The SaintsThe life and legacy of the late Chris Bailey will be at the forefront of Long March Through The Jazz Age, the new record to be released by Aussie punk pioneers The Saints.
Set for release on November 28th – one day short of what would have been Bailey’s 69th birthday – the record captures the final recorded work of both Bailey and The Saints.
Working with guitarist/engineer Sean Carey (who had previously recorded and toured with The Saints) at Sydney’s Church Street Studios, Bailey was joined by longtime drummer Pete Wilkinson alongside You Am I’s Davey Lane and a handpicked ensemble of Sydney’s most exciting young horn, string and keyboard players.
The result is a record which serves as a fitting footnote to the legacy of The Saints, which ultimately came to a definite end following Bailey’s passing in 2022.
“When it came to recording vocals, Chris Bailey saved the best until last,” Wilkinson remembers. “His lyrical prowess is well known to those familiar with The Saints, new and old, but these recordings offer a new-found depth and breadth to his voice that surpass anything I had heard before.”
“Chris was a true artist, it was like watching someone paint a fresh artwork every single day,” added Carey. “This collection of songs and recordings were inspired and felt different to anything else I'd been doing.”
News of the forthcoming record is paired with the release of the album’s lead single and opening track, Empires (Sometimes We Fall), which captures unrelenting energy and creative prowess harnessed by Bailey in these final sessions.
The Saints first formed in 1973 in Brisbane, releasing their debut single (I'm) Stranded in 1976. As a result, they became punk pioneers, having become the first group in the genre not situated in the US to release a record featuring the burgeoning sound.
As celebrated records followed in the coming decades, members came and went, though Bailey remained the one constant in the band's history. The last studio album released during Bailey's lifetime was 2012's King Of The Sun, which received widely positive reviews.
