Mick Harvey
the tangled family tree of singer Nick Cave. Playing a pivotal role in the Cave-fronted Boys Next Door (1977-1980), Birthday Party (1980-1983), and Bad Seeds (1984-on), Harvey added intricate details and anonymous atmospherics that gave life to the singer’s ominous narratives. Harvey’s own releases are illuminating projects, often conceptual in nature. His two tributes to French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Intoxicated Man (1995) and Pink Elephants (1997), were cited by Gainsbourg‘s muse and ex-wife Jane Birkin as influencing Gainsbourg‘s critical re-evaluation. Likewise, his instrumental skills have graced dozens of recordings by artists ranging from Alexander Haacke and PJ Harvey to Robert Forster and Courtney Barnett; he has composed a number of soundtracks for independent Australian films as well as scores for dance productions, and crafted an evocative blend of covers and originals for his collaboration with vocalist Amanda Acevedo, 2023’s Phantasmagoria in Blue.
