The Poor (Australian band)

Last updated

The Poor
The Poor @ Enmore Theatre (5661343484).jpg
Background information
Also known asThe Poor Boys
Origin Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Genres Hard rock
Years active1986 (1986)–2000 (2000), 2008 (2008)–present
Labels Sony/Columbia, Riot!
MembersAnthony "Skenie" Skene
Matt Whitby
Gavin Hansen
Daniel Cox
Past membersJulian "RV" Grynglas
Mark Davis
Chris Risdale
James Young
Warren Reid
Website thepoor.com.au

The Poor are an Australian hard rock band that formed in 1986 as The Poor Boys in Darwin, Northern Territory. Their founding mainstays are Julian "RV" Grynglas on guitar, Anthony "Skenie" Skene on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Matt Whitby on bass guitar. On 13 June 1994 they released a debut album, Who Cares, on the Sony label, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The lead single, "More Wine Waiter Please", had appeared in the United States in March and reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was a top ten hit in Australia when released there in May. The Poor disbanded in 2000 but reformed in 2008 and issued two further albums, Round 1 (October 2009) and Round 2 (15 October 2010), on Riot Entertainment.

Contents

History

The Poor Boys formed in 1986 in Darwin, Northern Territory. [1] The original line-up was Mark Davis on drums, Chris Risdale on guitar, Anthony "Skenie" Skene on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Matt Whitby on bass guitar. [1] [2] [3] Risdale and Skene had met in 1984 when they attended Dripstone High School together. [3] They had met Davis and Whitby at parties in Darwin and soon were gigging together as a covers band. [3] Risdale soon left when Reid joined. After Reid left Grynglas joined and they started to write their own material. [3] Davis left a few years later. [3]

In 1991 the group relocated to Sydney and later that year toured the United States supporting fellow Australian hard rockers, The Angels. [1] By June 1992 James Young (ex-BB Steal) replaced Davis on drums and the group released their debut extended play, Rude, Crude & Tattooed, on Sony/Columbia Records. It was produced by The Angels' members Rick Brewster and Bob Spencer. [1] The Poor Boys supported that group's national tour through July to August. [1] About a year later The Poor Boys issued their second EP, Underfed, which was produced by Brent Eccles (also a member of The Angels). They followed in October by backing United States acts, Alice in Chains and Suicidal Tendencies, on the Australian leg of their combined tour. [1]

In March 1994 The Poor Boys changed their name to The Poor to avoid confusion with a US group of the former name. [1] That month they issued a single, "More Wine Waiter Please", in the US where it peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. [4] [5] In May they released it in Australia and it peaked at No. 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart. [6] The Australian single's cover art featured a variant of the group's former logo, with the word "Boys" crossed out, to notify fans that it was the same band. On 13 June 1994 they followed with their debut studio album, Who Cares, which reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. [6] It was produced by United Kingdom's Paul Northfield (Suicidal Tendencies) and had been previously released in Japan on 8 April that year. [1] [2] Recorded in Sydney and Montreal it was also issued in the US. [7] The Poor promoted their US releases with a tour there supporting German rockers, Scorpions. [7] The Poor also toured Europe and Japan. [1] [7] In September 1994 their next single, "Poison", reached No. 48 in Australia. [1]

Early in 1996 they opened for AC/DC's international tour. [1] [3] They also supported Kiss, [8] and, in April 1998, Van Halen. [1] [9] In 1997 Young was replaced on drums by Gavin Hansen (ex-Rattlebone) – a friend of Whitby's. [10] [11] The group issued another single the following year, "Simple Livin'", intended to be the first single from the follow-up to Who Cares, however in 2000 The Poor disbanded. [10] [11] Various members of The Poor separated into two heavy rock groups, Lump and Blackseed. [11] Skene related what happened after the split: "I did a small solo acoustic thing for a while. Matt was at Uni studying history. Julian was just working. Gav went back to Melbourne before moving to the Gold Coast where he grew up and started Lump with Melbourne mates Scotty and Stewie. Then I moved up and joined Lump as well!" [3] "Simple Livin'" would later be released in 2012 on an expanded French CD version of Who Cares, collecting the B-sides from that album's singles.

The Poor reunited in April 2008 to play on an Australia tour with W.A.S.P. and soon after began recording a new album, Round 1, released in October 2009 by Riot!, comprised several older songs not previously released together with newly written tracks. [12] [13] Since October 2009 the group are based on the Gold Coast. [3] [13] In January 2010 they played at the Big Day Out on the Gold Coast. [14] On 15 October 2010, the band released Round 2, [3] Brian Fischer-Giffin of Loud Mag found that for this album "[The Poor] come out swinging much more convincingly, punching out a short, sharp album of no-nonsense hard rock that doesn't over stay its welcome or try to be anything more than it is. The Poor has got their mojo back". [15]

In late 2022, the Poor announced the release of their fourth album (first in thirteen years), High Price Deed, on 2 February 2023. The album was preceded by singles "Payback's a Bitch", "Cry Out" and "Let Me Go". On 12 December, the fourth single "Take the World" was released.

Band members

Current members
Former members

Timeline

The Poor (Australian band)

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions
TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
AUS
[16]
Who Cares
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Epic, 550 Music
  • Formats: CD, cassette
3
Round 1
  • Released: 2009
  • Label: Riot! Entertainment
  • Format: CD
—
Round 2
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: Riot! Entertainment
  • Format: CD
—
High Price Deed
  • Released: 2023
  • Label: Reckless Records
  • Format: Vinyl, CD, digital download
—

Compilations

EPs

List of EPs, with selected details and chart positions
TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
AUS
[17]
Rude, Crude & Tattooed
(as the Poor Boys)
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Sony Music Australia
66
Underfed
(as the Poor Boys)
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: Epic
—

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
AUS
[16]
"More Wine Waiter Please"199410Who Cares
"Poison"48
"Man of War"—
"Simple Livin'"1998—Non-album single
"Payback's a Bitch"2022—High Price Deed
"Cry Out"—
"Let Me Go"—
"Take the World"—
"Lover"2023—

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yothu Yindi</span> Australian musical group

Yothu Yindi are an Australian musical group with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a white rock group called the Swamp Jockeys, and an unnamed Aboriginal folk group consisting of Mandawuy Yunupingu, Witiyana Marika, and Milkayngu Mununggur. The Aboriginal members came from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Founding members included Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar, Cal Williams on lead guitar, Andrew Belletty on drums, Witiyana Marika on manikay, bilma and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu on keyboards, guitar, and percussion, past lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu and present Yirrnga Yunupingu on vocals and guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Supply</span> Australian soft rock group

Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Lost in Love" (1979), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World", "The One That You Love", "Here I Am", "Sweet Dreams", "Even the Nights Are Better" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (1983). In Australia, they had four top ten placements with "Love and Other Bruises" (1976), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World" and "The One That You Love". Their highest charting studio album, The One That You Love (1981) reached number ten in both Australia and the US. The group, which relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, has included many members, with Hitchcock and Russell at the core. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) inducted Air Supply into their Hall of Fame on 1 December 2013, at the annual ARIA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trooper (band)</span> Canadian rock band

Trooper is a Canadian rock band formed by singer Ra McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975. The group is best known for their 1970s hits "Raise a Little Hell", "We're Here for a Good Time ", "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car", "General Hand Grenade", "3 Dressed Up as a 9", "Janine", "Two for the Show", "Oh, Pretty Lady" and "Santa Maria".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue Traders</span> Australian electronic rock band

Rogue Traders is an Australian electronic rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2002 by mainstay James Ash on keyboards. In 1989, Ash met fellow original member Steve Davis in London while both were working as DJs. Before forming Rogue Traders, the pair had worked together on many projects, including the dance music act Union State, which relocated to Melbourne in 1992. The group's name comes from the 1999 drama film, Rogue Trader. They were joined in 2004 by soap opera actress, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, on lead vocals, Cameron McGlinchey on drums and Tim Henwood on guitar. Davis continued as a behind-the-scenes member, contributing to the songwriting process but not making any public appearances with the group.

Baby Animals is an Australian hard rock band active from October 1989 to 1996 and reformed in 2007. The original line-up was Frank Celenza on drums; Suze DeMarchi on lead vocals and guitar; Dave Leslie on guitar and backing vocals; and Eddie Parise on bass guitar and backing vocals. They recorded two studio albums, Baby Animals – which peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and Shaved and Dangerous – which reached No. 2. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1992 the group won three trophies: Album of the Year and Breakthrough Artist – Album for Baby Animals and Breakthrough - Single for "Early Warning". Baby Animals was listed in 100 Best Australian Albums. The reunited line-up are DeMarchi, Leslie, Dario Bortolin on bass guitar and Mick Skelton on drums and percussion. Their fourth studio album, This Is Not the End, was issued in May 2013, which reached the top 20.


Sunk Loto are an Australian alternative metal band formed in Gold Coast, Queensland in 1997. The band's founding members are Dane Brown on drums, his brother Jason Brown on vocals, Luke McDonald on lead guitar and song writing and Sean Van Gennip on bass guitar. Sunk Loto signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia when the members' average age was 16 years. They released two studio albums, Big Picture Lies and Between Birth and Death ; both reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. The group disbanded in December 2007, and after a 15-year hiatus the original members re-formed the band in 2022 with Luke McDonald. The band embarked on a successful sold-out East Coast tour. In 2023, the band announced an album tour of 'Between Birth and Death' to mark the 20 year debut of the album. The band later announced that mega fan of the band and friend of Jason's, Rohan Stevenson would replace Luke. In October 2023 the band released their first single in 20 years, “The Gallows Wait”. The band have announced they intend to release a new album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Choirboys (band)</span> Australian hard rock band

The Choirboys are an Australian hard rock and Australian pub rock band from Sydney formed as Choirboys in 1979 with mainstays Mark Gable on lead vocals, Ian Hulme on bass guitar, Brad Carr on lead guitar and Lindsay Tebbutt on drums. In preparation for their second album Big Bad Noise in 1988, the band changed their name to The Choirboys. The band line-up saw many changes from 1983 to 2007, while releasing 8 studio albums. Their 1987 single "Run to Paradise" remains their biggest commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Motels</span> American New Wave band

The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In 1980, The Motels song "Total Control" reached No. 7 on the Australian chart, and their song "Danger" reached No. 15 on the French chart.

Concrete Blonde was an American rock band from Hollywood, California. They were initially active from 1982 to 1994, and reunited twice: first from 2001 to 2004, and again from 2010 to 2012. They were best known for their album Bloodletting (1990), its top 20 single "Joey", and Johnette Napolitano's distinctive vocal style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train (band)</span> American rock band

Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco that was formed in 1993. Since 2024, the band consists of Pat Monahan, Taylor Locke, Hector Maldonado, Jerry Becker, and Matt Musty (drums).

<i>Still Cruisin</i> 1989 studio album by The Beach Boys

Still Cruisin' is the twenty-sixth studio album by the Beach Boys, their thirty-fifth official album, and their last release of the 1980s. It is also the last album of new material released during a brief return to Capitol Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth Group</span> Australian rock band

Youth Group is an Australian rock band based in Newtown, New South Wales. Built around the vocals of singer Toby Martin and production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Pavement and Death Cab for Cutie.

Sonia Dada was an American rock, soul, and rhythm and blues band, formed in Chicago in 1990. Founding member Daniel Pritzker enlisted Michael Scott, Paris Delane, and Sam Hogan after hearing the latter three sing in a subway station. Sonia Dada has become a mainstay of the Chicago musical scene in the years since, incorporating elements of rock, soul, gospel, and funk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trews</span> Canadian hard rock band

The Trews are a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, consisting of vocalist Colin MacDonald, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, bassist Jack Syperek, and drummer Chris Gormley. The band is currently based in Hamilton, Ontario. From their formation in 1997 to 2016, The Trews were among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 40 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.

Kevin Nicholas Borich is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was the mainstay of the La De Da's, the leader of Kevin Borich Express, and a founding member of the Party Boys, as well as a session musician for numerous acts.

Things of Stone and Wood or ToSaW are an Australian folk rock band which formed in 1989. The original line-up was Michael Bruce Allen on bass guitar and backing vocals; Greg Arnold on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Justin Brady on violin, mandolin and harmonica; and Tony Floyd on drums and percussion. Two of their albums, The Yearning and Junk Theatre peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Their 1992 single, "Happy Birthday Helen", which reached No. 9 on the ARIA Singles Chart, was written by Arnold for his then-girlfriend, whom he later married. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 the group won ARIA Award for Best New Talent for "Share This Wine". Arnold won 'Songwriter of the Year' at the 1993 APRA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 (band)</span> Australian pop-rock band

1927 are an Australian pop rock band formed in 1987 with James Barton on drums, Bill Frost on bass guitar, his brother Garry Frost on guitar and keyboards, and Eric Weideman on vocals, guitar and keyboards. They were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s with major hit songs. Their multi-platinum number-one album, ...ish (1988) was followed by The Other Side (1990). At the ARIA Music Awards of 1989 they won two categories: Breakthrough Artist – Album for ...ish and Breakthrough Artist – Single for "That's When I Think of You". At the 1990 ceremony they won Best Video for "Compulsory Hero", which was directed by Geoff Barter. In 1992 the group released a third studio album, 1927, which reached the top 40; but they disbanded the following year. Weideman reformed 1927 in 2009 with a new lineup.

The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie, with founding member Kevin Borich as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from their other projects; the group had temporary members from Status Quo, the Angels, Sherbet, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo, the Choirboys, Australian Crawl, Divinyls, Models, Dragon and Swanee, plus international stars such as Joe Walsh, Eric Burdon, Alan Lancaster, and Graham Bonnet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ida Maria</span> Norwegian singer

Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen, better known simply as Ida Maria, is a Norwegian musician and songwriter.

Paul Norton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was bass guitarist of the pop rock band Runners before launching a solo career in 1987.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Poor'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 9 August 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 Holmgren, Magnus; Eltschinger, Markus. "The Poor/The Poor Boys". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 18 March 2004. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Robyn (21 November 2010). "Eleven Questions with... The Poor". Sludge Factory. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Who Cares – Poor Awards". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks – 'More Wine Waiter Please' – The Poor". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media.
  6. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "Discography The Poor". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Eliezer, Christie (12 November 1994). "The Poor Poured Energy into Paying Their Dues". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. pp. 75–76. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Watson, Chad (23 July 1998). "Spirited Poor". The Newcastle Herald . Fairfax Media.
  9. ↑ Cleveland, Sam (3 February 2005). "Like It or Lump It, It's a Long Road". Gold Coast Bulletin . News Limited (News Corporation).
  10. 1 2 "The Poor – The History from 1992–2000". The Poor Official Website. Retrieved 6 October 2012. Note: If required, user to click on 'History' tab at left.
  11. 1 2 3 "Gavin Hansen – Drummer for The Poor". Australian Drummer. No. 2. Issuu (Michael Hansen, Ruben Bjerg Hansen, Mikkel Jensen, Martin Ferro-Thomsen). 24 June 2012. pp. 24–26. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Carberry, Pauly (28 January 2010). "The Poor". The Canberra Times .
  13. 1 2 Cronin, Seanna (22 October 2009). "The Poor to make decibel-loaded return". Gold Coast Bulletin. News Limited (News Corporation). Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Chamberlin, Thomas (18 January 2010). "It's Festive Anarchy for Duane". Gold Coast Bulletin. News Limited (News Corporation).
  15. ↑ Fischer-Griffin, Brian (4 November 2010). "The Poor – Round 2". Loud Mag. Loud Magazine Australia. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Discography The Poor". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 221.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.