The Waifs’ London Still about being homesick for Albany recognised in triple j Hottest 100 of Australian Songs

A song penned about missing the comforts of an Albany home is officially one of the country’s favourite tunes, with The Waifs 2002 hit London Still charting in triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. Written in the early 2000s by Albany songstress Donna Simpson, the song came in at number 74 on Saturday’s much anticipated list, having been democratically decided by triple j listeners worldwide. Simpson, who formed the band with her sister Vikki Thorn and multi-instrumentalist Josh Cunningham in 1992, wrote the song in the UK capital soon after she had left Australia. Speaking to the Advertiser, Simpson said she was honoured to see her 23-year-old song earn a place in the coveted ranks. “It’s real, dreams can come true,” she said. “The best thing about it for me as a songwriter was having Albany put on the map. “Not being in London. “But I was in London still, missing the ease and comfort of home.” A reflection of a quintessential Australian experience — fleeing to London as a 20-something and feeling wracked with nostalgia for home soon after you arrive — the tune first debuted on a triple j Hottest 100 list in 2002, where it came in at number three. The one-off poll was in honour of the alternative youth radio station’s 50th anniversary and the first time it was open to songs by exclusively Australian artists from any year. The top 10 compiled a diverse mix of soundtracks from decades past, with 80s crowd-pleasers by Cold Chisel, Crowded House and INXS slung alongside pop hits from this century in the likes of The Veronicas, Hilltop Hoods and Missy Higgins. Never Tear Us Apart by INXS was voted in as the top song on the list.