The vines

For the first time, the original lineup of The Vines met in the mid-90s in a suburb of Sydney , where they worked in local McDonald's . These were Craig Nicholls, Patrick Matthews and David Oliffe, who decided to create their own ensemble. At first this ensemble was called "Rishikesh". The group performed at parties, playing cover versions of Nirvana songs, until it developed its own musical style. The trio was later named The Vines (Nichols' father played in the Sydney ensemble Vynes - the musicians apparently liked his name).

The debut single “Factory” attracted very little interest in the band’s homeland, and The Vines decided to try their luck in the UK with Heavenly Label. Heavenly Label sponsored the release of the band's next single, Highly Evolved, which was produced by Rob Schnapf, who previously worked with Foo Fighters , Beck, and Elliott Smith . This single was so much praised by critics that NME magazine made it the single of the week in March 2002 . The single reached 32 places in the British charts and entered the top 100 singles in the homeland of the ensemble - in Australia . The debut album of the group - Higlhy Evolved , received even more approval from critics, and the famous Rolling Stone , and again - NME, placed the photo of the group on its cover. The album debuted with third place in the English charts, fifth in Australia and eleventh on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band played on the David Letterman show on MTV . A few more singles were released from the album, including “Get Free” and “Outtathaway,” which also held fairly high places on the UK charts. Soon, the Highly Evolved album reached one and a half million worldwide sales - a phenomenal success for the debut album of the recently unknown band from distant Australia. But the success that suddenly fell on his head brought the group more trouble. Olliff left the group, explaining this by psychological fatigue and pressure from the label. However, a new drummer, Hamish Rosser, joined the group, and another guitarist, Ryan Griffiths, was added to the group.

In May 2003, the group began work again, this time at Woodstock, New York. The producer of the new record was also Rob Schnapp. Craig Nichols, in an interview with the Australian Rolling Stone in March 2004, said the band would release a thoughtful, highly professional album. However, the album “ Winning Days ”, released on March 29, 2004 (debuted in charts in 7th place in Australia, 23 in America and 29 in Britain), did not receive the same success as the previous work of the ensemble - “Highly Evolved” .

The album received quite conflicting ratings from critics, but among fans is considered one of the best albums. Only 2 singles were released from this album - “Ride” and “Winning Days”. After the end of the tour in support of this record, the group came on hard times. The biggest problem was Craig Nichols, who began to behave badly in public, and he was even forbidden to give anyone an interview. In May 2004, at a concert in the Sydney Annaneble Hotel, Nichols called the audience a flock of sheep - in the end, bassist Patrick Matthews left the stage (and the group). At the same concert, Nichols attacked the photographer. The band’s affairs got worse and worse, and the management of the ensemble decided that they should stop touring in support of the Winning Days album and start recording a new album.

But work on the new record began only in mid- 2005 , because on November 19, 2004, Nichols was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome , with which his inappropriate behavior was associated. Craig was able to overpower himself and tied up with marijuana, which could aggravate his illness, and gradually his condition returned to normal. After he began working in the studio again, the group finally began working on a long-conceived project - “ Vision Valley ” ^[1] . The album was recorded with a new producer - it was Wayne Connolly (Wayne Connolly). The group was temporarily helped by Andy Kent, who replaced the departed Matthews on the bass guitar. In November, the group finished recording all the songs intended for the new album. Work on mixing and mastering songs began in January 2006 . On March 7, the first single from the upcoming album, “Don't Listen To The Radio,” was released. “Gross Out” did not appear on the disc, but each fan of the group can download this song [1] from the Internet - it became a free download on March 18, 2006 (to listen to the song, click on the link). The album itself was released April 1 in Australia , April 3 in Europe (including Britain) and April 4 in the United States . It lasted only about 30 minutes and the whole consisted of short, continuously following directly one after another songs.

In September 2006, the group again, after a two-year break, began to give concerts. Speaking at various festivals and shows, musicians regain their former popularity and recover from the failures left behind. On July 12, 2008, The Vines released their new album, Melodia, which most titles call the best since Highly Evolved. In addition, the group began to conduct an active concert activity. This summer, they staged a mini tour of the United States and attended major festivals in Japan and Korea, and in October 2008, a large tour in Australia begins with the support of The Silents; also Vines will play 2 more concerts in Japan in November (in Tokyo and Osaka).

On June 3, 2011, the band released their new album, Future Primitive.

In 2012, the composition of the group changed: Laclan West - drums, Tim John - bass, the role of Craig Nicholls has not changed. Now the band has become a trio again. Together they started a new project - Wicked Nature. The album will consist of 22 songs. The first single from it, "Metal Zone" can already be seen on YouTube on the Noisey channel. The album will be fully recorded on September 2, 2014.

Current members

• Craig Nichols - vocals, guitar (1994-present)
• Laclan West - Percussion (2012-present)
• Tim John - Bass (2012-present)

Former members

• David Oliff - Percussion (1994-2002)
• Patrick Matthews - bass, backing vocals (1994-2004)
• Hamish Rosser - drums, backing vocals (2002—2011)
• Ryan Griffiths - guitar, backing vocals (2002—2011)
• Brad Hild - bass, backing vocals (2006-2012)

Albums

(the company that issued the record is indicated in parentheses)

• Highly Evolved ( EMI / Capitol Records ) - Released June 16, 2002 . The highest positions in the charts: Australia - # 5 (double platinum), Great Britain - # 3, USA - # 11.
• Winning Days ( EMI / Capitol Records ) - released March 21, 2004 . The highest positions in the charts: Australia - # 7 (gold), Great Britain - # 29, USA - # 23.
• Vision Valley ( EMI / Capitol Records ) - released on April 1, 2006 . The highest charts: Australia - # 14, UK - # 71, Canada - # 93, USA - # 136.
• Melodia ( BMG JAPAN / Ivy League / Cooking Vinyl ) - released July 12, 2008 . Highest Chart Positions: Australia - # 12.
• Future Primitive ( Sony Music ) - Released on June 3, 2011 .
• " Wicked Nature " - release date - September 2, 2014

Singles

(in parentheses is the album on which the single was released)

• 2001 - "Factory" (Highly Evolved)
• 2002 - "Highly Evolved" (Highly Evolved)
• 2002 - "Get Free" (Highly Evolved)
• 2002 - “Outtathaway!” (Highly Evolved)
• 2003 - Homesick (Highly Evolved)
• 2004 - Ride (Winning Days)
• 2004 - Winning Days (Winning Days)
• 2006 - Gross Out (Vision Valley)
• 2006 - Don't Listen to the Radio (Vision Valley)
• 2006 - Anysound (Vision Valley)
• 2007 - “Dope Train” (Vision Valley)
• 2008 - He's a Rocker (Melodia)
• 2008 - Get Out (Melodia)
• 2011 - Gimme Love
• 2014 - Metal Zone (Wicked Nature)
• 2016 - In Miracle Land

• The vines biography on allmusic