The Saints (Australian band)
The Saints were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1973. Founded by singer-songwriter Chris Bailey, drummer Ivor Hay, and guitarist-songwriter Ed Kuepper, they originally employed fast tempos, raucous vocals and a "buzzsaw" guitar sound that helped initiate punk rock in Australia and identified them with the greater international movement.
For the band recorded by Joe Meek, see The Saints (British band).
The Saints
Unable to get gigs, they converted their share house into a venue where they could play. With their debut single "(I'm) Stranded", released in September 1976, they became the first punk band outside the US to release a record, ahead of the first UK punk releases from the Damned, the Sex Pistols and the Clash.[1] They experienced UK chart success in 1977 with the song "This Perfect Day", which peaked at #34. Bassist Kym Bradshaw left in 1977 and was replaced by Algy Ward. Their second album Eternally Yours, released in 1978, saw the band pursue a bigger and more R&B driven sound, augmented by a horn section.
After their third album Prehistoric Sounds later in 1978, Kuepper clashed with Bailey over the band's musical direction and left, subsequently forming the post-punk group Laughing Clowns, while Hay and Ward followed suit. Bailey, the sole mainstay of the group, continued under the Saints moniker with a rotating lineup of musicians in the ensuing decades. 1986's All Fools Day peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1986 and yielded the hit song "Just Like Fire Would". Bailey also forged a solo career, and had relocated to Sweden by 1994. The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2001. Bailey died in April 2022, effectively ending the band.
History[edit]
1973–1976: Formative years[edit]
The Saints' original members were Brisbane schoolmates Bailey, Kuepper and Hay.[2][3] 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.[4] Their musical inspirations came from 1950s rock 'n' roll musicians such as Little Richard and Elvis Presley (their name referenced his 1962 film, Kid Galahad)[5] and 1960s proto-punk bands like the Missing Links, the Stooges and MC5.[6] They rehearsed in a shed at the back of Hay's place, which was opposite the local police headquarters.[7]
The band renamed themselves the Saints in 1974, inspired by Leslie Charteris's character The Saint.[8] They played covers of Del Shannon, Connie Francis and Ike and Tina Turner – "exploding them almost beyond recognition with energy".[4] 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.[2] Contemporaneous with Ramones, 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.[7] The police would often break up their gigs, and arrests were frequent.[7] Unable to obtain bookings, Bailey and Hay converted the Petrie Terrace house they shared into the 76 Club so they had a venue to play in.[4] According to Australian rock historian, Ian McFarlane, they had developed their "own distinctive sound as defined by Kuepper's frenetic, whirlwind guitar style and Bailey's arrogant snarl".[2]
1976–1977: (I'm) Stranded[edit]
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.[4] Their self-owned Eternal Promotions sent discs to radio stations and magazines both in Australia – with little local interest – and United Kingdom.[2] In the UK, a small label, Power Exchange, issued the single.[4] Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared it, "Single of this and every week".[9][10] EMI head office in London contacted the Sydney branch and directed that they be signed to a three-album contract.[10] Over two days in December, the group recorded their first LP, (I'm) Stranded (February 1977), with Rod Coe producing.[2][3] It included a cover version of the Missing Links' track "Wild About You".[6] They supported AC/DC in late December 1976 and, early in 1977, relocated to Sydney.[2] EMI re-issued the single, "(I'm) Stranded" in February and it reached the Kent Music Report Top 100 Singles Chart.[11]
The Saints resisted being re-modelled into the English punk look and were generally ignored by the Australian press.[2] Mainstream public was warned that punk rock is "a sinister new teenage pop cult, based on sex, sadism and violence, [which] is sweeping Britain."[7] 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.[2][7] 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.[2][5] In June, bass guitarist Alasdair "Algy" Ward replaced Bradshaw.[2] 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.[9][12]
Influence[edit]
The Saints were one of the first and most influential punk rock groups.[9] According to Bob Geldof, "Rock music in the seventies was changed by three bands—the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Saints".[5][32]
In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time.[33] The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in September.[25][34] In 2007, "I'm Stranded" was one of the first 20 songs stored on the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry.[35] Their début album, (I'm) Stranded was listed at No. 20 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums, in October 2010.[36] Their third album, Prehistoric Sounds, also appeared in the list, at No. 41.[36]
In a tribute published on his Red Hand Files Q&A platform, Nick Cave remembered Bailey as “perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock ‘n’ roll singer Australia would ever produce”.[37]