Few in Melbourne’s music circles wouldn’t have heard or come across The Poor over the last twenty years or so, and if you haven’t then you’re about to with the band getting set for fresh gigs and a new album to drop either later this year or early next. I sat down with main man Anthony ‘Skenie’ Skene recently to get all the news.
“Things are going really great. We did some shows over Christmas and the feedback we got was great.”
And with that encouragement the band have found a new lease of life. The band has previously toured and opened for ACDC, Van Halen and The Angels, has successfully toured the US and has garnered great reviews for their no nonsense, to the point hard rock. After band line-up adjustments and a break from 2000 until 2008 the band released two albums to acclaim and felt reinvigorated and ready for more.
“We contemplated ending things but decided that we may as well keep going,” Skenie says on the line-up changes and breaks with performing. Now the band, according to Skenie, sounds as good as ever.
“The band sounds like it did when we first started. There’s a new lease of life. We’re all still crazy on stage which will never change. I’ve been writing a few songs and we’ve been getting some good interest from Universal which is great. I’ll be concentrating on writing for the rest of the year and demo the tunes as we go along.”
Musically The Poor have always been the hard as nails, balls to the floor band that can kick out a tune like their lives depended on it. And happily for the many fans of the band out there the sound coming out of recent sessions is as good as ever.
“Right now the band is sounding as good as it ever has. And a great bonus is my god daughter plays and her band will be opening for us during the next run of gigs.”
Starting out in Darwin in the early 1980s The Poor have come a long way over the journey. And have rarely stopped working on music, both together and separately. “From 1986 until 1997 we didn’t stop gigging. It was 10 years flat out. Along came kids and now family comes first but we still love having a good time.”
The Poor will be in Geelong at the Workers Club on August 9 and in Melbourne at Geddes Lane Ballroom on August 10 alongside Palace Of The King.
Written by Chris Michaels