Phil Harvey (manager)

Phil Harvey (born Philip Christopher Hammond Harvey) is the former manager and sometime 'creative director' [ [http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/inn/E48DC0626BE44400B972376C1A1D69A1.htm] - Coldplay's Phil Harvey visits Innovation North] of the English rock group Coldplay.

Having attended Sherborne School with Chris Martin from 1990 to 1995, where he was the second academic scholar in his year group, he then proceeded to study Classics at Oxford University.

Association with Coldplay

When, in 1998, Chris Martin complained to Phil about the vice-like grip one of the Camden promoters had on the band, he suggested that they put on their own event at Dingwalls in Camden. It was here that they managed to sell the first fifty copies of the "Safety" EP, which Phil himself had helped fund, with his father (Christopher Harvey) and his Oxford roommate [ [http://www.coldplay.com/ezine/ezine1.pdf] - Coldplay Ezine, April 2002 ] . It is generally considered that this was when he could first be described as the band's manager.

Having eventually dropped out of Oxford to manage the band, he carried out the role more or less single-handedly until early 2001, when the stress of performing a role usually requiring a team of people forced him to take a prolonged break. He has since stated that the 2001 Brit Awards was his lowest point:

I was feeling like death when I should have been on top of the world. The band picked up awards for Best British Band and Album and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be in bed. It was two days later that my doctor phoned to say she was worried I might be about to slip into a coma. [ [http://www.coldplay.com/ezine/ezine1.pdf] - Coldplay Ezine, April 2002]

Although Dave Holmes has now taken over as Coldplay's manager, Phil is still heavily involved in the band's creative output. He is also cited as the band's fifth member, for example in the liner notes for "A Rush of Blood to the Head", "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends", and on their [http://www.myspace.com/coldplay MySpace page] , where he is described as 'The wise, handsome, frightening one who tells us what to do'.This was subsequently confirmed on the band's [http://www.coldplay.com/ Official Website] : "Furthermore, eagle-eyed readers of the band's album sleevenotes (or, indeed, their MySpace page) will have noted that Coldplay officially have five members - with the mysterious Mr Phil Harvey making up the quintet"

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