The Poor

From AusMetal Guide
Jump to navigation Jump to search
The Poor
Also known asThe Poor Boys
OriginDarwin, NT
GenresHard rock
Years active1988 - 2000, 2009 - present
LabelsNone
Associated actsBlackseed, Lump, BB Steal
Websitehttp://www.thepoor.com.au
MembersGavin Hansen, Anthony Skene, Matt Whitby, Dan Cox
Past membersJames Young, Craig Ridsdale, Julian Grynglas

Band Members

  • Line-Up
    • Gavin Hansen (drums)
    • Skenie (Anthony Skene) (vocals)
    • Matt Whitby (bass)
    • Dan Cox (guitar)
  • Former Members
    • Julian Grynglas (guitar)
    • James Young (drums)
    • Craig Ridsdale (guitar) 1988 - 1991

Band Information

Starting life as The Poor Boys in the pubs of mid-80s Darwin as a five piece act with Chris Ridsdale on second guitar, The Poor carved out a mean, raw heavy rock sound grounded in the hard boogie and blues style. Shifting base to Sydney in the early 90s, the band shed Ridsdale and issued a brace of EPs that helped to establish them as a brash and dynamic act. Setting their sights wider afield, they dropped the "Boys" from their name and headed to the US where they gained a minor chart hit with their first single there, More Wine Waiter Please.

A tour with AC/DC followed both there and in Australia, along with a much publicised national jaunt of their own with Allegiance and the Who Cares album debuted at #4 on the national chart. Their experiences in the States turned The Poor into a tight and professional unit but further success eluded them and their profile decreased. The band returned to basics and smaller venues where their core following had remained loyal. The Poor remained sporadically active as an aggressive and wild live act for some time. Gavin Hansen from Blackseed eventually replaced Young, but The Poor split at the end of the 90s.

The band reformed to play a one-off show in August 2006; Skenie and Hansen formed Lump in 2003. The Poor reformed once again to tour with W.A.S.P. in 2008 and played a one-off show in Melbourne on December 6. In mid-2009 it was announced that The Poor, now based on the Gold Coast, was back together once again and preparing to record a swag of material. Round One was released in October. The album featured House, co-produced by Billy Thorpe, the last recording he worked on before his death. The release was followed by a national tour that included several shows with The Screaming Jets and an appearance at the Big Day Out on the Gold Coast in January 2010.

Round 2 was released in mid-2010. In April 2011 The Poor toured the east coast with ZZ Top and Rose Tattoo.

During 2019 The Poor toured nationally with Palace of the King and in 2020 performed AC/DC's Back in Black album in full at a series of shows to celebrate its 40th anniversary. They were named as the support for Kiss' Gold Coast show but that was postponed due to COVID. Work on new material continued and in early 2022 the band's first new track in 12 years was released ahead of a forthcoming album.

Discography

Albums:

1994 Who Cares Epic
2009 Round 1 Riot!
2010 Round 2 Riot!

Singles:

1994 More Wine Waiter Please Epic
1994 Poison Epic
1994 Man o War Epic
1998 Simple Livin BlahBlahBlah
2022 Payback's A Bitch Reckless

EPs:

1992 Rude, Crude and Tattooed (as The Poor Boys) Epic
1993 Underfed (as The Poor Boys) Epic