"I like space," says Vines frontman Craig Nicholls. "Grass and trees and water and that." 

Wandering through Brighton two days after arriving from his native Australia, Nicholls does appear gloriously untouched by the world; a wide-eyed, somewhat disoriented nature boy not at all fazed by a world that's been scrambling for his crumpled, floppy-haired talents.

The key elements are in place, notably a furious bidding war that's led to a contract with Heavenly Records and a debut album produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Foo Fighters, Elliott Smith) over six months in Los Angeles's Sound Factory studios.

"I had mixed feelings about Los Angeles." drawls Nicholls. "I don't love it, I don't hate it, it's just a place. It's too colourful, too much going on. I guess I was happy where I was." 

Prior to decamping to California, Nicholls had been stuck in the Sydney suburb of Connells Point, where he'd spend hours in his parents' house writing songs before going to work at the McDonald's down the road. There he met fellow Bic Mac jockey Patrick Matthews (now the Vines' bassist) and developed a devilish junk food habit that escalated further once the band began recording in Los Angeles. It was burgers for breakfast, Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch and pizza for dinner. "I got kind of sick," he groans.

Performing their UK debut later that evening, in a tiny room rammed with eager admirers, live track "Mary Jane" helps define Nicholls's wide-ranging predilections. Its components--new wave power-pop, psychotic grunge howling, sun-soaked West Coast harmonies--suggest they are as adept at sampling from disparate sources as fellow Australians The Avalanches. It's a skill that's also delivered an impassioned, guitar-laden cover of Outkast's "Miss Jackson", and suggests they're on course to outlast any hype. Oh, and Nicholls has one final request: "Don't tell anyone I'm a freak, OK?"