Interview by Kris Peters
For almost four decades, rock outfit The Poor have flown the flag for good old-fashioned, no bullshit Aussie rock. Alongside their brothers in Rose Tattoo and The Screaming Jets, to name just a few, The Poor have remained loyal to their roots regardless of the changing tides of world music, delivering time and again with a carefree attitude coupled with classy as fuck rock numbers that almost dare you to not listen.
Theirs is a music and style that has stood the tests of time and the swirling winds of change, and it is testament to their durability and longevity that last year's album High Price Deed is regarded in some circles as being equal to, if not superior to, The Poor's groundbreaking debut classic Who Cares.
With a touring schedule reminiscent of the glory days of Australian rock and gigs booked already until at least the end of next year, it's fair to say that The Poor are running head first into the naughty forties and, even better still, show no signs of slowing down. Despite having their original bass player, Matt Whitby, step away from the band earlier this year for personal reasons, The Poor remain firmly on track, focused and ready to continue their domination of the Australian and global music scene.
HEAVY sat down with drummer Gavin Hansen to find out just how much The Poor have on their plate. One of the questions we ask relates to the sustainability of bands such as The Poor and Rose Tattoo, and we question if their old-school attitude to life and music has played a part in their sustained output and success.
"I think so," he measured. "That's definitely a part of it, I guess. The way that you've grown up and the way that you've cut your teeth and the way you've maintained that. The industry has changed so much in a lot of ways, in a lot of different areas over that time, back and forth. Let's face it, in the 90s there were no festivals as such, really. Festivals made a massive change in the club touring circuit for a long time, especially in Australia. As you know, the good old Big Day Out, SoundWaves and Livid's got to a point where everyone would hold off until they got on one of those bills, and then they would create a tour around it. And then I think that's what hurt the scene of rock bands coming through. They weren't out there slogging it out in the circuit or the pubs every weekend, you know. They were waiting, or there was just a massive change of festivals. And then now… I don't know. I'm not going to say there's nothing to replace it in the sense of that calibre of acts. I just think that era has a different edge and hardness and toughness about it, where, you know, maybe the stuff in the last 10 years hasn't."
Talk turns to Rock The Boat 2026, where The Poor sail the high seas with The Angels, Baby Animals, Rose Tattoo, Killing Heidi, The Superjesus and Radiators, just to name a few.
"I've always been hesitant about boat cruises," Hansen smiled. "What if you got on a boat cruise with a bunch of dickheads, how do you get away from them (laughs)? But no, look, these boats are big enough. It's not just a little tinny going around the harbour. We're really looking forward to it."
In the full interview, Gavin talks more about The Poor's next two hometown shows at Mo's Desert Clubhouse (August 7) and the Koala Tavern (August 9) and how they will likely be the last chance this year the people of Brisbane and the Gold Coast get the chance to catch The Poor in their element. We discussed Matt leaving in greater detail and meet his replacement, while also looking into the fallbacks of changing band members that most of the public don't see.
We talked about their upcoming shows with Rose Tattoo, Adelaide's Rock Hard Festival, supporting up-and-coming Australian bands, the increasing lack of respect in the music industry and possible causes of it, new music and future tours, plus more.
Become a supporter of this podcast:
https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
