Founded by singer-songwriter Chris Bailey, drummer Ivor Hay, and guitarist-songwriter Ed Kuepper, they originally employed fast tempos, raucous vocals and a "buzzsaw" guitar sound that helped initiate punk rock in Australia and identified them with the greater international movement.

Bassist Kym Bradshaw left in 1977 to join first-wave British punk rock band, The Lurkers, and was replaced by Algy Ward.

After their third album Prehistoric Sounds later in 1978, Kuepper clashed with Bailey over the band's musical direction and left, subsequently forming the post-punk group Laughing Clowns, while Hay and Ward followed suit.

1986's All Fools Day peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1986 and yielded the hit song "Just Like Fire Would".

[2][3] They had formed Kid Galahad and the Eternals in 1973 with Irish-raised Bailey on vocals, Brisbane-born Hay on piano and German-born Kuepper on guitar.

[4] Their musical inspirations came from 1950s rock 'n' roll musicians such as Little Richard and Elvis Presley (their name referenced his 1962 film, Kid Galahad)[5] and 1960s proto-punk bands like the Missing Links, the Stooges and MC5.

[2] Contemporaneous with Ramones, the group were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock.

[7] Unable to obtain bookings, Bailey and Hay converted the Petrie Terrace house they shared into the 76 Club so they had a venue to play in.

[4] According to Australian rock historian, Ian McFarlane, they had developed their "own distinctive sound as defined by Kuepper's frenetic, whirlwind guitar style and Bailey's arrogant snarl".

[2] Mainstream public was warned that punk rock is "a sinister new teenage pop cult, based on sex, sadism and violence, [which] is sweeping Britain.

[2][7] EMI planned to promote them as a typical punk band, complete with ripped clothes and spiky hair – the Saints insisted on maintaining a more downbeat image.

[2][3] The album showed the band moving towards a more R&B style of rock, including a brass section on songs like "Know Your Product" which had been released as a single in February.

[2][3] The Saints' first release after Kuepper's departure was the EP, Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow, in March 1980 on Lost Records with Bailey producing.

[3][16] Production was credited to Ricardo Mentalban, and with Bailey, in the Saints, were Hall on bass guitar and Iain Shedden (ex-Jolt) on drums.

[17] In mid-1984, the band toured as Bailey, Burnham, Shedden and Tracy Pew on bass guitar, (ex-Birthday Party), who was briefly replaced by Kuepper in July.

[3][17] Hay returned and, with Bailey, Burgman and Larizza, the group recorded All Fools Day in Wales with Hugh Jones producing.

[11] The group joined the Australian Made Tour in December 1986 – January 1987 with other local acts Mental as Anything, I'm Talking, the Triffids, Divinyls, Models, Jimmy Barnes and INXS.

[19] In March 1989, the Saints had an Australian Top 40 hit with a cover of the Easybeats' song "Music Goes 'Round My Head", which also featured in the 1988 film Young Einstein's soundtrack.

[19] The Saints issued a compilation album, Songs of Salvation and Sin 1976–1988 in 1990 on Raven Records with liner notes penned by Glenn A.

[24] On 11 September 2001, the original line-up of the Saints came together for a one-off reunion when the writer Clinton Walker, a long-time friend and champion of the band, inducted them into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.

On 14 July 2007, Bailey, Kuepper and Hay re-united for another one-off gig at the Queensland Music Festival, with current member Wijnberg on bass guitar.

This was followed by a Melbourne show on 14 January as part of the Don't Look Back sideshow concerts, where they performed the I'm Stranded album in its entirety.

The mural included lyrics from the song and is situated close to 4 Petrie Terrace, the location previously used by the band as an unlicensed venue.

The band also featured Mick Harvey of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on keyboards and guitar, Peter Oxley of Sunnyboys on bass and Mark Arm from Mudhoney on vocals.

[5][33] In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary and named "(I'm) Stranded" in its Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

[37] In a tribute published on his Red Hand Files Q&A platform, Nick Cave remembered Bailey as “perhaps the greatest and most anarchic rock 'n' roll singer Australia would ever produce”.