Hunters & Collectors were formed in Melbourne in 1980. Their first single was Talking to a stranger with an influential film clip by "The Rich Kids" – two graduates from Swinburne Film and Television School.
The original band featured strong percussive influences, coupled with noise guitar and driving bass lines. The sound was very much in the vein of Remain in Light, the Talking Heads record of 1980.
The first line up of the band featured Mark Seymour (guitar & vocals), John Archer (bass), Doug Falconer (drums), and Martin Luberan (guitar). The band was signed to White Label, part of Mushroom Records.
In 1984 they disbanded but reformed later in the year without Luberan. This line up also featured keyboards and a three-piece horn section. This was the period during which Hunters & Collectors enjoyed their greatest success. The first album featuring the new line up was "The Jaws of Life" (1984). It featured the single The Slab which at the time was an underground success, but didn't make any inroads on the commercial music scene. However, the record bought Hunters & Collectors a strong live following on the Australian pub scene.
Their breakthrough commercial success was the album Human Frailty which featured the singles Throw Your Arms Around Me and Holy Grail, which has been adopted by the Australian Football League as an unofficial anthem.
Australian discography: