The original lineup of the Vines met in suburban Sydney in the mid 1990s where Craig Nicholls, Patrick Matthews and David Oliffe met while working at their local McDonald's. They decided to form a band with Nicholls on Guitar and Vocals, Matthews on Bass and Backing Vocals and Olliffe on drums. The band played Nirvana covers at parties while working on developing a sound of their own on Nicholls' four-track recorder. The band was named the Vines because Nicholls' father played in a Sydney band called the Vynes. After much press hype over their demos, the band released their first album, the critically well-received and commercially successful Highly Evolved, which saw Nicholls hailed by some as the next Kurt Cobain. Their success put some strain on the band, and while recording their first album, David Oliffe left the band, promptly to be replaced with present drummer Hamish Rosser. Winning Days was released in 2004, however apart from the hit single Ride, it wasn't received as well by the music press than it's predecessor. Nicholls' erratic behavior in live performances and interviews also caused the band to fall out of favor in certain circles. Nicholls was later diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, and the band went on temporary hiatus. During this time, Patrick Matthews left the Vines for the band Youth Group.

In mid 2005, the group had reported that they were working on their third album. In November, the band's manager Andy Kelly announced they had finished recording all the songs that will be on their next album. The album Vision Valley was released on the 1st of April 2006 in Australia, the 3rd of April in Europe and the UK and the 4th of April in the United States.

Their fourth album, 'Melodia', is due for release 12 July 2008.

Link:
http://www.thevines.com http://www.dreamintheinsane.com - Fan Club site