The Saints (Australian Band)
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The Saints were an Australian rock band, originating in
Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
in 1973. The band was founded by Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later guitarist), Ivor Hay (drummer), and
Ed Kuepper Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
(guitarist-songwriter). They were initially labeled a
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band because, like American punk rock band the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
, the Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzzsaw" guitar that characterised early punk rock – although this only reflects a portion of their overall sound. With their debut single " (I'm) Stranded" in September 1976, they became the first punk band outside the US to release a record, ahead of better-known acts the Damned, the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
and
the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
. They are considered one of the first and most influential groups of the genre, particularly within Australia. Aside from mainstay Bailey, the group also had numerous line-up changes – in early 1979, Ivor Hay and Ed Kuepper left, while Bailey continued under the moniker with new musicians. Although the band achieved little commercial success in its early years, their seventh album '' All Fools Day'' peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
Albums Chart in April 1986. Bailey also forged a solo career, and had relocated to Sweden by 1994. The band was inducted into the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA)
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
in 2001. Bailey died in April 2022, effectively ending the band.


History


1973–1976: Formative years

The Saints' original members were Brisbane schoolmates Bailey, Kuepper and Hay. They had formed Kid Galahad and the Eternals in 1973 with Irish-raised Bailey on vocals, Brisbane-born Hay on piano and German-born Kuepper on guitar. Their musical inspirations came from 1950s
rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
musicians such as
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
and
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
(their name referenced his 1962 film, ''
Kid Galahad ''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. ''Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of 1 ...
'') and 1960s
proto-punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wit ...
bands like
the Missing Links The Missing Links were an Australian garage rock, R&B, and protopunk group from Sydney who were active from 1964 to 1966. The group was known for wearing their hair long and smashing their equipment on-stage. Throughout the course of 1965, the ...
,
the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
and
MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...
. They rehearsed in a shed at the back of Hay's place, which was opposite the local police headquarters. During an appearance on Top of the pops on UK TV, where bands were required to mime to their tracks, Bailey dropped the microphone and stopped syncing while he bent down slowly to retrieve it. For most of the rest of the track he was either not syncing or out of time with the track. The band renamed themselves the Saints in 1974, inspired by
Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
. They played covers of
Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...
,
Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...
and
Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...
– "exploding them almost beyond recognition with energy". Jeffrey Wegener joined on drums and Hay switched to bass guitar. Wegener had left by 1975, Hay moved to drums and Kym Bradshaw joined on bass guitar. Contemporaneous with
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
, the group were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. Kuepper explained that they played faster and faster as they were nervous in front of audiences. The police would often break up their gigs, and arrests were frequent. Unable to obtain bookings, Bailey and Hay converted the
Petrie Terrace Petrie Terrace is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Petrie Terrace had a population of 1,124 people. Geography The suburb is by road west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The precinct is bordered to ...
house they shared into the 76 Club so they had a venue to play in. According to Australian rock historian,
Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...
, they had developed their "own distinctive sound as defined by Kuepper's frenetic, whirlwind guitar style and Bailey's arrogant snarl".


1976–1977: ''(I'm) Stranded''

In June 1976, the Saints recorded two self-produced tracks, " (I'm) Stranded" and "No Time" with Mark Moffatt engineering (label credits for both sides say 'Produced by The Saints'). Unable to find any interested label, they formed Fatal Records and independently released their debut single in September. Their self-owned Eternal Promotions sent discs to radio stations and magazines both in Australia – with little local interest – and United Kingdom. In the UK, a small label, Power Exchange, issued the single. ''
Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' magazine's reviewer,
Jonh Ingham Jonh Ingham (born 1951) is an English entrepreneur who has worked in music journalism, pop band and nightclub management, advertising, internet application development and management consultancy. In the mid-1970s he worked for the British pop ...
, declared it, "Single of this and every week".
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
head office in London contacted the Sydney branch and directed that they be signed to a three-album contract. Over two days in December, the group recorded their first LP, '' (I'm) Stranded'' (February 1977), with Rod Coe producing. It included a cover version of the Missing Links' track "Wild About You". They supported
AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
in late December 1976 and, early in 1977, relocated to Sydney. EMI re-issued the single, "(I'm) Stranded" in February and it reached the
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
Top 100 Singles Chart. The Saints resisted being re-modelled into the English punk look and were generally ignored by the Australian press. Mainstream public was warned that punk rock is "a sinister new teenage pop cult, based on sex, sadism and violence,
hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
is sweeping Britain." In May 1977, the band released their second single, "Erotic Neurotic" and then moved to the UK, where they differed with their label over how they should be marketed. EMI planned to promote them as a typical punk band, complete with ripped clothes and spiky hair – the Saints insisted on maintaining a more downbeat image. In June, bass guitarist Alasdair "Algy" Ward replaced Bradshaw. Their next single " This Perfect Day" (July) peaked at No. 34 in the UK but further improvement was frustrated by EMI's failure to press enough copies to satisfy demand.
"They were kind of god-like to me and my colleagues. They were just always so much better than everybody else. It was extraordinary to go and see a band that was so anarchic and violent."

-

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
''


1978–1979: ''Eternally Yours'' and ''Prehistoric Sounds''

The Saints released their second album, '' Eternally Yours'', in May 1978 on EMI/Harvest with Bailey and Kuepper producing. The album showed the band moving towards a more R&B style of rock, including a brass section on songs like " Know Your Product" which had been released as a single in February. Another track, "Private Affair", focussed on what the band members saw as the pigeon-holing, hype and commercialisation of punk. The album reached the Top 100 on the Australian
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
Albums Chart. The jazz-blues influenced third album, '' Prehistoric Sounds'', followed in October 1978 (January 1979 in Australia). Its commercial failure led EMI to drop the band. During 1978, relations between Kuepper and Bailey had deteriorated, with Bailey preferring rock and pop songs and Kuepper pursuing less commercial and more intellectual material. Finally Hay, Kuepper and Ward left the group in early 1979. Kuepper returned to Australia and followed a more avant-garde direction with
Laughing Clowns Laughing Clowns, sometimes written as The Laughing Clowns, were a post-punk band formed in Sydney in 1979. In five years, the band released three LPs, three EPs, and various singles and compilations. Laughing Clowns' sound is free jazz, bluegr ...
, which would frequently feature brass, and later, the punkish the Aints. He is one of Australia's most influential and highly regarded musicians with over twenty solo albums to his credit. Hay briefly returned to Australia to join Sydney-based
the Hitmen The Hitmen are an Australian hard rock band formed in November 1977 by long-term members, Johnny Kannis on lead vocals and Chris Masuak on lead guitar as Johnny and the Hitmen. The group went through numerous line up changes in its first run ...
and then rejoined Bailey in London for a later version of the Saints. Ward became a member of English
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
punk band, the Damned. Bailey continued the group with Mark Birmingham on drums, Bruce Callaway on guitar, Barry Francis on guitar and Janine Hall on bass guitar.


1980s: ''Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow'' to ''Prodigal Son''

The Saints' first release after Kuepper's departure was the live EP, ''
Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow ''Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow'' is a 7" extended play released in March 1980 by Australian Punk band The Saints. It was produced by the group's singer-guitarist, Chris Bailey using the pseudonym L. Lambert. It is their first release aft ...
'', in March 1980 on Lost Records with Bailey producing. It was followed by a studio album, '' The Monkey Puzzle'', co-produced by Bailey and Gerry Nixon for
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
in February 1981. It reached the Top 100 on the Australian Albums Chart. They had shifted to a more melodic pop-rock sound and included Hay on keyboards in the line-up. Hay left again before the next album was released in Australia in 1982 as '' I Thought This Was Love, But This Ain't Casablanca'' on Mushroom Records and elsewhere as ''Out in the Jungle... Where Things Ain't So Pleasant'' on New Rose Records. Production was credited to Ricardo Mentalban, and with Bailey, in the Saints, were Hall on bass guitar and Iain Shedden (ex-Jolt) on drums. Additional musicians included Roger Crankwell on saxophone and clarinet, Denis Haines on piano, Paul Neiman on trombone, Steve Sidwell on trumpet and Jess Sutcliffe on piano. The Damned's Brian James guested on lead guitar. In late 1982, the group toured Australia with Bailey, Hall and Shedden joined by Chris Burnham on guitar (ex- Supernaut) and Laurie Cuffe on guitar. In 1983, Bailey released his first solo album, ''Casablanca'', on New Rose. In 1984, Bailey was based in Sydney, and the Saints' album, ''
A Little Madness to Be Free ''A Little Madness to Be Free'' is the sixth album by Australian band The Saints. This time around, frontman Chris Bailey persuaded original members, Kim Bradshaw (bass) and Ivor Hay (drums), to rejoin the band. On the album tour, the bass playe ...
'', was released in July on
RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
with production credited to Lurax Debris (Bailey's pseudonym). It contains the popular track "Ghost Ships", which was issued as a single in May. ''A Little Madness to Be Free'' was "more rock-oriented, with extensive use of acoustic guitar, brass and strings set among tightly focused arrangements". In mid-1984, the band toured as Bailey, Burnham, Shedden and
Tracy Pew Tracy Franklin Pew (19 December 1957 – 7 November 1986) was an Australian musician, and bassist for The Birthday Party. He was later a member of The Saints, and worked with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. As a member of the Birthday Party, Pe ...
on bass guitar, (ex-
Birthday Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
), who was briefly replaced by Kuepper in July. By 1985, the Saints were Bailey, Richard Burgman on guitar (ex- Sunnyboys) and Arturo 'Archie' Larizza on bass guitar ( the Innocents), while Louise Elliot on saxophone and Jeffrey Wegener on drums (both ex-Laughing Clowns) completed the line-up. A live album, ''Live in a Mud Hut ... Somewhere in Europe'', recorded in 1984 with production credited to Mugumbo, was released by New Rose in 1985. Hay returned and, with Bailey, Burgman and Larizza, the group recorded '' All Fools Day'' in Wales with Hugh Jones producing. It was issued by Mushroom Records in Australia and
Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
in United States, in April 1986. The album reached the Top 30 in Australia and included a Top 30 single, " Just Like Fire Would" (March). The group joined the Australian Made Tour in December 1986 – January 1987 with other local acts
Mental as Anything Mental As Anything are an Australian New wave music, new wave and pop rock musical ensemble, band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999, and recorded all of their charting singles and albums) w ...
,
I'm Talking I'm Talking are an Australian funk-pop music, pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me (I'm Talking song), Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" ...
,
the Triffids The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and pop band, formed in Perth in Western Australia in May 1978 with David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist.McFarlane (1999). Encyclopedia entry fo"The Triff ...
,
Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school unifo ...
,
Models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...
,
Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-s ...
and
INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...
. '' Prodigal Son'' followed in April 1988, which reached the Top 50. The line-up was Bailey, Francis, Larizza, Shedden and Joe Chiofalo on organ. It was produced by Bailey, Brian McGee and
Vanda & Young Vanda & Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young wa ...
. The single, "Grain of Sand", from ''Prodigal Son'' peaked at No. 11 on the United States ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. In March 1989, the Saints had an Australian Top 40 hit with a cover of
the Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...
' song " Music Goes 'Round My Head", which also featured in the 1988 film ''
Young Einstein ''Young Einstein'' is a 1988 Australian comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Yahoo Serious. It is a fantasized account of the life of Albert Einstein which alters all people, places and circumstances of his life, including r ...
''s soundtrack. Their version of "The Music Goes Round My Head" reached No. 19 on the US Alternative Songs chart.


1990–2022: later years

The Saints issued a compilation album, ''Songs of Salvation and Sin 1976–1988'' in 1990 on
Raven Records Raven Records was an Australian record label that specialised in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists. Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito ...
with liner notes penned by
Glenn A. Baker Glenn A. Baker (born 28 July 1952) is an Australian journalist, commentator, author, and broadcaster well known in Australia for his vast knowledge of Rock music. He has written books and magazine articles on rock music and travel, interviewed ...
. Over the years, Kuepper had grown unhappy with Bailey's ongoing use of the Saints name and, in particular, with Baker crediting Bailey for the band's original creative direction. In April 1991, Kuepper formed
the Aints The Aints is a band name used by Ed Kuepper during his prolific early 1990s period. The group's name relates to Kuepper's first recording group, The Saints (Australian band), The Saints, and its initial incarnation concentrated on material from ...
, which performed versions of vintage the Saints' material. The Saints issued ''Permanent Revolution'' in 1991 on Mushroom Records, and while Bailey released solo albums, the group went into hiatus. By 1994, Bailey had moved to Sweden where he recorded a solo album, ''54 days at sea'', and in 1996 issued the Saints' album, ''
Howling Howling is a vocal form of animal communication seen in most canines, particularly wolves, coyotes, foxes, and dogs, as well as cats and some species of monkeys. Howls are generally lengthy sustained sounds, loud and audible over long distances, ...
'', which was produced by the band for Blue Rose Records. Bailey provided vocals, guitars and organ, and was joined by Andreas Jornvill on drums, Joakim Täck on bass guitar, Ian Walsh on guitar and Mons Wieslander on guitar. The group toured Australia in February 1997 – their first tour there in eight years. ''
Everybody Knows the Monkey ''Everybody Knows the Monkey'' is the tenth studio album released by The Saints. Track listing All tracks composed by Chris Bailey; except where indicated #"What Do You Want" - 2:56 #"Easy Money" - 3:09 #"Working Overtime" - 4:11 #"Fall of ...
'' followed in May 1998 on Last Call Records with Bailey were Michael Bayliss on bass guitar, Martin Bjerregaard on drums and Andy Faulkner on guitar – it was produced by Bailey and Martin Hennel. Mushroom Records celebrated their 25th anniversary with the Mushroom 25 Live concert in November 1998; Bailey performed "Ghost Ships" and "Just Like Fire Would", and a duet with Paul Kelly on " Wide Open Road", as a tribute to David McComb of the Triffids. '' Spit the Blues Out'' was issued in 2000 in France by Last Call Records with production credited to Debris. It displayed "'60s-era blues-rock" and "Brit-pop" influences, with Patrick Mathé of French label New Rose providing
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
and guitar. On 11 September 2001, the original line-up of the Saints came together for a one-off reunion when the writer
Clinton Walker Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), ''Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made a ...
, a long-time friend and champion of the band, inducted them into the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...
(ARIA) Hall of Fame. By 2005, the group had re-located to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, Netherlands - with Bailey were the line-up of
Marty Willson-Piper Marty Willson-Piper (born 7 May 1958) is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former long-time member of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church. He joined in 1980 after seeing an early gig where they were perform ...
on guitar, Caspar Wijnberg on bass guitar and
Pete Wilkinson 'Pistol' Pete Wilkinson is a former competitor in the UK Pickup Truck Racing series, and was also the occasional driver of the #9 Chevy Monte Carlo in the then SCSA MAC Tools V8 Trophy Achievement In June 2007, Pete became the first Pickup ...
on drums. They issued '' Nothing Is Straight in My House'' in 2005, and after Willson-Piper left they released ''
Imperious Delirium ''Imperious Delirium'' is the thirteenth studio album released by Australian rock music group The Saints. With Marty Willson-Piper Marty Willson-Piper (born 7 May 1958) is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former lo ...
'' in 2006. They undertook a European tour to promote it and continued to tour America through late 2007. On 14 July 2007, Bailey, Kuepper and Hay re-united for another one-off gig at the
Queensland Music Festival The Queensland Music Festival (QMF) is a series of musical events staged in a number of locations in Queensland, Australia, usually around late July, every second year. It is financially supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queens ...
, with current member Wijnberg on bass guitar. In January 2009, as part of the
All Tomorrows Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...
touring festival, in this instance curated by
Mick Harvey Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The ...
formerly of The Birthday Party, the Saints with Bailey, Hay, Kuepper and Larizza played shows in Brisbane, Sydney and in
Mount Buller Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller in the Shire of Mansfield of the Australian state of Victoria. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due t ...
, Victoria. This was followed by a Melbourne show on 14 January as part of the Don't Look Back sideshow concerts, where they performed the ''I'm Stranded'' album in its entirety. In 2010 the band returned to a three piece with Wilkinson returning as drummer and to the line-up, and the addition of new bassist Jane Mack. In May 2010, Kuepper and Bailey reunited for a month-long tri-residency series of shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. With Kuepper on electric guitar/vocals and Bailey on acoustic guitar/bass guitar/vocals, they played a selection of songs from early Saints, both solo careers, and post-Kuepper Saints, as well as a few covers. 2012 saw the recording of "King of the Sun". The album was recorded at the Trackdown studios in Sydney, where Bailey had previously recorded "Savage Entertainment". Released in Australia in late 2012, "King of the Sun" was delayed in European countries until April 2013. On 7 November 2013, the Saints appeared as a 4-piece at the Borderline club in London, England. Alongside Bailey were stalwart Saints Barrington Francis and Peter Wilkinson. The band was augmented with Chris Dunne on keyboards. In 2021, the
State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...
named its copy of (I'm) Stranded as one of the treasures from its John Oxley Library collection, citing the 7” vinyl single represented a piece of Australian and Queensland music history, influencing generations of bands around the world. Chris Bailey died on April 9, 2022, aged 65.


Influence

The Saints were one of the first and most influential punk rock groups. According to
Bob Geldof Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Rock music in Ireland, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved ...
, "Rock music in the seventies was changed by three bands—the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Saints". In May 2001,
Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...
(APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time. The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
in September. In 2007, "I'm Stranded" was one of the first 20 songs stored on the
National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...
's Sounds of Australia registry. Their début album, ''(I'm) Stranded'' was listed at No. 20 in the book, ''
100 Best Australian Albums 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
'', in October 2010. Their third album, ''Prehistoric Sounds'', also appeared in the list, at No. 41. In a tribute published on his Red Hand Files Q&A platform,
Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...
remembered Bailey as “perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock ‘n’ roll singer Australia would ever produce”.


Band members


Final line-up

* Chris Bailey – lead vocals (1973–2022; died 2022), guitar (1980–1983, 1984–1986, 1989–1990, 1991–1996, 1996–2012, 2016–2022), bass (1973–1974, 1989–1996, 2012–2016) * Peter Wilkinson – drums (1999–2002, 2003, 2005–2009, 2010–2016, 2017–2022) *
Davey Lane David Daniel "Davey" Lane (born 31 January 1981) is an Australian musician. He is a solo artist and lead guitarist of You Am I (since 1999).Spencer et al, (2007) 'Lane, David' entry. Retrieved 4 February 2010.McFarlane'You Am I'entry. Retrieved ...
– guitar (2016–2022) * Pat Bourke – bass (2016–2022)


Former members

* Ivor Hay – drums , keyboards, organ , bass *
Ed Kuepper Edmund "Ed" Kuepper (born 20 December 1955) is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints (1973–78), the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns (1979–85) and the grunge-like Th ...
– guitar * John Sawyer - drums, March to Sept 1974. * Jeffrey Wegener – drums * Roland Desainis – drums * Doug Balmanno – bass * Kym Bradshaw – bass * Algy Ward – bass * Bruce Callaway – guitar * Janine Hall – bass * Barry Francis – guitar * Mark Birmingham – drums * Iain Shedden – drums * Chris Burnham – guitar * Laurie Cuffe – drums , guitar *
Tracy Pew Tracy Franklin Pew (19 December 1957 – 7 November 1986) was an Australian musician, and bassist for The Birthday Party. He was later a member of The Saints, and worked with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. As a member of the Birthday Party, Pe ...
– bass * Richard Burgman – guitar * Louise Elliott – saxophone * Arturo Larizza – bass * Joe Chiofalo – keyboards * Dror Erez – keyboards * Tony Faehse – guitar * Peter Jones – drums * Dave Sparks – guitar * Michael Bayliss – bass * Marty Bjerregaard – drums * Andy Faulkner – guitar * Andreas Jörnvill – drums * Joakim Täck – bass * Ian Walsh – guitar * Måns Wieslander – guitar * Peter Wilkinson – drums * Eddie Nyström – guitar *
Marty Willson-Piper Marty Willson-Piper (born 7 May 1958) is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former long-time member of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church. He joined in 1980 after seeing an early gig where they were perform ...
– guitar * Caspar Wijnberg – bass * Jane Mack – bass * Sean Carey – guitar


Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1973 till:04/09/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars id:Keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Saxophone value:gray(0.5) legend:Saxophone id:Lines value:black legend:Releases Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1973 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1973 LineData = at:01/01/1976 color:black layer:back at:10/10/1977 color:black layer:back at:09/16/1978 color:black layer:back at:01/12/1981 color:black layer:back at:10/01/1982 color:black layer:back at:07/01/1984 color:black layer:back at:02/01/1986 color:black layer:back at:06/02/1988 color:black layer:back at:09/09/1997 color:black layer:back at:11/01/1998 color:black layer:back at:11/01/2002 color:black layer:back at:11/01/2005 color:black layer:back at:11/01/2006 color:black layer:back at:11/01/2012 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Bailey text:"Chris Bailey" bar:Kuepper text:"Ed Kuepper" bar:Francis text:"Barry Francis" bar:Callaway text:"Bruce Callaway" bar:Burnham text:"Chris Burnham" bar:Burgman text:"Richard Burgman" bar:Faehse text:"Tony Faehse" bar:Walsh text:"Ian Walsh" bar:Wieslander text:"Måns Wieslander" bar:Faulkner text:"Andy Faulkner" bar:Nyström text:"Eddie Nyström" bar:Willson-Piper text:"Marty Willson-Piper" bar:Carey text:"Sean Carey" bar:Davey text:"Davey Lane" bar:Balmanno text:"Doug Balmanno" bar:Bradshaw text:"Kym Bradshaw" bar:Ward text:"Alasdair Ward" bar:Hall text:"Janine Hall" bar:Pew text:"Tracy Pew" bar:Larizza text:"Arturo LaRizza" bar:Täck text:"Joakim Täck" bar:Bayliss text:"Michael Bayliss" bar:Wijnberg text:"Caspar Wijnberg" bar:Mack text:"Jane Mack" bar:Pat text:"Pat Bourke" bar:Hay text:"Ivor Hay" bar:Wegener text:"Jeffrey Wegener" bar:Birmingham text:"Mark Birmingham" bar:Shedden text:"Iain Shedden" bar:Cuffe text:"Laurie Cuffe" bar:Jones text:"Peter Jones" bar:Jörnvill text:"Andreas Jörnvill" bar:Bjerregaard text:"Marty Bjerregaard" bar:Wilkinson text:"Peter Wilkinson" bar:Chiofalo text:"Joe Chiofalo" bar:Erez text:"Dror Erez" bar:Elliott text:"Louise Elliott" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Bailey from:01/01/1973 till:end color:Vocals bar:Bailey from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1974 color:Bass width:3 bar:Bailey from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1984 color:Guitars width:3 bar:Bailey from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1996 color:Guitars width:3 bar:Bailey from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1996 color:Bass width:3 bar:Bailey from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1991 color:Guitars width:7 bar:Bailey from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/1996 color:Guitars width:7 bar:Bailey from:05/31/1996 till:01/01/2012 color:Guitars width:3 bar:Bailey from:01/01/2012 till:08/23/2016 color:Bass width:3 bar:Bailey from:08/23/2016 till:end color:Guitars width:3 bar:Kuepper from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1979 color:Guitars bar:Kuepper from:01/01/2007 till:01/01/2008 color:Guitars bar:Kuepper from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2010 color:Guitars bar:Francis from:01/01/1979 till:07/01/1982 color:Guitars bar:Francis from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1989 color:Guitars bar:Francis from:01/01/2013 till:01/01/2016 color:Guitars bar:Callaway from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1981 color:Guitars bar:Burnham from:07/01/1982 till:01/01/1985 color:Guitars bar:Burnham from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:Guitars bar:Burgman from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:Guitars bar:Faehse from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1992 color:Guitars bar:Walsh from:01/01/1996 till:05/31/1996 color:Guitars bar:Wieslander from:01/01/1996 till:05/31/1996 color:Guitars bar:Faulkner from:06/01/1996 till:01/01/2002 color:Guitars bar:Faulkner from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2004 color:Guitars bar:Nyström from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 color:Guitars bar:Willson-Piper from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2005 color:Guitars bar:Carey from:01/01/2012 till:01/01/2013 color:Guitars bar:Davey from:08/23/2016 till:end color:Guitars bar:Hay from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1974 color:Drums bar:Hay from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1974 color:Bass width:7 bar:Hay from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1981 color:Keyboards width:3 bar:Hay from:01/01/1974 till:01/01/1975 color:Bass bar:Hay from:01/01/1975 till:01/01/1980 color:Drums bar:Hay from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:Keyboards bar:Hay from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:Drums bar:Hay from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1982 color:Keyboards width:3 bar:Hay from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1985 color:Keyboards bar:Hay from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1988 color:Drums bar:Hay from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:Keyboards width:3 bar:Hay from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2010 color:Drums bar:Hay from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2010 color:Keyboards width:3 bar:Chiofalo from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:Keyboards bar:Chiofalo from:01/01/1991 till:06/01/1991 color:Keyboards bar:Erez from:06/01/1991 till:01/01/1992 color:Keyboards bar:Balmanno from:01/01/1975 till:06/01/1975 color:Bass bar:Bradshaw from:06/01/1975 till:06/01/1977 color:Bass bar:Ward from:06/01/1977 till:01/01/1979 color:Bass bar:Hall from:01/01/1979 till:07/01/1983 color:Bass bar:Hall from:07/01/1984 till:01/01/1986 color:Bass bar:Pew from:07/01/1983 till:07/01/1984 color:Bass bar:LaRizza from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1989 color:Bass bar:LaRizza from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 color:Bass bar:LaRizza from:01/01/2004 till:06/01/2004 color:Bass bar:LaRizza from:01/01/2009 till:01/01/2010 color:Bass bar:Täck from:01/01/1996 till:06/01/1996 color:Bass bar:Bayliss from:06/01/1996 till:01/01/2004 color:Bass bar:Wijnberg from:06/01/2004 till:01/01/2008 color:Bass bar:Mack from:01/01/2006 till:12/31/2010 color:Bass bar:Pat from:08/23/2016 till:end color:Bass bar:Wegener from:01/01/1974 till:01/01/1975 color:Drums bar:Birmingham from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:01/01/1982 till:01/01/1983 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1985 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1990 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2003 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2005 color:Drums bar:Shedden from:08/23/2016 till:10/16/2017 color:Drums bar:Cuffe from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1984 color:Drums bar:Cuffe from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1986 color:Guitars bar:Jones from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1992 color:Drums bar:Jörnvill from:01/01/1996 till:12/31/1997 color:Drums bar:Bjerregaard from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/1999 color:Drums bar:Wilkinson from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2002 color:Drums bar:Wilkinson from:01/01/2003 till:01/01/2004 color:Drums bar:Wilkinson from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2009 color:Drums bar:Wilkinson from:01/01/2010 till:08/23/2016 color:Drums bar:Wilkinson from:10/16/2017 till:end color:Drums bar:Elliott from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1986 color:Saxophone


Discography

*'' (I'm) Stranded'' (1977) *'' Eternally Yours'' (1978) *'' Prehistoric Sounds'' (1978) *'' The Monkey Puzzle'' (1981) *''
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
'' (1982) **aka ''Out in the Jungle... Where Things Ain't So Pleasant'' *''
A Little Madness to Be Free ''A Little Madness to Be Free'' is the sixth album by Australian band The Saints. This time around, frontman Chris Bailey persuaded original members, Kim Bradshaw (bass) and Ivor Hay (drums), to rejoin the band. On the album tour, the bass playe ...
'' (1984) *'' All Fools Day'' (1986) *'' Prodigal Son'' (1988) *''
Howling Howling is a vocal form of animal communication seen in most canines, particularly wolves, coyotes, foxes, and dogs, as well as cats and some species of monkeys. Howls are generally lengthy sustained sounds, loud and audible over long distances, ...
'' (1997) *''
Everybody Knows the Monkey ''Everybody Knows the Monkey'' is the tenth studio album released by The Saints. Track listing All tracks composed by Chris Bailey; except where indicated #"What Do You Want" - 2:56 #"Easy Money" - 3:09 #"Working Overtime" - 4:11 #"Fall of ...
'' (1998) *'' Spit the Blues Out'' (2002) *'' Nothing Is Straight in My House'' (2005) *''
Imperious Delirium ''Imperious Delirium'' is the thirteenth studio album released by Australian rock music group The Saints. With Marty Willson-Piper Marty Willson-Piper (born 7 May 1958) is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former lo ...
'' (2006) *''
King of the Sun ''King of the Sun'' is the fourteenth and final studio album released by Australian rock music group The Saints. Recorded in Sydney, Australia, the album is a concept album based on a journey home after a hundred-year war. Critical reception ...
'' (2012)


See also

*
Brisbane punk rock Brisbane punk rock had its main impact between 1975 and 1984 as part of the overall punk rock scene in Australia. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, the Queensland capital provided "some of the most anarchistic bands" of that er ...


References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * Walker, Clinton (1981) ''Inner City Sound: Punk and Post-Punk in Australia, 1976–1985'' Sydney: Wild & Woolley * Walker, Clinton (1996) ''Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music 1977–1991'', Sydney: Pan Macmillan. * ;Specific


External links


The Saints siteThe Saints on Facebook(I’m) Stranded / No Time, The Saints 1976: treasure collection of the John Oxley Library
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saints, The 1974 establishments in Australia 2022 disestablishments in Australia APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Australian punk rock groups Australian pop rock groups Australian alternative rock groups Australian post-punk groups Musical groups established in 1974 Musical groups disestablished in 2022 Musical groups from Brisbane TVT Records artists Harvest Records artists Sire Records artists Mushroom Records artists