Hunters & Collectors

  • Friday 21 November 2014

Whether you were too young to have ever have witnessed them live or remember the band’s urgent sound, Australia's extraordinary Hunters & Collectors legacy has never faded. Formed in 1981 in Melbourne and led by front man/guitarist Mark Seymour, across 10 studio albums (such as 1986’s Human Frailty and 1989’s Ghost Nation) the ‘Hunnas’ became renowned the world over for their electrifying, sweat-soaked sound, built up over year upon year of gigs – almost 2,000 shows, in fact. They disbanded in 1998, later inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame in 2005.

There was a one-off reunion by the band to perform at the massive Australian Black Saturday fire disaster fund raiser Sound Relief on March 15th, 2009.   The band sounded amazing but no further reunion was in the wings.

Music fans have recently been reminded about our love for Hunters & Collectors late last year with the release of the tribute album CrucibleThe Songs of Hunters & Collectors (out now via Liberation).   The 30-track LP comprises some of the biggest names in contemporary music including Paul Kelly, The Avalanches, Birds Of Tokyo and The Living End covering their favourite Hunters & Collectors song. They were joined on the disc by two long-time, international fans in Eddie Vedder & Neil Finn. On Crucible the two friends joined forces to perform arguably the Hunters’ most enduring classic, ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’. The second disc is the Hunters original versions of these songs including ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’, ‘Talking to a Stranger’,‘ Holy Grail’, ‘When The River Runs Dry’, ‘Do You See What I See’, ‘Say Goodbye’ and many more. 

“When Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder calls himself an unabashed fan, you know Hunters & Collectors deserve respect.” – Newcastle Herald

“It remains a ritual of homegrown rock. A heaving sweaty mass of blokes bellowing, ‘You don’t make me feel… like I’m a woman anymore!’, as a band – which includes French horn, trumpet and trombone – blasts back at them. But this is Hunters & Collectors, taking a lap of honour a decade-and-a-half from their heyday, and still able to conjure a power that can alternately pin you to the wall.” –  The Music

The band have been persuaded to perform one very special headline show at Auckland's iconic Powerstation. Tickets are sure to sell out for this one.  

Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me (1990)

Hunters & Collectors - Talking To A Stranger