Hunters & Collectors are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1981. Fronted by founding member, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, the band's other mainstays are John Archer on bass guitar and Doug Falconer on drums and percussion. Soon after forming they were joined by Jack Howard on trumpet and keyboards, Jeremy Smith on French horn, guitars and keyboards, and Michael Waters on trombone and keyboards. Also acknowledged as a founder was audio engineer and art designer Robert Miles. Joining in 1988, Barry Palmer, on lead guitar, remained until they disbanded in 1998. The group reformed in 2013 with the 1998 line-up.
Originally influenced by krautrock and the productions of Conny Plank, Hunters & Collectors' early music featured abrasive percussion, noisy guitar, and driving bass lines, producing a tribal post-punk sound exemplified by their debut single, "Talking to a Stranger" (1982). The band recruited Plank to produce two of their early albums, The Fireman's Curse (1983) and The Jaws of Life (1984), though neither charted in the Top 50 of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.
A turning point came with Human Frailty (1986), their first Top 10 album, which marked a shift toward a more polished, anthemic pub rock sound. This evolution continued with later charting releases, including Ghost Nation (1989), Cut (1992), and Demon Flower (1994).
Among their best-charting singles were "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 became one of the most popular live acts in Australia. Musicologist Ian McFarlane noted that their "great achievement was to lay bare human emotions in the intensely ritualistic milieu of the pub-rock gig".
History
1978–1980: Formation
Hunters & Collectors' founding mainstays are John Archer (bass guitar), Doug Falconer (drums) and Mark Seymour (guitar and lead vocals).
Originally Hunters & Collectors were influenced by the Krautrock genre and the productions of Conny Plank, featuring strong percussive influences, noisy guitar, and driving bass lines. Titled Horn of Plenty (Liberation Records), the box set included 14 CDs and 2 DVDs; Noel Mengel of The News described it as the "best box set" of the year.
Hunters & Collectors played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 14 March 2009 for Sound Relief, which was a multi-venue rock music concert in support of victims of the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Hunters & Collectors were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
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| rowspan="4" | 1987
| rowspan="2" | Human Frailty
| Album of the Year
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| Best Group
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| "Say Goodbye"
| Single of the Year
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| "Everything's on Fire" (Tony Leitch and Andrew de Groot)
| Best Video
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| 1988
| themselves
| Best Group
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| rowspan="7" | 1990
| rowspan="3" | Ghost Nation
| Album of the Year
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| Best Group
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| Best Cover Art
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| rowspan="3" | "When The River Runs Dry"
| Single of the Year
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| Song of the Year
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| Best Video
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| Clive Martin & Hunters & Collectors for Ghost Nation
| Producer of the Year
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| rowspan="4" | 1991
| rowspan="2" | "Throw Your Arms Around Me"
| Best Group
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| Single of the Year
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| "Turn a Blind Eye"
| Song of the Year
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| Collected Works
| Best Cover Art
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| 1992
| "Where Do You Go?"
| Best Group
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| 1993
| Cut
| Album of the Year
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| 2005
| themselves
| ARIA Hall of Fame
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Countdown Australian Music Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
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| rowspan="2" |1982
| Hunters & Collectors
| Best Debut Album
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| "Talking to a Stranger"
| Best Debut Single
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|1986
| Human Frailty
| Best Album
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Helpmann Awards
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 2014
| Hunters & Collectors
| Best Australian Contemporary Concert
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Personnel
Listed chronologically:
External links
- Hunters & Collectors discography at Billboard
- Official Jack Howard website
- Official Mark Seymour website
- Interview with Jeremy Smith on 3RRR FM
- 2014 Helpmann Award Winners