Nicholls had never written songs until The Vines started playing gigs . Early performances included playing for backyard parties and a regular spot on a local radio station . They gathered a following in Sydney and eventually garnered the notice of Capitol Records . Once he started writing songs , he loved it and continued to write more ; the writing was a good outlet for him . Nicholls wrote " Factory " , the band 's first single , which became '' NME '' Single of the Week in November 2001 . At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002 , The Vines won ' Best Breakthrough Artist - Single ' for " Get Free " , which was also written by Nicholls . At the APRA Awards of 2003 he won the ' Breakthrough Songwriter Award '
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
Craig Nicholls