Enthralled by the newly emerging punk rock, Harvey and Cave co-founded the Boys Next Door (with Tracy Pew on bass, Phill Calvert on drums, Rowland Howard on guitar, and Harvey in various roles) in 1977. They made their recorded debut in 1978 (a cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walking") and released one full-length album (1979's Door, Door) before relocating to England in 1980. In their new home as the Birthday Party, the group landed themselves a spot on 4AD Records. The black sheep on a roster of atmospheric dream pop acts, the Birthday Party was an assault on the senses of an entirely different sort. Dark and guttural, their sound was defined by heavy bass, searing guitars, and Cave's terrifying wail. Conflicts grew between songwriters Cave and Howard, and after three years, the Birthday Party was put to rest.

Needing an outlet for his growing ambitions as a writer, Cave assembled the Bad Seeds (with Blixa Bargeld and Hugo Race on guitar, and Barry Adamson on bass) in 1983. Harvey began on drums. A talented performer and arranger, Harvey continually rose to the level of Cave's improved writing over the years. The group's 1983 debut, From Her to Eternity, was a turning point. While the title track and "Cabin Fever" used the Birthday Party template, lengthy narratives like "Saint Huck" and "A Box for Black Paul" signaled the changes ahead. Harvey joined Australia's Crime & the City Solution in 1985 for The Dangling Man EP. He would contribute to five albums under singer Simon Bonney over six years, culminating in 1990's Paradise Discotheque. By the time the Bad Seeds reconvened for Your Funeral...My Trial in 1986, all of the elements were in place. Cave turned out one of his best collections of outcast's tales and sorrowful ballads. Harvey left impressions everywhere. He built the drama of "The Carny," layering piano, organ, xylophone, and glockenspiel. Elsewhere, his guitar is the steady hand to Bargeld's fractured edges.

Using any idle time between his two day jobs, Harvey composed soundtrack music for the documentary Identy-Kid and Gisa Schleelein's Totes Geld (both 1987). This would become the pattern for Harvey as he would bide time between Bad Seeds and Crime albums with film work (Alta Marea & Vaterland collects projects from 1987-1992), production duties, and guest appearances, all the while remaining one of the few constants in the Bad Seeds' fluctuating lineup. Harvey's most significant solo work came in 1995 with Intoxicated Man, a tribute to Serge Gainsbourg. A culmination of his craft, Harvey shifted easily through a number of settings, from the rollicking tribute to American outlaws "Bonnie and Clyde" to the dripping sentimentality of "Overseas Telegram." 1997 brought greater change for the Bad Seeds as Cave wrote a group of piano-led ballads for The Boatman's Call. Harvey contributed to most songs, but the sparse and reserved material called into question the necessity of the group.

Harvey released Intoxicated Man's companion, Pink Elephants, the same year, and in 1999 curated the Bad Seeds' Best Of collection. He composed his tenth collection of film music for Andrew Dominik's Chopper, in 2000. A few years later, Harvey created the original score for Australian Rules, a 2002 film by director Paul Goldman. In 2005, Harvey resumed his solo career with One Man's Treasure. A selection of his film scores appeared as Motion Picture Music 1945-2005 from EMI in 2007, followed later in the year by a new studio album, Two of Diamonds. Harvey left the Bad Seeds in the late 2000s. He began producing records and doing session work, most notably on PJ Harvey's 2011 offering Let England Shake. He recorded his first post-Bad Seeds solo offering in late 2010. Comprised of all-original material, Sketches from the Book of the Dead was released internationally by Mute in May of 2011.