BIGSOUND 2014: Mick Harvey keynote

Mick Harvey’s involvement in a musical project is a lightning rod for music history. 40 years ago his first band The Boys Next Door moved to London, morphed into The Birthday Party and recorded some of the most ferocious Australian rock music of all time. He moved from London to Berlin, played for a short time in Crime & The City Solution with Rowland S. Howard before co-founding Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, a band that he would remain with for 26 years. Mick and his resume of cult hero bands have been some of the most influential we’ve ever had in Australia. Astoundingly, Mick managed all of his bands through the early years of his career. He’s a shrewd musical thinker and a music-industry sceptic. His penchant for collaborations has continued over the years, playing frequently with PJ Harvey (including co-producing her Mercury Prize Winning album Let England Shake) and producing records for Robert Forster, Claire Bowdich, Rowland S Howard, The Cruel Sea, and most recently Jess Ribeiro. Interviewer: Graham Ashton Filmed: 12 September 2014 Judith Wright Centre of Performing Arts, Brisbane, Australia