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Legendary Aussie rocker dies aged 65

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LeonYLC
2 yrs ago

chris bailey

The lead singer of legendary band The Saints, Chris Bailey, has died aged . 

"It is with great pain in our hearts that we have to inform you about the passing of Chris Bailey, singer and songwriter of The Saints, on April the 9th, 2022," the social media statement said.

"Chris lived a life of poetry and music and stranded on a Saturday night."

A true punk pioneer, Bailey formed The Saints with fellow Aussie music legend Ed Keupper in Brisbane before 'punk' was a 'thing'.

Their hit single (I'm) Stranded was big in the UK and a "relentless work ethic taking them on a near-continual touring cycle" set the band on a path to international stardom.

Chris Bailey led the band for five decades, but it's early singles for which he will be remembered, helping to codify punk rock as the vital lingua fraca of disaffected adolescence, says ABC.

Vale Chris Bailey.

Had you ever been to see The Saints? Were/are you a Chris Bailey fan?

5 comments
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KSS
2 yrs ago

Never heard of him/them

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HOLA
2 yrs ago

I must admit I've never heard of him  as well. It's amazing how many of these Rock artists have died in the last couple of years, and fairly young at that. . 

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Couldabeen
2 yrs ago

Whilst the cause of death has not been discussed publicly yet, Chris was not gentle in his body and even at 11 in the morning he looked as if he been intimate with a bottle or two of spirits to start the day.  At least that was when I saw in in Brisbane during the 1990's.

A lot of his later work was more blues than rock or punk, and whilst there was a smoothness in his voice in such songs as "Ghost ships", you could feel a raw edge as he sang.

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undead
2 yrs ago

chris and his band pre-dated the clash & the sex pistols and were concurrent with the ramones. they grew up in joh bjelke-peterson's fascist state of qld. continually arrested and harassed they were forced to play their music in suburban halls. they were acknowledged as one of the creators of the punk rock genre.

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Couldabeen
2 yrs ago

To experience the Saints live and uninhibited was a great experience.  I was lucky to be present for a private party at their home of the time in Petrie Terrace just opposite the Police Barracks.  Many of the other musos in Brisbane hated them because they dared to be different.  And booked their own venues.  No need for a manager.

Molly Meldrum told them to play a less aggressive and engaging song other than "I'm Stranded" on Countdown and when they refused, Meldrum told them that he'd make sure that they'd never be "big" in Australia.

Several of their albums went on to get into the top 10 in countries such as France, Belgium and Netherlands.  In London, the hard core punks didn't know what to make of them as there were no weird hair styles or outlandish body piercings.  And no pandering to the clothes style of the punk movement.  Really they were more just your average (Australian) suburban boys.

Anybody who enjoyed the movie "Young Einstein" also enjoyed their work with a highlight song.

Their version of "Lipstick on your collar" was a great power "pop" interpretation of that classic song.

If you weren't a Saints fan back then, you're probably too old and staid to enjoy their work now.

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Farside
2 yrs ago

never heard of the band or their music – what is the threshold for "legendary"? 

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