Mark Seymour: the voice of some of our most treasured songs; the face of Hunters & Collectors; singer; poet; acute observer of human existence and the Australian psyche. For more than three decades Mark Seymour has been a fixture on the Australian music scene, providing insight into the frailties, love, courage and desperation of everyday life.
For the 16 years that Mark fronted Hunters & Collectors, they rose from an art rock collective on the independent fringes through to one of the country’s most successful mainstream bands – dominating live stages and commercial airwaves for a decade.
Mark’s first solo album “King Without A Clue” was released in 1997, before Hunters & Collectors split. When the band called time on their mega-platinum career in 1998, Mark went back on the road, stripped bare: one man with an acoustic guitar. It was a brave decision to put himself into the spotlight without the trappings of his former band. With nothing to hide behind, the space allowed him to reassess his approach to writing, recording and performing.
In 2001, he released “One Eyed Man” (which won an Aria for Best Adult Contemporary Album). He continued to write and record new solo material – some personal, some political and some, such as “Westgate” (2007) telling stories of real people and events from our history. Mark embraced his own rich legacy in 2005 and 2007, with “Daytime and the Dark” and “Titanic”, showcasing acoustic versions of Hunters & Collectors songs. He subsequently recorded “Undertow” in 2012, consolidating the strong creative relationship that has developed with his band of the same name. His most recent album, “Seventh Heaven Club” (2013) paid homage to love songs, featuring amongst others, tracks by Bob Dylan, Dave Dobbyn, Otis Redding, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Lucinda Williams. Along the way, Mark amassed a loyal following and continues to garner critical acclaim for his live shows and recordings.
“Mark Seymour has zeroed in on his personal strengths, an ability to write a goddamn good song – melodically and lyrically – and sing it with passion.” – Ed Nimmervoll
As well as 13 Hunters & Collectors albums, Mark has released seven solo albums and three with his current band, The Undertow. Throughout it all, he has shown he is one of our finest songwriters, capturing our stories of love, loss, human courage and achievement.
