It’s only one day in, but already, triple j’s Requestival is proving to be one of the most eclectic and intriguing events ever held by the station.
First announced last week, the Requestival is exactly what it sounds like, with triple j allowing listeners to choose the playlist for the work week, with every track between 6am and 9pm being by request only.
Of course, this isn’t the first time listeners have been able to choose the content on triple j. Why their annual Hottest 100 is the largest public-voted music poll in the world, and previous events such as their Impossible Music Festival have seen fans choose a weekend of archival programming
However, this most recent event has so far resulted in one of the most intriguing days of programming the station has had in years.
Kicking off at 6am on Monday morning with an appearance from Bag Raiders’ “Shooting Stars”, modern cuts followed along before the presence of tracks such as Kelis’ “Milkshake” and Alien Ant Farm’s cover of “Smooth Criminal” proved that things were going to be a little different to the average day of programming.
While DMA’S have gone back-to-back with The All-American Rejects, so too have other tracks that likely haven’t been played on the station for some time (if at all), with D12’s “Purple Pills” rearing its head in the early morning.
Notably, listeners have proven their love of older, “classic” songs, with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation”, and Ike & Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” all showing up as well. As the day has continued, anthems like Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” have also made a surprising appearance, as has Norman Greenbaum’s iconic “Spirit in the Sky”.
However, the most intriguing song on the day’s playlist was most likely that of Donny Osmond’s “I’ll Make a Man out Of You”, which was chosen for its appearance as an integral part of the 1998 Mulan soundtrack. Similarly, an appearance from Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” also saw the station’s request line receive quite a bit of attention.
While some of these left-field requests might be somewhat surprising for most triple j listeners, it’s actually a refreshing opportunity to see what listeners want to listen to, compared to what’s currently doing the rounds on the station.
Does this mean we might soon see deep cuts from the Ted Mulry Gang going head to head with the latest hit from Kendrick Lamar once this week is over? It seems unlikely, but so far, Requestival has become one of the most varied and intriguing playlists on Aussie radio in recent times, and listeners are undoubtedly hoping it becomes an annual affair.
triple j’s Requestival runs until Sunday, May 31st, with the request line still open via the triple j app.
triple j’s Requestival: Day One Playlist
“Shooting Stars” – Bag Raiders
“Robert Smith” – Cry Club
“Milkshake” – Kelis
“Breakapart” – Polish Club
“Life Goes On” – E^ST
“We Used To Be Friends” – The Dandy Warhols
“Opinions Won’t Keep You Warm At Night” – Kisschasy
“Come Down” – Anderson .Paak
“Eugene” – Arlo Parks
“Smooth Criminal” – Alien Ant Farm
“Pretty Lady” – Tash Sultana
“Bulletproof” – La Roux
“Move Along” – The All-American Rejects
“The Glow” – DMA’S
“Bags” – Clairo
“Good for You” – Spacey Jane
“All Night (feat. Knox Fortune)” – Chance the Rapper
“Gemini” – What So Not
“Purple Pills” – D12
“Beware The Dog” – The Griswolds
“Painkiller” – Ruel
“Pussy Is God” – King Princess
“We Are The People” – Empire of the Sun
“Dreams” – Fleetwood Mac
“Gina Works At Hearts” – DZ Deathrays
“Witchcraft” – Pendulum
“Welcome to the Black Parade” – My Chemical Romance
“Dead Horse” – Hayley Williams
“These Walls (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise, Thundercat)” – Kendrick Lamar
“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” – Donny Osmond
“LDN” – Lily Allen
“Jellyfish” – Slowly Slowly
“On Our Own” – Lime Cordiale
“Levels” – Avicii
“Nightmare” – Halsey
“Baby, I’m Gettin’ Better” – Gyroscope
“Lost” – Frank Ocean
“Unlock It (feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park)” – Charli XCX
“Can’t Get Enough” – Bugs
“Ratchet” – Bloc Party
“Heart Of Glass” – Blondie
“WOKEUPINJAPAN (feat. PRPL & Beluga)” – Agung Mango
“The Seed” – AURORA
“Pineapple Head” – Crowded House
“All My Friends” – Great Gable
“Energy” – Stace Cadet & KLP
“Black & Gold” – Sam Sparro
“Tricks” – Stella Donnelly
“Waking Up In L.A.” – Debbies
“ASK FOR THE ANTHEM” – Ocean Grove
“Hot Shit” – Towkio
“Roam” – The B-52’s
“Homecoming Queen” – Thelma Plum
“Turn” – The Wombats
“All My Friends” – LCD Soundsystem
“Tangerine” – The Lazy Eyes
“Elevator Operator” – Courtney Barnett
“Raingurl” – Yaeji
“Seasons (Waiting On You)” – Future Islands
“Happy” – The Hard Aches
“Psycho” – Mia Rodriguez
“Break The Bank” – ScHoolboy Q
“Desk Chair” – Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
“Bad Reputation” – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
“Acceptable in the 80’s” – Calvin Harris
“Peace” – Alison Wonderland
“Take A Walk On The Wild Side / Can I Kick It (triple j Like A Version 2013)” – Horrorshow
“Coin Laundry” – Lisa Mitchell
“Gamma Knife” – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
“Better” – Jack Garratt
“Slow Mover” – Angie McMahon
“Silhouettic” – Birds Of Tokyo
“Chicago Freestyle (feat. Giveon)” – Drake
“Innerbloom” – RÜFÜS DU SOL
“Waterbed” – Tired Lion
“Let Me Down” – Oliver Tree
“MOOO!” – Doja Cat
“Wolves” – Azure Ryder
“Circles” – Digitalism
“My Hero” – Pacific Avenue
“Real Thing” – Middle Kids
“Man’s Not Hot” – Big Shaq
“Nutbush City Limits” – Ike & Tina Turner
“Hot Chicken” – Ocean Alley
“Bossy (feat. Too $hort)” – Kelis
“Do You?” – Golden Features
“Sigh No More” – Mumford & Sons
“Live In Life” – The Rubens
“Addison Rae” – The Kid LAROI
“Heads Will Roll” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Soak Into This” – Greta Stanley
“Green” – MAY-A
“Drink from the Water” – Mako Road
“Breezeblocks” – alt-J
“The Waitress Song” – Seth Sentry
“Vagabond” – Polaris
“Gimme Love” – Joji
“Heavy As A Heartbreak (feat. LANKS)” – Just A Gent
“thank u, next” – Ariana Grande
“Affection” – Jess Day
“Take A Look” – Boo Seeka
“Barbra Streisand” – Duck Sauce
“WOW” – Kwame
“Amsterdam” – Nothing But Thieves
“Wuthering Heights” – Kate Bush
“Golden Skans” – Klaxons
“Fall” – Dulcie
“Woods” – Mac Miller
“Ramona Was A Waitress” – Paul Dempsey
“Ace of Spades” – Motörhead
“Ubu” – Methyl Ethel
“Not About You” – Haiku Hands
“Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds” – SAFIA
“Say What You Want” – Columbus
“Happiness is a butterfly” – Lana Del Rey
“Robbery” – Juice WRLD
“Safe to Stay” – TOWNS
“Glitter” – BENEE
“Vice Grip” – Parkway Drive
“Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” – JPEGMAFIA
“Heavy, California” – Jungle
“Boomerang” – Dave Winnel
“Spirit In The Sky” – Norman Greenbaum
“Ballroom” – Jack River
“American Boy (feat. Kanye West)” – Estelle
“Come On Mess Me Up” – Cub Sport
“Higher” – The Naked And Famous
“True Lovers” – Holy Holy
“On My Mind” – Stevan
“Tennis Fan (feat. Empress Of)” – Banoffee
“German” – No Money Enterprise
“Pumped Up Kicks” – Foster The People
“The Meadows” – Dear Seattle
“Shook” – Tkay Maidza
“Miss Murder (triple j live recording, Festival Hall Melb 2006)” – AFI
“Back To Life” – Fergus James
“Hung Up” – Madonna
“Blue (Da Ba Dee)” – Eiffel 65
“Let You Down” – Hungry Kids of Hungary
“No Role Modelz” – J. Cole
“It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” – The 1975
“Pub Feed” – The Chats
“Mountain at My Gates” – Foals
“21” – Gracie Abrams
“Jump Around” – House Of Pain
“Bitter (with Kito)” – FLETCHER
“Radar Detector” – Darwin Deez
“Wannabe” – Spice Girls
“Life Is A Game Of Changing (Willaris. K Remix)” – DMA’S
“Laying Low” – Chillinit
“HEART ATTACK (feat. lau.ra)” – BRONSON
“Dream Steppin'” – Two People
“Chasing Ghosts” – Snob Scrilla
“Day Tripper” – The Beatles
“Catdog” – Phoneline Valentine
“READY” – Montaigne
“Can’t Get Better Than This” – Parachute Youth
“Tongue Tied” – Grouplove
“Bassline Junkie” – Dizzee Rascal
“Piece Of Your Heart (feat. Goodboys)” – MEDUZA
“The Time is Now (Entrance Theme)” – John Cena
“Face to Face” – Rex Orange County
“JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE” – SOPHIE
“Miracle (triple j live recording, Splendour In The Grass, 2018)” – CHVRCHES
“Tieduprightnow (triple j live recording, 170 Russell St, Melbourne, 2019)” – Parcels
“bury a friend (triple j live recording, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, 2019)” – Billie Eilish
“Killer (triple j live recording, One Night Stand Dalby QLD 2012)” – 360
“Rocket Ship (triple j live recording, Live At The Wireless, Corner Hotel 2012)” – San Cisco
“Beds Are Passion (triple j live recording, Capitol Theatre Sydney 1982) ” – Midnight Oil
“Stranger (triple j live recording, One Night Stand St Helens 2018)” – Peking Duk
“Sun (triple j live recording, Live At The Wireless, Falls Festival Lorne 2012)” – Two Door Cinema Club
“7 (triple j live recording, Falls Fest Lorne 2016)” – Catfish and the Bottlemen
“A-Punk (triple j live recording, Sydney Big Day Out 2013)” – Vampire Weekend
“NO CD (Live at Laneway Adelaide 2018)” – Loyle Carner
“On My Knees (triple j live recording, The One Night Stand, St Helens 2018)” – Middle Kids
“Resolution (Live at Splendour in the Grass 2019)” – Matt Corby
“93 ‘Til Infinity” – Souls Of Mischief
Listen to a playlist of the day’s broadcast below.
