from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to Art Vs Science to Short Stack, the foursome have recorded their debut album, headed up by flagship single Hells Gates, which you can check out below.
Watch: Red Beard – Hells Gates
The Lockhearts
Sydney heavy blues-rockers The Lockhearts have created a live scene all of their own. With a reputation as one of the hardest-working and hardest-partying acts in town, the 70s-inspired riffsters/loose c*nts have spent the past year curating their own mini-festivals – including Old Mate’s Block Party which, as luck would have it, is going down next weekend – and releasing their new double-EP, Tales From The Sea. Check out the double-disc’s lead single, Low, below.
Watch: The Lockhearts – Low
THE ART
If David Bowie, Joan Jett, Veruca Salt’s Louise Post and Animal from The Muppets had started a band in their heyday, it probably would have sounded something like Sydney’s THE ART. Though impossible to pigeonhole into a single genre, the foursome’s music is infused with intense sincerity and delivered with unmistakable rock n’ roll swagger. After spending a period of time being mentored by former Guns N’ Roses manager Vicky Hamilton and supporting pretty much every monster rock band you can name – from Linkin Park to Steel Panther – the group are gearing up for the release of their brand new album, Voodoo Storm this year. Check out the disc’s first single, Dead Inside, below.
Watch: THE ART – Dead Inside
Tonight Alive
OK, so chances are you’ve heard of Tonight Alive and probably think they’re sufficiently successful so as not to require much extra support. But it’s incredible how little airplay the ever-evolving pop-punks continue to receive in their own country. They’ve got a new album coming out called Limitless and are currently in the midst of a sold-out tour, after performing at the equally sold-out UNIFY Gathering. Two of their new tracks – To Be Free and Human Interaction – came out just before the Hottest 100 release deadline hit. Check ’em out below.
Listen: Tonight Alive – To Be Free
Watch: Tonight Alive – Human Interaction
October Rage
October Rage are a little band from the NSW Central Coast with a huge American-style rock sound. So naturally, they’ve already started to make a big name for themselves in the US, touring with the likes of Sevendust, Saliva and Steel Panther. As well as schlepping round the States in the back of a tour van, 2015 also saw the band release new single Valkyrie off their Fallout, Dust And Guns EP. Check it out below.
Watch: October Rage – Valkyrie
![October Rage - Valkyrie [Official Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BVszvh2HJiM/hqdefault.jpg)
