Whether you’re into punk or rock and roll, The Saints should need no introduction, and yet… even today, the Brisbane combo remains largely unknown to the general public. But among thrill seekers, the band is legendary. That’s why several fans from Montreal and elsewhere didn’t hesitate to travel to Toronto to attend this unexpected Saints concert in Canada. Well, what’s left of the Saints, that is: drummer Ivor Hay and prodigious guitarist Ed Kuepper, the mastermind behind the Saints’ sound.
With singer Chris Bailey and bassist Algy Ward canonized in the afterlife, the two remaining members put together an unstoppable version of The Saints, recruiting Mark Arm from Mudhoney, a singer whose tone is different from Bailey’s but who can perform the songs with intensity and genuine passion. Mick Harvey (Birthday Party, Bad Seeds) was the natural choice to help reproduce the additional parts played on the albums, whether on guitar or keyboards. Bassist Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys) has long been Kuepper’s collaborator on various projects. This new version of the band, dubbed The Saints ’73-’78, is rounded out by a horn section: Eamon Dilworth (trumpet), Julian Wilson (tenor saxophone), and Mark Spencer (baritone saxophone). The goal: to pick up where the original band left off in 1978, performing songs from their first three albums, those with Kuepper on six strings: (I’m) Stranded (1977), Eternally Yours (1978) and Prehistoric Sounds (1978).
After a successful first Australian tour in 2024, The Saints ’73-’78 made their US debut in November, stopping off in Toronto for the only Canadian date on the tour. This is the first time that songs from the original band and their three albums, as well as their respective EPs and singles, have been performed in North America.
Canonization
For those wondering who we’re talking about, here’s a quick recap. Between 1973 and 1978, The Saints laid the foundations for their legend. In September 1976, they self-produced “(I’m) Stranded,” a seminal single that preceded the first releases by the Sex Pistols, the Damned, the Buzzcocks, and the Clash. Their first album was released in February 1977. The band then left Brisbane for Sydney, then moved to London, where, as an introduction, they performed at the Roundhouse as the opening act for the Ramones. Bassist Kym Bradshaw left shortly after to join The Lurkers; Algy Ward took his place.
In the following year, The Saints released This Perfect Day and the EP 1-2-3-4, then began to shift towards a fuller sound, tinged with R&B and sometimes supported by a brass section. Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds were released in 1978. The band broke up shortly afterwards.
Chris Bailey continued the adventure under the name The Saints for four decades, shifting towards a mix of folk and R&B. Ed Kuepper, the musical mastermind of the early days, returned to Australia, founded the Laughing Clowns, released numerous solo albums, composed soundtracks, returned to rock with The Aints/The Aints!, collaborated with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, explored experimental jazz with Asteroid Ekosystem, and most recently released After the Flood with drummer Jim White. Drummer Ivor Hay made a few occasional returns to Bailey’s Saints and formed the band Wildlife Documentaries. As for Algy Ward, he went on to join The Damned.
73-78… 2025
Although there were a few sporadic reunions of The Saints (in 2001 and 2007), these were limited to a few concerts in Australia. Following the death of singer Chris Bailey in 2022 (and bassist Algy Ward the following year), guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay decided to form a band that could best represent the songs performed on the Brisbane band’s first three albums.
That’s what we saw at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theater on November 13. Preceded by local band Gloin (sorry, we arrived too late), the Saints quietly took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. and immediately launched into a flawless brass-heavy rendition of “Swing For The Crime,” except for some poorly adjusted sound. The problem was fixed by the second song, the incisive “No Time,” from their first album. “This Perfect Day” (or night, in our case) followed without delay, setting the tone for what was to come. In all, there were 19 songs, including, of course, the unavoidable “(I’m) Stranded,” “The Prisoner,” “No,” “Know Your Product,” “Brisbane (Security City)” and a finale culminating in the furious “Demolition Girl” and “Nights in Venice.”
However, the crowd wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as expected. The atmosphere in this venerable concert hall, which has seen many notable acts since its first shows in 1991 (and which will close its doors for good at the end of the year), wasn’t as wild as one might have hoped. It must be said that the concert was far from sold out… As for the band, they didn’t seem particularly excited about this (only) show in Canada. Not very talkative (like most of the rest of the band, for that matter), Mark Arm contented himself with slipping in a few words here and there, clinging to his microphone stand throughout the performance, or almost. It was as if he felt out of place, he who is capable of all kinds of eccentricities on stage with his band Mudhoney. With the Saints, he doesn’t have to play that role. And it must be said that the American singer has the difficult task of filling Bailey’s very large shoes, a perilous mission that he has carried out with a kind of respect, humility, and serenity when you think about it. And with each performance, it’s pretty much the same scenario, if you take the time to watch some of their shows that are circulating on the web right now.
Let’s be clear, today’s Saints are not yesterday’s Saints, nor do they try to be. The tempo is a little slower, the energy less intense, or at least channeled differently. In fact, the current lineup is content to deliver the tracks from the first three albums as honestly as possible, without fanfare, but with trumpets.
These brass-heavy concerts, which they performed in Oceania, then North America, and now Europe, are the ones they should have given back then, if they hadn’t split up so soon. Kuepper and Hay have aged, Bailey and Ward are no longer with us, but their replacements, and those who have been added, notably the versatile Mick Harvey, who acts as a kind of conductor without a baton, give the ensemble a different flavour.
The Saints from 1973 to 1978, yes, but in 2025, a different perspective, a different energy, but the same music that marked the all too short career of this iconic band.
Live photo by Matthew Ellery
