Nicholls chose the band's name, Rishikesh, which originally referred to a city in India where The Beatles had attended an ashram.

[6][9] Reviewing early gigs, newspapers would misprint the name as "Rishi Chasms", so Nicholls decided to change it to The Vines, as a reference to his father's group.

[11] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002, The Vines won Best Breakthrough Artist – Single for Get Free, which was also written by Nicholls.

and Nicholls returned with new band members for the release of The Vines' independently-released sixth album Wicked Nature, described as a "comeback" by Darren Levin of the Faster Louder online music publication.

Nicholls also produced the album that was recorded with Tim John (bass) and Lachy West (drums) of the band The Griswolds.

[7][17] In August, The Vines performed Get Free on Late Show with David Letterman, with Nicholls destroying Hamish Rosser's drum kit.

[8] In May 2004, The Vines appeared at a promotional show for radio station Triple M, where Nicholls bleated at the audience and demanded they not talk during the band's performance.

[4][18] In November 2004, accompanied by his brother Matt and his manager and friend Andy Kelly,[4] Nicholls faced assault and malicious damage charges at Balmain Local Court in Sydney.

[3][21] In November 2008, The Vines cancelled shows in Australia and Japan, as Nicholls' mental health had deteriorated over the previous month.

[24] In a 2014 Rolling Stone Australia article, Nicholls revealed that he had moved back into the family home in 2013 after receiving medical intervention.

[25]In an August 2014 interview with the DIY publication, Nicholls explained that he manages his condition by rarely socialising, stating, "I'm just following my instincts so... that's alright."