The Saints made one of the first punk records. In Brisbane, the apparently sleepy sub-tropical Queensland capital that was actually seething and spoiling for a fight with corrupt Premier Joh Bjelke Petersen.
The Saints released I’m Stranded, a single and album, in 1977. They were well ahead of British punks like The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. Only the US band, The Ramones, had got there before them.
But The Saints had much broader musical vision than the narrow thrash of early punk, and went on to lay down some great music over the ensuing decades. They had many line-ups, but front-man Chris Bailey stayed with them throughout, a remarkable performer and one of our best songwriters.
After a life of poetry and music, Chris died in April. He was 62.
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