Pretty Violet Stain (1996-2001) were "unearthed" by influencial radio station Triple J in 1996 (the band used the moniker Freak at the time). The Brisbane-based 3-piece released a self-funded EP 'Blush', and soon signed a deal with major label Warner. The track "She Keeps Souvenirs" from their 'If The Money's Right' EP became a Triple J anthem, seeing their popularity rise through appearances at such festivals as Homebake. The band also toured with international artists Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols, Doves, Echo And The Bunnymen, Sloan and Fuel.

The band recorded their debut album 'Parachutes & Gravity' with legendary producers Bird and Bush (Stereophonics) in early 2000 but their label Warner repeatedly pushed back the release for over a year until the album finally saw the light of day. Poor label treatment and relentless touring left Pretty Violet Stain in a poor state of mind, and despite moderate radio play for singles 'Talk' and 'Never Come Down', the band could never capitalise commercially on their critical acclaim. During this time PVS were a part of a close-knit group of Australian indie-rock bands who all broke up at a similar time due to label mistreatment (including Oblivia, Weta, Rumanstone, Lo-tel, Primary).

Following their split in 2001, frontman Shane Nicholson started a solo career and soon after married country music superstar Kasey Chambers.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.