Vale Chris Bailey

[Twodogs]

Just heard on the news that the lead singer of the Saints Chi's Bailey died on Saturday night. Awful news, the Saints are one of the greatest Australian bands of all time. Bailey is a huge loss to Australian music.

[chef]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

Just heard on the news that the lead singer of the Saints Chi's Bailey died on Saturday night. Awful news, the Saints are one of the greatest Australian bands of all time. Bailey is a huge loss to Australian music

Yep sad news, one of the first bands I feel in love with. Punk legends and oh so much more.

[Sedat]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

'Know Your Product' is pretty much in the top 10 greatest Australian songs of all time for mine. Vale.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

Charismatic, aloof, one of the great Australian lyricists. Right from the start he was just as comfortable lending his vocals to punk belters or bluesy ballads. Thanks for the memories Chris.

[Twodogs]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

'Know Your Product' is pretty much in the top 10 greatest Australian songs of all time for mine. Vale.

Where's the professor?
We need him now!

[whythelongface]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey was a legend. From punk to Celtic blues to folk blues. The man could do it all.
Loved the early punk stuff but my favourites are All Fools Day and King of the Sun.

Brilliant musician whom will be sadly missed.

[azabob]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chris-baileys-amazing-voice/

Nick Caves take on Chris Bailey

ISSUE #191 / APRIL 2022
I just heard about Chris Bailey’s death. What an amazing voice, what an amazing scream. Can you tell us something about what he meant to you as a young musician in Australia?
DAN, CONWAY, AUSTRALIA




Dear Dan,

One week ago today, I was standing in front of a photo on display in the Stranger Than Kindness – The Nick Cave Exhibition in Montreal. It is an extraordinary photo that came to light a few years ago — it shows the singer, Chris Bailey, of the Brisbane band, the Saints, sitting collapsed on stage in a small club in Melbourne, watched by a very young and unformed Nick Cave. In the photo Chris is already committed to his life as perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock ‘n’ roll singer Australia would ever produce. Conversely, I am in that stonewashed and uncertain state between failing art school and, well, I am not quite sure what. You can almost see the thought bubble forming above my head as an alternate plan presents itself.

In the late seventies, the Saints came down from Brisbane and tore their way through Sydney and Melbourne with their famously seditious shows. It is impossible to exaggerate the resulting radical galvanising effect on the Melbourne scene – these legendary performances changed the lives of so many people, myself included.

So, it is with immense sadness that we learn of Chris Bailey’s death. Too many great singers have died recently and, once again, I don’t have the words that will in any way adequately measure the extent of our collective loss. I can only simply repeat, for the record, that, in my opinion, the Saints were Australia’s greatest band, and that Chris Bailey was my favourite singer.

Chris and I got to know each other well and went on to do a bunch of things together over the years, but it is this photo that I will treasure – a moment of realisation and divergence, as a drunk singer sits slumped on a stage floor, his very presence in that moment approximating some kind of moral purity or essential truth, and a young man watching transfixed, feeling his own best laid plans fall away as the thought bubble above his head fills with its sudden and outrageous revelation, ‘This is what I want to do and this is who I want to be.’

With enormous gratitude to Chris Bailey and may he rest in peace.

Love, Nick

[Twodogs]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chri...amazing-voice/

Nick Caves take on Chris Bailey

ISSUE #191 / APRIL 2022
I just heard about Chris Bailey’s death. What an amazing voice, what an amazing scream. Can you tell us something about what he meant to you as a young musician in Australia?
DAN, CONWAY, AUSTRALIA




Dear Dan,

One week ago today, I was standing in front of a photo on display in the Stranger Than Kindness – The Nick Cave Exhibition in Montreal. It is an extraordinary photo that came to light a few years ago — it shows the singer, Chris Bailey, of the Brisbane band, the Saints, sitting collapsed on stage in a small club in Melbourne, watched by a very young and unformed Nick Cave. In the photo Chris is already committed to his life as perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock ‘n’ roll singer Australia would ever produce. Conversely, I am in that stonewashed and uncertain state between failing art school and, well, I am not quite sure what. You can almost see the thought bubble forming above my head as an alternate plan presents itself.

In the late seventies, the Saints came down from Brisbane and tore their way through Sydney and Melbourne with their famously seditious shows. It is impossible to exaggerate the resulting radical galvanising effect on the Melbourne scene – these legendary performances changed the lives of so many people, myself included.

So, it is with immense sadness that we learn of Chris Bailey’s death. Too many great singers have died recently and, once again, I don’t have the words that will in any way adequately measure the extent of our collective loss. I can only simply repeat, for the record, that, in my opinion, the Saints were Australia’s greatest band, and that Chris Bailey was my favourite singer.

Chris and I got to know each other well and went on to do a bunch of things together over the years, but it is this photo that I will treasure – a moment of realisation and divergence, as a drunk singer sits slumped on a stage floor, his very presence in that moment approximating some kind of moral purity or essential truth, and a young man watching transfixed, feeling his own best laid plans fall away as the thought bubble above his head fills with its sudden and outrageous revelation, ‘This is what I want to do and this is who I want to be.’

With enormous gratitude to Chris Bailey and may he rest in peace.

Love, Nick

Out of what must have been nearly 1000 gigs that I've to the greatest was All Tomorrow's Parties at Mt Buller in 2009. What made it so greatcwas the original Saints line up playing together for close to 30 years (apart from a couple of shows in Brisbane a month or so before) Seeing Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper share a stage was a highlight of my life. It was something I never thought I'd see.

https://www.setlist.fm/festival/2009/all-tomorrows-parties-mt-buller-13d6e919.html

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-saints/2009/mount-buller-ski-resort-mount-buller-australia-53f07f2d.html

The only thing that ever came close was seeing the original line up of the Stooges play not long before Ron Asheton died.

Some things that you wait your whole life for are just bound to let you down.because you invest so much emotional energy thinking about them and have huge expectations. The three things that didn't let me down were the Saints with Kuepper/Bailey (I'd seen them heaps of times with just Chris Bailey), The Stooges and winning the flag in 2016. All those things were exactly what I'd hoped they would be. They were perfect..

[mjp]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

For those who loved Chris' music, my #1 music podcast - "The Ledge" - has run a Chris Bailey special.

http://theledge.realpunkradio.com/?p=3082

The setlist is here:

https://scotthudson.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-ledge-516-rip-chris-bailey.html

[azabob]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

I picked this book up late last year and have only just started reading it.

I'm certain a few woofers would enjoy the read and would've been at the gigs i'm sure the book will explore.

It was first released in 1996 and apparently it caused a bit of a stir when first released.

Stranded: Australian Independent Music, 1976–1992

The definitive book on Australian punk and post-punk music, long unavailable, now reissued in a much-expanded new edition with 175 photos.
STRANDED offers the inside story of the emergence of the Saints, the Birthday Party, the Laughing Clowns, the Go-Betweens, Nick Cave, the Moodists, the Scientists, and many more great Australian bands, told by a writer who witnessed it all first-hand.

https://www.clintonwalker.com.au/stranded.html

[Happy Days]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

I saw a Saints show at the Corner a few years back, and was blown away by how much of a show Chris Bailey put on in being a prick to the audience (this is a compliment). One of my favourite YouTube rabbit holes is late 70s/early 80s Australian live music and really feel like I missed out on something with it.

The Saints were the band that fixed my music taste in high school, so will always be indebted to him for that too.

[Twodogs]

Re: Vale Chris Bailey

I picked this book up late last year and have only just started reading it.

I'm certain a few woofers would enjoy the read and would've been at the gigs i'm sure the book will explore.

It was first released in 1996 and apparently it caused a bit of a stir when first released.

Stranded: Australian Independent Music, 1976–1992

The definitive book on Australian punk and post-punk music, long unavailable, now reissued in a much-expanded new edition with 175 photos.
STRANDED offers the inside story of the emergence of the Saints, the Birthday Party, the Laughing Clowns, the Go-Betweens, Nick Cave, the Moodists, the Scientists, and many more great Australian bands, told by a writer who witnessed it all first-hand.


https://www.clintonwalker.com.au/stranded.html

Clinton Walker also wrote a book about alternative/punk music in Australia called Inner City Sound that is a really interesting read if you're into music like that.