The Saints

Australia's rock heritage counts the Saints among its most pivotal acts, marking them as the earliest ensemble from the southern hemisphere to register a significant impact within the worldwide punk movement. Their self-financed 1976 debut single "(I'm) Stranded" delivered raw, essential rock & roll that ignited enthusiasm across Australia and Britain, while the 1977 follow-up "This Perfect Day" distilled the initial punk era through its rapid tempo and Chris Bailey's bold assertion "Don't need no one to tell me what I don't already know." Although punk supplied both their persona and earliest supporters, the group resisted confinement within punk's stylistic limits; by their second album Eternally Yours in 1978 they had already introduced horns and keyboards into the mix. Across four decades the Saints explored paths shaped by classic R&B on 1978's Prehistoric Sounds, jangle pop on 1981's The Monkey Puzzle, introspective acoustic textures on 1984's A Little Madness To Be Free, polished pop crafted for radio on 1987's All Fools Day (which included the worldwide hit "Just Like Fire Would"), and vigorous blues rock on 2002's Spit the Blues Out. A 2014 concept album appeared in dual editions—one relying on rich acoustic-based arrangements titled King of the Sun and the other presenting the identical material through an electric rock quartet as King of the Midnight Sun. Bailey remained the unchanging element, his powerful, direct singing and candid, feeling-driven compositions supplying continuity amid the band's shifting atmospheres.

Born in Nanyuki, Kenya, on November 29, 1956, Bailey came from Irish parents who soon resettled in Belfast for several years before the family moved to Brisbane when he was seven. At Corinda State High School he encountered classmate Ed Kuepper, whose guitar playing matched Bailey's own defiant outlook and appetite for forceful, energetic sounds. Kuepper sought a capable vocalist to front a band and judged Bailey suitable; together with another Corinda pupil, Ivor Hay on keyboards, they launched Kid Galahad and the Eternals in 1973. Adopting the shorter name the Saints by 1974, they performed pop and rock covers at unusual velocity and force.

Hay switched to drums by 1975 as Kym Bradshaw joined on bass; the Saints then cut two original numbers, "(I'm) Stranded" and "No Time," at a local facility. Finding no label interest, they created their own Fatal Records imprint and issued the tracks as a single in 1976, already practicing a self-reliant approach by establishing their own performance space after most Brisbane pubs rejected their intensity. British and Australian critics responded with strong praise, prompting the U.K. R&B label Power Exchange Records to license the single for British distribution. Its reception led EMI to sign the band, re-releasing the single and issuing the full-length (I'm) Stranded in February 1977. American label Sire, which had brought the Ramones, the Dead Boys, and Talking Heads to prominence, secured U.S. rights, and the Saints quickly became a focal point for the expanding punk audience across three continents.

After relocating to London, the group issued their second album Eternally Yours in May 1978; the record startled punk traditionalists by reducing tempos on several tracks, questioning conformity within the new underground, and incorporating a horn section plus keyboards. Kym Bradshaw had already departed, with Alasdair "Algy" Ward assuming bass duties. Prehistoric Sounds followed before the year ended, yet it met commercial indifference in Australia and Britain and never appeared in North America. Creative differences arose between Bailey, who favored pop-leaning material, and Kuepper, who preferred experimentation; both Kuepper and Ward exited, after which the 1980 live EP Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow introduced a revised lineup. Kuepper later built a substantial solo catalog and revived early Saints stylings with his group the Aints.

Hay returned to keyboards for 1981's The Monkey Puzzle, and by the time of 1982's Out of the Jungle (also known as I Thought I Was in Love But This Ain't Casablanca) Bailey stood as the sole remaining founding member. Thereafter the Saints functioned as Bailey's project alone; from 1983 onward he balanced band work with solo releases, beginning with the France-only Casablanca issued under his own name. The lo-fi solo collection What We Did on Our Holidays, heavy on favorite covers, arrived in 1984 alongside the contemplative Saints album A Little Madness to be Free. Hugh Jones produced the 1986 Saints album All Fools Day, lending sheen to Bailey's strong pop melodies; the record earned critical and commercial success and became the first Saints release since Eternally Yours to reach American shores, aided by MTV exposure for "Just Like Fire Would," which achieved modest chart traction.

Bailey followed with the similarly polished 1988 album Prodigal Son, after which eight years passed before new Saints material. An unearthed 1974 Saints performance eventually surfaced in 1995 as The Most Primitive Band in the World. Bailey traveled to Memphis for the 1990 solo set Demons and continued with 1992's Savage Entertainment, which explored folk-rock textures. After settling in Sweden he issued the further folk-inflected 54 Days at Sea in 1994, then paused solo work to reassemble the Saints, who reemerged with 1997's Howling. Having established residence in the Netherlands, Bailey largely issued music under the Saints name thereafter, aside from the 2011 collaboration Stranger with French musician H-Burns.

The tough, energetic 1998 album Everybody Knows the Monkey and 2002's Spit the Blues Out reflected Bailey's characteristic rock & roll approach, while 2005's Nothing Is Straight in My House featured Marty Wilson-Piper of the Church on lead guitar. Wilson-Piper had departed before 2006's Imperious Delirium, on which Bailey handled lead guitar alongside vocals. The 2012 concept album King of the Sun traced a soldier's journey home during the Hundred Years' War through arrangements centered on acoustic guitars, keyboards, and occasional string and horn parts; in 2014 it was paired with the alternate King of the Midnight Sun, presenting the same songs via a four-piece electric rock band. That year Bruce Springsteen included a cover of "Just Like Fire Would" on High Hopes.

In 2021 Bailey supplied vocals for a version of "(I'm) Stranded" by German punk band Die Toten Hosen that appeared on Learning English, Lesson 1: The Learner's Workbook – Grammar and Drill. It became one of his final recordings; Bailey died April 9, 2022, in Haarlem, the Netherlands, aged 65. Shortly afterward Nick Cave wrote in a blog post, "In my opinion, the Saints were Australia's greatest band, and that Chris Bailey was my favourite singer."