The Vines have been around since 1994. In 2002 they made the cover of Rolling Stone with the banner heading "Rock Is Back". They've been likened to an Australian version of Nirvana. They've gone double Platinum in Australia. They are virtually unknown here.

I couldn't explain why. The music business is in such a state of chaos and turmoil that it's a wonder any bands are getting any sort of notoriety these days anywhere in the world. The field is crowded but worse, the mainstream is getting more narrow; anything sounding the slightest bit different from whatever is selling the most just isn't getting any exposure. The sentiment that Pop music never goes anywhere is more true now than ever. The end of the tunnel has to be somewhere - or maybe there isn't. Maybe it's just one big yawn until it all dies of boredom.

In any case, tonight I'm playing a cut off the Vines 2008 album Melodia (which was released by a small indie label in the states), and the track True As The Night.

Makes it all the more apparent what we're missing