Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Pix by Sarah Gilpin Photography
If you ever wanted to know who the heirs were of the Golden Age of Australian Pub Rock and who are the true sons of bands like AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and Cold Chisel, then The Poor are that band. The Poor carry the torch of “real” Aussie music and demonstrated it to everyone at the Koala Tavern with their powerful performance, anthemic songs and powerhouse heavy rock that’s so loud it’s nearly painful.
The evening started with a big, fat bass line that set the venue rumbling as Rainbow Skull Party took to the stage. It set the sonic tone for what was to come. Rainbow Skull Party are a three-piece Brisbane-based alternative rock band who like psychedelic grunge punk. The band comprises of brothers, guitarist Lawrie Cuthbert, bassist and vocalist Paul Cuthbert, with their fabulous drummer David James.
Rainbow Skull Party played a mix of original songs, Keep It Going, Going, Going Go!, Masquerade, ClownFace, Happy Accident and Trashed. They gave the crowd a spirited performance and had real skill in playing their instruments. The band delivered good covers of Jimi Hendrix tracks, which blended Round The Twist and Voodoo Child to close out their set.
After a short break to change instruments and reset the stage, the beer and whiskey were put in place, and The Poor came to the stage and lifted the roof as they exploded into their 16-song set with Ride from their debut album, 1994’s Who Cares. The night was on!
I have never seen The Poor live and I now know I have been missing out. Their set was the most amazing performance of heavy rock I have seen in a long time. It took me back to my young days sneaking around Sydney and hanging out at The Sando, The Bridge, Manzil Room or if you could get there by train, to the Rydalmere Family Inn in Sydney, where the best bands played. The Poor are one of those bands.
The Poor comprises Skenie on vocals, the extraordinary Daniel Cox on guitar, Gavin Hansen on drums, and the ‘new guy’, Stewart Williams on bass. The Poor, as a band, formed in Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1986. They were originally called The Poor Boys, and they gained a reputation as a wild live band but it wasn’t until the release of their debut album Who Cares in 1994 that their music pierced the veil into the consciousness of Australian music fans and took them touring around the country and international with the likes of KISS, AC/DC, The Scorpions and WASP.
The Poor performed last night with that same authentic wild energy and ultimate skill: a tight unit of four musicians at the top of their game. You will not see a better live band. It was extraordinary how they channelled the spirit of Aussie rock by being themselves and writing about their own lived experiences. These guys are not some cheap imitation: they are the real deal, forged by playing pubs and championing the songwriting and music of Australians.
Their set moved into the massive songs Ain’t On the Chain, set highlight Payback’s A Bitch, Trouble and Dirty Money. By this stage, the brilliant Daniel Cox had delivered huge riffs on his beautifully appointed Eureka flag guitar, even playing his guitar with a crutch supplied by the girl with an ACL injury, and showed everyone how you really use a sliding clamp as he climbed the speakers while delivering the first of many solos. Skenie worked the crowd with an easy-going swagger as he whirled around like a dervish and hung off the ceiling and climbed the speakers, as Gavin Hansen and Stewart Williams kept it all together and cut loose behind him.
Another highlight was the outstanding Hurricane that was dedicated to Kim down the front. And, then the hard rocking but genuinely emotive Cry Out was played as Skenie showed the crowd what “charismatic front man” actually means. It was high octane, energy pumping out as the whiskey flowed, but Williams sensibly stuck to water as he controlled the rhythmic pulses of the performance, as someone had to concentrate as The Poor ran through powerful songs Man Of War, Hair Of The Dog and the funny and non-PC song I Know It’s Wrong – but as Skenie said: “I don’t care”, was delivered with tongue in cheek humour.
Hansen kept things tight with point-blank precision on the kit as Lies, This Is The Story and Poison were played. Cox demonstrated how you play the neck of a guitar as songs about shit government decisions were blasted out. Then, the last two songs of the regulation set, More Wine Waiter Please and Tell Someone Who Cares packed a wallop as Skenie jumped off the stage and got people in the crowd to sing along with him and the rest of the crowd sang along as the venue filled with energy and the crowd were jumping.
The end guitar solo continued as the band said good night and left the stage. And, it kept going until…The Poor gifted the crowd with an encore of Only The Night Skenie took off again around the venue like a human dynamo. The band ended their good time set of rock and roll energy, and the appreciative crowd loved it. What a ride!
The Poor are a true heavy rock band – the authentic article – genuine rock ‘n’ roll survivors. If you want to see the real thing, see The Poor – you won’t be sorry!
