Mick Harvey

Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer.

A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Born in Rochester, Victoria, Australia, Harvey moved to the suburbs of Melbourne in his childhood.

His father was a Church of England vicar, and the family lived adjacent to the father's church; first in Ormond and later in Ashburton.

Harvey sang in the church choir from an early age.

Harvey, his elder brother Philip, and younger brother Sebastian all attended the private boys' school Caulfield Grammar School.

It was at school in the early 1970s that Harvey met fellow students Nick Cave and Phill Calvert, as well as Tracy Pew.

A rock group was formed with Cave (vocals), Harvey (guitar), Calvert (drums), and other students on guitar, bass and saxophone.

The band played at parties and school functions, with a repertoire of Lou Reed, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, among others.

Harvey was also a member of the school choir (conducted by actor Norman Kaye), and took extracurricular lessons from Bruce Clarke, the jazz guitarist.

After their final school year in 1975, the band decided to continue with Pew as bassist.

Greatly influenced by the punk explosion of 1976, which saw Australian bands The Saints and Radio Birdman make their first recordings and tours, The Boys Next Door, as Harvey's band was now called, began performing fast, original new wave material.

Harvey's guitar style was influenced by James Williamson of The Stooges and Paul Weller of The Jam.

The Boys Next Door regularly played at Melbourne pubs between 1977 and 1980.

Rowland S. Howard joined the band in 1978, bringing with him a chaotic feedback guitar style.

After extensive touring, recordings, and moderate success in Australia, the Boys Next Door relocated to London, England in 1980, and changed their name to The Birthday Party.

Harvey's girlfriend Katy Beale followed the band to London.

This period was defined by innovative and aggressive music composition, underpinned by Harvey's guitar playing.

The band moved to West Berlin, Germany in 1982, but without Calvert; Harvey transitioned from guitar to drums.

After the breakup of The Birthday Party while initiating the early recordings of what would become The Bad Seeds with Nick Cave, Harvey contacted his friend Simon Bonney, with whom he reformed Bonney's old Australian band Crime & the City Solution.

Rowland S. Howard, Harry Howard (bass) and Epic Soundtracks (drums), all of whom a few years later would form the basis of These Immortal Souls, also participated.

This line-up of the band found its peak and demise with its appearance in the Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire.

Bonney then stayed in Berlin and formed the next line-up of the band with his partner Bronwyn Adams, Harvey (drums), Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten (guitar), Chrislo Haas of Liaisons Dangereuses and D.A.F. (synthesiser), and Thomas Stern (bass).

Harvey and Cave formed Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds in 1983.

Harvey was principally the drummer on the first two albums before Thomas Wydler became a full-time member.

After the departure of Barry Adamson, Harvey was primarily a bass guitarist for several years until the arrival of Martyn P. Casey in 1990 when Harvey moved back to guitar, his original instrument.

In all versions of the band, Harvey also played keyboards, xylophone and other instruments as needed, and also sang backing vocals.

Throughout the '80s and '90s Harvey was the band member usually charged production of the recordings along with Cave.

His co-wrote many songs, and his arrangement skills also saw him putting together most of the band’s string arrangements and other orchestration.

Harvey was often perceived as a musical director for the Bad Seeds.

He also managed much of the band’s business affairs right up until his departure.

This line-up made three studio albums and toured until 1991.

Harvey worked extensively with Nick Cave’s muse and partner of many years on two albums - Dirty Pearl (1993) and Sex O’Clock (2001).

In 2007, the Spanish label Bang! Records released a four-track EP by Harvey's retro rock band The Wallbangers, called Kick the Drugs featuring songs written by Harvey alone, and songs he co-wote with Tex Perkins and Loene Carmen.

Harvey remained with the Bad Seeds for 25 years until his last show in Perth, Australia on 20 January 2009, when he cited both professional and personal factors as reasons for leaving.

Regarding Cave, Harvey informed the media:

I'm confident Nick [Cave] will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavours, both musically and organisationally.

In 2010, Harvey explained further how his frustration with song arrangements strained his relationship with Cave.

A desire to spend time with family was also a significant reason for his decision to leave the Bad Seeds.

The split marked the end of a 36-year-long collaboration between Harvey and Cave.