Last year, seminal punk rockers The Saints – of whom Bob Geldof has said, “Rock music in the 70s was changed by three bands – the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Saints.” – released a 4-LP box set of their 1977 debut, (I’m) Stranded (also featuring an unreleased mix of the album, live recordings, EP sessions, and more), an album which Henry Rollins called, “one of the hottest walking, incendiary, original rock albums ever recorded.” Nick Cave and Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain are also big fans of the Brisbane band, who relocated to the UK following the release of (I’m) Stranded.
The announcement of the box set came after the 2022 death of Chris Bailey, The Saints’ frontman and only constant member. Coinciding with the 4-LP release, original guitarist Ed Kuepper (who left the band in ’78) and drummer Ivor Hay (who was with the band through the late ‘80s) assembled The Saints ’73-’78, which had them joined by Mudhoney vocalist Mark Arm, Sunnyboys bassist Peter Oxley, and Mick Harvey, best known as a former member of The Birthday Party, Crime & the City Solution, and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
In the last quarter of 2024, The Saints ’73-’78 played shows throughout Australia comprised of songs from the band’s first three albums [(I’m) Stranded, in addition to Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds, both released in ‘78]. And last week, The Saints ’73-’78 brought the show to North America, marking the first time the material from the original band and their three albums (in addition to EPs and singles) have ever been performed Stateside. The Saints ’73-’78 will be bringing their live show to Union Transfer this coming Saturday, November 15th. And, during a recent chat with The Saints’ guitarist and co-founder Ed Kuepper, I find out that this is quite possibly the only time you’ll get the chance to see them in the 215.
Izzy Cihak: This whole reunion/celebration began just about a year ago. Is this something that you ever expected you’d do?
Ed Kuepper: Not sure I expected it to happen, but it was something I wanted to happen and so far so good
Izzy: This is kind of two questions but… Have you had any favorite reactions to these shows? And, also, what kinds of crowds are coming out? I’m assuming a lot of people are seeing you for the first time, many of whom (like myself) wouldn’t have even been old enough to see the shows the first time around.
Ed: Audiences have been a real mix, but mostly I’d say they were too young to have seen the original band, lots of good moments really.
Izzy: How did this idea originally come about? Was it something you’d started thinking about with the announcement/release of the (I’m) Stranded box set, or did it come about after that momentum had started to build?
Ed: No, once the idea of the box set was solidified, I thought I should do something around it. Originally, it was going to be six or so shows, but the response was strong enough to add more and do the shows outside of Australia, which I was a bit dubious about originally.
Izzy: Mark Arm seems like the perfect choice of vocalist, but I’m curious how he actually came into the fold. I know the other guys have connections to you and the band, although I don’t know if you’d known him, as well…
Ed: I didn’t know Mark personally, but we had a mutual friend who suggested him, and we approached him and he was keen, which was great
Izzy: What can be expected of the live show when you’re in The States?
Ed: We’re playing material exclusively from the band’s first three albums, including the third, Prehistoric Sounds, which didn’t get a Stateside release, so it’s kind of a debut
Izzy: How did you all decide on the particular selection of songs for these dates? Were they your longtime favorites, or did you kind of revisit those albums in their entireties before deciding?
Ed: Pretty easy really, we’re only drawing on the 73-78 era, and the songs chosen represent those albums in my mind
Izzy: Are there any songs that you hadn’t thought of in a while that you wound up liking more than you expected? I feel like that’s often the case on these tours celebrating a classic album or a specific period of work.
Ed: Maybe, but I always liked those records and a lot of the songs seem to have withstood the test of time, not that I listened to them all the time or anything… you tend to move on after something’s been recorded.
Izzy: When revisiting the songs myself (in hopes of relearning the words for these upcoming dates), the two songs that most immediately stuck out to me were “(I’m) Misunderstood” and “Brisbane (Security City).” Do you have any memories of how either of those tracks came about or reactions they received? You left the band before Prehistoric Sounds songs were ever really toured, right?
Ed: Well, the original band split up before Prehistoric Sounds was released, so none of that material was presented in the way it was recorded. My next band, Laughing Clowns, did a few of them in the early days. “Brisbane [Security City]” was written in London after seeing a news report of a pretty vicious police response to a street protest. “Misunderstood” was an older song written a couple of years before the first album was recorded, tho Chris changed some of the verse lyrics before we recorded it for the second LP.
Izzy: On a related note, what are some of your most vivid, or best, memories of ’73-’78 with The Saints?
Ed: Possibly too big a question there… you’ll have to wait for the bio.
Izzy: Finally, what’s next for you? Are you hoping to do more touring as The Saints ’73-’78? You always seem to have a bunch of things going on.
Ed: I’m finishing a second LP with Jim White to follow up last year’s After the Flood, just completed the third Asteroid Ekosystem album, and maybe look at a new solo record, plus some live shows around those. Nothing planned for The Saints ’73-’78 project apart from the tour we’re on at this point.
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