Started by Chris Bailey as demos, and finished by Chris and the band before his death, the new album from The Saints reminds us again of the reach and scope of the punk legacy. These Aussies redefined the form before, and seem bent on doing it again. And how great is it to hear new music from The Saints again, am I right?
Long March Through the Jazz Age, out today on Fire Records, features demos from the late Chris Bailey (1956 to 2022) fleshed out into real Saints songs by Chris and the band. The results vary from the somewhat rough sounding "Empires (Sometimes We Fall)" to the sublime twang of "Judas", a real highlight here. "Break Away", another gem, compares favorably with the Eighties output of The Saints. That's sort of a remarkable thing to write.
Long March Through the Jazz Age is impressive. Worries about what this legendary outfit of Australian rock would sound like in 2025 are gone within a play of the first few songs. Somehow the rock gods and goddesses have smiled on these saints of punk again. The fire in Bailey, in his voice, is here, and numbers like "A Vision of Grace" are as affecting as you would expect.
These tunes of Bailey were brought to life by a bunch of folks, most notably longtime Saints drummer Peter Wilkinson. He gives this material real heft, and he's aided by guitarist Davey Lane (a member of the Saints line-up right before Bailey's death). Sean Carey (You Am I) brings more guitar, and a whole host of contributors add flavor to these robust numbers. What we have here is a fully-alive Saints sound. The down-tempo detours, Aussie country rambles, and ramshackle energy of The Saints are all things we would expect from a new Saints record and we've got them here. This really is a new Saints record and I couldn't be happier about that.
Long March Through The Jazz Age by The Saints is out today via Fire Records.
[Photo: Elisabet Corlin]