September. 28th in 1976: pioneering Australian punk group The Saints reissued their soon-to-be hugely influential debut single “I’m Stranded” (backed with “No Time”) on the Power Exchange label, where it would receive broad distribution (they had previously released a private pressing of the single on their own Fatal Records, that is now a collector’s item); the single pre-dated vinyl debuts by such UK punk rock peers as Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned & The Clash…
In order to understand how pop-punk broke in Australia, The Saints arrived at a time where tensions in their native Brisbane were considerably high — police would often break up shows, and punk music served as a major ‘fuck you’ to authorities at large.
It’s often said that Australia’s Saints were the Antipodean Ramones, having developed similarly minus awareness of Da Brudders. But Ed Kuepper was more chaotic and violent-sounding than Johnny Ramone—and was capable of lead work as blistering as, say, Brian James’. Kuepper made the Saints their own entity. The Saints were one of Australia’s earliest punk bands and they’ve gone down in history as the first group outside of the United States to release a record. They followed 1976’s “(I’m) Stranded” single with a 1977 album of the same name, and the punk world was forever altered. Every song on the album is full of swagger, urgency, and sincerity as the band blazes through scorching rock numbers and a few blues-drenched ballads. Once you hear Chris Bailey exclaim “Come on!” or hear the buzzsaw whirlwind that is Ed Kuepper’s guitar playing, you’ll know why The Saints are one of Australia’s greatest musical exports.
Released in February 1977: Australian punk band The Saints followed up the roaring domestic success of their single “(I’m) Stranded” with their debut album of the same name, on EMI Records (Australia)/Harvest Records (UK)/Sire Records (US); full of rough, exhilarating rock’n’roll noise, it remains one of the greatest debut LPs of the era; “Erotic Neurotic” was the second single, released that May shortly before the band relocated to the UK; in 2010, the album was ranked #20 in the book ‘100 Best Australian Albums’…
Although not given their due at the time, this band and this song have gone on to serve as the blueprint for how Australians typically approach the genre. There’s a strong underlying sense of melody here, too. While John Lydon and Iggy Pop would often just howl and squawk, Chris Bailey knew how to get his hooks in. By doing so, he created one of the most famous choruses in Australian rock history, in turn paving the way for pop-punk.
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which was formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. The founders were Chris Bailey (singer and guitar), Ivor Hay (drums) and Ed Kuepper (guitar and composer). Next to Pilar Bailey. In 1975, contemporaries with the Ramones Americans, The Saints used the fast rhythms, the strident voice and guitar “buzz saw” that characterizes the first years of punk. With their first single, “(I’m) Stranded,” in September 1976, they became the first punk band outside the United States to release a record, ahead of other well-known groups, including the Sex Pistols and The Clash .
They are one of the first and most influential groups of the genre, according to Bob Geldof, “Rock music in the seventies was changed by three bands: The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Saints.” In early 1979, The Saints split, leaving Bailey to continue with the band, with a variable lineup, like a pop punk band. The band was included in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2001
Australian band the SAINTS
The Fat Angel Sings 