Artist · chart history
The Waifs
Band Albany Australia Formed 1992 Australian folk rock band
The Waifs formed in 1992 in Albany, Australia. The Waifs has 9 chart appearances on 6 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 2002–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “London Still”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #3. The station that charted The Waifs most often is Triple J (Australia (national)), with 8 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2003.
The Waifs came together in Albany, Australia, in 1992: sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson on acoustic guitars and lead vocals, Thorn also blowing harmonica, and Josh Cunningham on guitar and harmonies. Ben Franz on bass, David Ross Macdonald on drums and Tony Bourke on keys fill out the band on the road and in the studio, and the sound is folk rock with the dust still on its boots.
Up All Night, in 2003, was the breakthrough: a top-five album at home that went double platinum and took four ARIA Awards, carried by the easy, rolling "London Still" and the warm, weathered "Lighthouse" and "Fisherman's Daughter". That same year Bob Dylan brought them along on his Australian tour and then across North America, Newport Folk Festival included. "Bridal Train" followed in 2004, and sundirtwater, in 2007, was another top-five record, as was Temptation in 2011.
They run their own shop, too: in 2002 they set up the independent label Jarrah Records with John Butler and their manager Phil Stevens.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by The Waifs on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Still | 2 | #3 | – | 2002 | |
| 2 | Lighthouse | 1 | #12 | – | 2003 | |
| 3 | Fisherman's Daughter | 1 | #50 | – | 2003 | |
| 4 | Bridal Train | 1 | #54 | – | 2004 | |
| 5 | The Waitress | 1 | #610 | – | – | |
| 6 | Highway 1 | 1 | #80 | – | 2002 | |
| 7 | Sun Dirt Water | 1 | #92 | – | 2007 | |
| 8 | Lies | 1 | #96 | – | 2002 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 74 | London Still | Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs (2025) |
| 2024 | 610 | The Waitress | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years |
| 2007 | 92 | Sun Dirt Water | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2007 |
| 2004 | 54 | Bridal Train | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2004 |
| 2003 | 12 | Lighthouse | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003 |
| 2003 | 50 | Fisherman's Daughter | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003 |
| 2002 | 3 | London Still | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2002 |
| 2002 | 80 | Highway 1 | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2002 |
| 2002 | 96 | Lies | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2002 |
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