Following a hugely successful English tour in 2025, The Saints ’73-78 will return to the UK this November – December as special guests to The Damned on their Final Damnationtour. The tour takes in 8 dates including new London venue the 3800 capacity British Airways ARC as well as a series of 2500 capacity regional dates.
As the first Australian and UK bands respectively to release a ‘punk’ record (I’m Stranded, August ‘76 / New Rose, October ’76) The Saints ’73-’78 and The Damned are literally the last men standing from the year zero. Their longevity can simply be put down to the quality of the material they produced; The Saints via their three classics (I’m) Stranded, Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds and The Damned via their debut Damned, Damned, Damned, Machine Gun Ettiquette, The Black Album and more.
“The Saints ’73–’78 offered not nostalgia, but vindication — a reminder of why their early catalogue remains so potent, so influential, and so emotionally resonant nearly five decades on. This wasn’t a museum piece. It was a living, roaring testament to a band who helped reshape the language of punk, and who, in 2025, remain devastatingly powerful.” – Rock Shot Magazine (London 2025 review)
And although the two bands have never played together, their careers remain intermingled, most famously with The Saints second bass player Algy Ward (Eternally Yours / Prehistoric Sounds) joining The Damned once The Saints disbanded mid-’78. 50 years on and these pioneers continue to find firsts.
And although the two bands have never played together, their careers remain intermingled, most famously with The Saints’ second bass player Algy Ward (Eternally Yours / Prehistoric Sounds) joining The Damned once The Saints disbanded mid-’78. 50 years on and these pioneers continue to find firsts.
“Crikey that seemed quick.. 50 yrs ago almost to the day, I posted my first ever bundle of press releases. They were all individually hand-written notes on airmail paper and included one 45, along with an 8×10 b&w photo. The gist of each note was to tell people how extraordinary my band were and that the record that I’d included, was without a doubt the best record ever made…. those notes were engaging, energetic and often included actual dodgy grammar / spelling…” – Ed Kuepper
Tickets for The Saints ’73-’78 with The Damned are on-sale 10.00am Friday May 1stBT.
The Saints (I’m) Stranded box set, last copies of The Saints ’73-’78 Live Nights in Venice… Vol. 1 12″ EP and other related goodies are available from https://artistfirst.com.au/collections/the-saints-73-78
The Saints ’73-‘78 tour continues on from the recently announced Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper Australian tour celebrating 50 years of Kuepper as a recording artist. The 5-piece Exploding Universe will cover material from right across Ed’s storied career; solo, The Aints! Laughing Clowns and The Saints as we rightly acknowledge the extraordinary career of one of Australia’s most important ever songwriters. All shows on-sale now.