Fire Records will release Long March Through the Jazz Age, the last recordings of Chris Bailey and The Saints, on 28 November 2025. The release will arrive just days after what would have been Bailey’s 69th birthday, serving as a poignant final chapter in the story of one of Australia’s most important and influential bands.
Bailey, who passed away in 2022, left behind a catalogue that shaped punk, post-punk and beyond. This final Saints record was laid down in late 2018 at Sydney’s Church Street Studios. Bailey and longtime Saints drummer Pete Wilkinson flew in from Europe to join guitarist and engineer Sean Carey, who had previously toured and recorded with the group. They were joined by Davey Lane of You Am I and a handpicked ensemble of Sydney-based horn, string and keyboard players.
From Bailey’s rough demos emerged Long March Through the Jazz Age — a work that blends his trademark punk snarl with a widescreen production. Lead single “Empires (Sometimes We Fall)”, out now, is the album’s defiant opening statement. Its soaring guitars and Bailey’s weathered, aching vocals capture the spirit of resilience: “Sometimes we rise, sometimes we fall.”
“In my opinion, The Saints were Australia’s greatest band…. and Chris Bailey was my favourite singer,” said Nick Cave.
The record captures Bailey at his most reflective. Songs bristle with Dylan-esque poetics, expansive strings and mournful trumpet passages. Yet, at its core, the album still carries the swagger and uncompromising bite that defined The Saints from their earliest days.
Drummer Pete Wilkinson recalls, “When it came to recording vocals, Chris Bailey saved the best until last. 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.”
Guitarist Sean Carey added, “Chris was a true artist, it was like watching someone paint a fresh artwork every single day. This collection of songs and recordings were inspired and felt different to anything else I’d been doing.”
Long March Through the Jazz Age closes the book on more than four decades of Saints music — a journey that began in the mid-1970s when Bailey, Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay formed a band in Brisbane that would soon be hailed as Australia’s answer to The Sex Pistols and The Clash.
The Saints: Chris Bailey Album Timeline
1977 – (I’m) Stranded
The groundbreaking debut, recorded for EMI, often cited as one of punk’s earliest and greatest records.
1978 – Eternally Yours
Expanded the punk template with horns and more complex arrangements.
1978 – Prehistoric Sounds
A bold left-turn into soul and jazz influences, years ahead of its time.
1981 – The Monkey Puzzle
Bailey revived The Saints with a new line-up, beginning a fresh era.
1982 – Out in the Jungle…
A tougher, rock-driven record from Bailey’s evolving Saints.
1984 – A Little Madness to Be Free
Orchestral arrangements layered over Bailey’s commanding vocals.
1986 – All Fools Day
Gave The Saints a mainstream breakthrough with the single “Just Like Fire Would.”
1988 – Prodigal Son
Continued Bailey’s restless reinvention, marked by blues-rock tones.
2002 – Spit the Blues Out
Darker, swampier grooves showcasing Bailey’s late-era voice.
2005 – Nothing Is Straight in My House
Hard-edged rock with Bailey pushing the band into heavier territory.
2006 – Imperious Delirium
Fierce, urgent and uncompromising, Bailey’s last studio release with The Saints in his lifetime.
2025 – Long March Through the Jazz Age
Posthumous release, recorded in 2018, Bailey’s final artistic statement.
Long March Through the Jazz Age will be released on 28 November via Fire Records.
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