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Hunters & Collectors

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Hunters & Collectors
Company typeRock band
IndustryMusic
Founded1981
FounderMark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
ProductsMusic albums, singles, live performances

Hunters & Collectors is a rock ensemble originating from Melbourne, Australia, established in 1981. The group is led by founding member, vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Mark Seymour. The primary lineup features John Archer handling bass duties and Doug Falconer on drums. Initial members also included Jack Howard (trumpet, keyboards), Jeremy Smith (French horn, guitars, keyboards), and Michael Waters (trombone, keyboards). Robert Miles, known for his roles in audio engineering and visual design, is acknowledged as a founding contributor. Barry Palmer joined as lead guitarist in 1988 and stayed until the band's dissolution in 1998. The original 1998 lineup reunited in 2013.

Their early musical style was shaped by influences such as krautrock and the producer Conny Plank. Hunters & Collectors' initial sound featured aggressive percussion, distorted guitar riffs, and propulsive basslines that forged a tribal post-punk aesthetic, illustrated by their debut single, "Talking to a Stranger" (1982). Plank produced their first two albums, The Fireman's Curse (1983) and The Jaws of Life (1984), although neither album entered Australia's Top 50 charts.

Their commercial breakthrough arrived with Human Frailty (1986), which became their first album to reach the Top 10 and showcased a transition toward a refined, anthem-driven pub rock sound. This progression was sustained through subsequent charting releases including Ghost Nation (1989), Cut (1992), and Demon Flower (1994).

Among their highest-charting singles are "Throw Your Arms Around Me" (1984), "Say Goodbye" (1986), "When the River Runs Dry" (1989), "True Tears of Joy" (1992), and "Holy Grail" (1993).

They earned a reputation as one of Australia's most acclaimed live performers. Musicologist Ian McFarlane noted their ability to express profound human emotion within the energetic ritualistic environment of pub-rock concerts.

1978–1980: Formation

The origins of Hunters & Collectors trace back to John Archer (bass), Doug Falconer (drums), and Mark Seymour (guitar and lead vocals), who connected while studying at Ormond College, part of the University of Melbourne, during the late 1970s.[1] Mark Seymour is the elder sibling of Nick Seymour from Crowded House.[2][3] In 1978, alongside sound engineer Robert Miles, Archer, Falconer, and Seymour formed The Schnorts, an informal group that performed covers from the 1960s era.[1] Their vocalist was journalist Margot O'Neill.[1]

By September 1979, they had established The Jetsonnes with Ray Tosti-Gueira contributing guitar and backing vocals.[2][4] Music critic Clinton Walker described The Jetsonnes as possessing a "clever post-punk pop sound" that was lighter and catchier than contemporaries.[2] Their sole released track was "Newspaper," featured on a split single issued in June 1980.[2][1] The Jetsonnes disbanded by September 1980; however, Archer, Falconer, Miles, Seymour, and Tosti-Gueira continued forward with new additions Geoff Crosby (keyboards) and Greg Perano (percussion) to form a fresh band.[2][4][1]

1981–1983: From World of Stone to The Fireman's Curse

Hunters & Collectors officially came together in Melbourne at the start of 1981, comprising Archer, Crosby, Falconer, Miles, Perano, Seymour, and Tosti-Gueira.[2][4] Throughout their entire career, Miles remained a core member.[2] The band's name was inspired by the track "Hunters and Collectors" by the German group Can, as noted by Perano.[2][3] According to Australian music historian Ian McFarlane, the group embodied a "considerably more radical and relentless concept" compared to their precursor band The Jetsonnes.[2] Their first live performance took place on 15 May 1981 at Melbourne's Crystal Ballroom during a fundraising event.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag[5]

On 14 March 2009, Hunters & Collectors performed at Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of Sound Relief—a multi-location concert aimed at supporting victims of the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.[6][7] Funds raised were donated to Red Cross for Victorian Bushfire relief efforts.[6][7] The event also featured artists such as Augie March; Bliss N Eso with Paris Wells; Gabriella Cilmi; Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson alongside Troy Cassar-Daley; Jack Johnson; Jet; Kings of Leon; Liam Finn with Crowded House; Midnight Oil; Paul Kelly; Split Enz; and Wolfmother.[8]

Seymour emphasized that the occasion was driven by community solidarity rather than self-promotion: "It’s about contributing to the groundswell of generosity... a huge honour to be part of it".[9] Their setlist included fan favorites and concluded with an encore performance of "The Slab". The concert was broadcast via cable television and FM radio and later released on DVD.

A tribute compilation titled Crucible – The Songs of Hunters & Collectors was issued in September 2013 featuring contributions from Birds of Tokyo, Eddie Vedder, Neil Finn (Crowded House), Cloud Control, Something for Kate, The Rubens, along with a remix by The Avalanches.[10]

The group reunited with their 1998 lineup at the 2013 AFL Grand Final where they performed "Do You See What I See" and "The Holy Grail".[11] They also headlined A Day on the Green concerts early in 2014 and supported Bruce Springsteen at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in February.[11][12][13] Paul Busch from ToneDeaf commended Seymour’s vocal performance and the band’s energy during their April Sydney show.[14] Their final reunion performance took place on 12 April 2014 at St Kilda’s Palais Theatre,[13][15] earning them the Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert that year.

In November 2017, their seventh studio album Cut was reissued to mark its 25th anniversary with additional bonus tracks.

They were slated to headline the Red Hot Summer Tour across Australia in early 2020 alongside James Reyne, The Living End, The Angels, Baby Animals, Killing Heidi, and Boom Crash Opera,[16] but this tour was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are held annually to honor outstanding achievement and creativity in all styles of Australian music. In 2005, Hunters & Collectors received induction into the Hall of Fame.

|- | rowspan="4" | 1987 | rowspan="2" | Human Frailty | Album of the Year | |- | Best Group | |- | "Say Goodbye" | Single of the Year | |- | "Everything's on Fire" (Tony Leitch and Andrew de Groot) | Best Video | |- | 1988 | themselves | Best Group | |- | rowspan="7" | 1990 | rowspan="3" | Ghost Nation | Album of the Year | |- | Best Group | |- | Best Cover Art | |- | rowspan="3" | "When The River Runs Dry" | Single of the Year | |- | Song of the Year | |- | Best Video | |- | Clive Martin & Hunters & Collectors for Ghost Nation | Producer of the Year | |- | rowspan="4" | 1991 | rowspan="2" | "Throw Your Arms Around Me" | Best Group | |- | Single of the Year | |- | "Turn a Blind Eye" | Song of the Year | |- | Collected Works | Best Cover Art | |- | 1992 | "Where Do You Go?" | Best Group | |- 

| 1993 
| Cut 
| Album of the Year 
|  
|- 
| 2005 
| themselves 
| ARIA Hall of Fame 
|


Countdown Australian Music Awards

The Australian pop music television program Countdown, broadcast on ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, hosted music awards from 1979 through 1987, initially in partnership with magazine TV Week. These TV Week / Countdown Awards incorporated both popular choice and industry voting.

|- 

| rowspan="2" |1982
| Hunters & Collectors
| Best Debut Album
|  
|- 
| "Talking to a Stranger"  
| Best Debut Single
|  
|- 
|1986
| Human Frailty
| Best Album
|


Helpmann Awards

Since 2001, the Helpmann Awards, administered by industry body Live Performance Australia, have celebrated excellence in live performance and performing arts across Australia. Note that ceremonies did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

! |- 

| 2014
| Hunters & Collectors
| Best Australian Contemporary Concert
|


Personnel

Presented in chronological order:[2][4]

Current members
  • Mark Seymour – lead vocals, guitar (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • Jack Howard – trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • Michael Waters – trombone, keyboards (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • Jeremy Smith – French horn, guitars, keyboards, programming, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • Doug Falconer – drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • John Archer – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
  • Barry Palmer – guitar (1988–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
Additional personnel
  • Robert Miles – live sound mixing, engineering, art direction, graphic design (1981–1998, 2009, 2013–present)
Former members
  • Nigel Crocker – trombone (1981–82)
  • Geoff Crosby – keyboards (1981–1985)
  • Andy Lynn – trumpet (1981–1982)
  • Chris Malherbe – trumpet (1981–1982)
  • Greg Perano – percussion (1981–1983)
  • Ray Tosti-Gueira – guitar, backing vocals (1981–1982)
  • Martin Lubran – guitar (1982–1983)

Discography

Further reading

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Thirteen
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named McFarlane
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Nimmervoll
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Holmgren
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Brumby
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mitchell
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Official
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Donovan
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AutoYQ-7
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Cashmere
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AutoYQ-9
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AutoYQ-10
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Busch
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mercury
  16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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