The Saints

Fri 9th Jan, 2009 in Features

When the original incarnation of The Saints – vocalist Chris Bailey, guitarist Ed Kuepper, drummer Ivor Hay – reconvened in 2007 to perform at the Riverside Festival in their hometown of Brisbane, many believed that it would be a one-off, the likes of which would never be seen again.

From the outset of our conversation Bailey, makes it quite clear that his own incarnation of The Saints is very much still a going concern. Indeed, the day after this interview he was off to the airport, flying to southern Europe on embark upon yet another tour with the “new Saints” ( that minus Keupper).

Then as he explains it “I go to Oz to play some shows with a band ALSO called The Saints. It makes me feel a little bit like Doctor Who – I’m going through a time warp. There’s always been a very loose understanding that what we were as kids has evolved into a very different thing over the years. Never say never I guess is the cliché.”

Having had their initial reformation last year – the first time Bailey and Kuepper had played together since 1979 -this time around takes one step further, with the band revisiting seminal debut (I’m)Stranded in a very special show at home, in Brisbane.

“I’m actually not going to listen to the album at all until I’m on the plane coming to Australia,” Bailey asserts. “There are a few songs that I haven’t really touched for years and I only get two days rehearsal, so I figure if I don’t listen to the record until I’m across some ocean somewhere I’ll be approaching it with a very fresh set of ears. I’ve always hated having to recreate live what you do on record because I think the two should be quite separate.”

Thinking back upon the 2007 reformation, Bailey seems surprised at how well it worked out.

“It wasn’t a hideous nostalgia thing,” he says. “It was a bunch of songs played quite well by he people who made the records, and that would have been fine and a one-off and we would’ve had a few drinks, a few laughs, and did a decent show. That would’ve been history.”

But it’s not every day that Nick Cave and Mick Harvey from the Bad Seeds call you up and ask you to reform.

“They rang Ed, they rang me, and asked whether we would do this ATP thing and we said – œokay’. So it was that simple.”

When Ed is on stage with him, you’d expect it to be a somewhat strange, with their famously antagonistic relationship potentially making it an awkward experience. But Bailey insists that is not the case at all, instead declaring that it’s – œnatural’.

“I’ve always rated Ed very highly as a guitar player – in fact, dare I say it, he’s one of my favourites. We’re playing music from a time capsule so that puts it in some type of perspective…but it just seems – œright’. I can’t explain it any other way.”

Looking back at the past like this is something that many musicians are doing these days – the likes of The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, and The Pixies have all reformed, while bands such as SonicYouth have performed the likes of classic album Daydream Nation in full (at the upcoming All Tomorrow’s Parties, The Dirty Three will perform Ocean Songs in full).

“Generally speaking I wouldn’t like to do this all the time,” he says of the examination and retrospection that comes with performing only songs from a certain era of the band. “But I do think certain players have a certain magic, and there’s a certain thing happens when that particular bunch of players get together – it’s not a back racket that we make. But generally speaking it is better to look forward than to look back”.

“But keep in mind this is a specific number of shows,” he cautions. “We all know that we’re going to do this for a specific period of time and we’re lucky that they’re not bad tunes that we have to play as a project, which I guess is what it is. From my own personal point of view it’s…weird.”

With a – œnormal’ version of The Saints very much part of his everyday existence, the likes of this dalliance as – œThe Saints’ means that things get put on hold, and instead he goes on ”...this very interest head-trip, maaaaan,” he deadpans, “to another place and another time. It’s pretty cool. It’s not like the – œCountdown Reformation Spectacular’ or any bollocks like that!”

The Saints are performing at ATP in Mt Buller on January 9-10, January 17-18 in Sydney, and a very special show performing (I’m) Stranded in full at home at the Riverstage in Brisbane.