The Saints - Stranded (Documentary)

The Saints' "(I'm) Stranded" was one of the first punk rock singles, released around the same time as the Damned's "New Rose" and the Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" (of course, after NYC bands like the Ramones and Patti Smith debuted their albums), and with similar energy and power. They moved from their native Australia to England and gained popularity and broke boundaries as they added horns to their jackhammer sound and expanded their songwriting. As with most bands, they eventually fizzled out anti-climatically but not before influencing most punk rock to come and leaving an amazing legacy.

This documentary has some formidable footage of the group in its early days and interviews the members today, but it also gives an overview of the Australian punk rock (and post-punk) scene, as well as the British arena that they moved into. Lots of contemporaries appear, as well - Bob Geldof from the Boomtown Rats, Diggle from the Buzzcocks, Jello from the Dead Kennedys (who apparently saw the Saints in England) among others.

Short but engrossing and currently available on You Tube (where we saw it), so check it otu!