The POOR

This is the home of The POOR, formerly known as The Poor Boys; Their legacy was made famous with four rockin' words, MORE WINE WAITER PLEASE!
This page is administered by Al Snakey. The boys: Skenie, Julian, Matt & Gav do sneak in every now and then so drop them a line and tell 'em what you think. Thanks for stopping by... Fill your glass and come along for the RIDE!
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In the mid 1980’s, in the far north part of the Australian continent, in a town called Darwin, a seed was planted. Now, for those of you that don’t know, Darwin has survived cyclones, floods, dingoes, crocodiles and many other natural events over the years, but one thing was for sure, it wasn’t going to survive the onslaught of The Poor Boys. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the story of the boys that cried poor!
The original line up of the band (you don’t need to know names because who cares?) started playing the pub circuit in Darwin as a 5 piece rock’n’roll band. The plan was simple; hard rocking, hard drinking and world domination. But being located in a remote part of northern Australia, dubbed the beer drinking capital of the world, world domination was a far fetched cry from reality. So in 1991, the band’s big ambitions created the motivation to re-locate the band to Sydney. Moving from Darwin to Sydney was like getting out of a 4 cylinder shit box and jumping into a V8. All of a sudden everything is bigger, quicker and more accessible. These boys were about to jump onto a train, that had just gone out of control, follow their dream and take on the world. Let the ride begin!
In 1992, the line up of Skenie, Julian, Matt & James, which had only been together for less than 12 months at that point, went into the studio to cut their debut release, the EP; Rude, Crude & Tattooed. Virtually recorded live on a shoe string budget, the tracks were recorded at Cadillac rehearsal studios, live to the Jands Mobile. From the opening line, where you hear Skenie say, “Well this one ay”, you know it’s going to be something; Aussie pub rock, in your face, no bullshit, straight to the point, rock’n’fuck’n’roll baby! Right Trail, the opening track, has the boys asking themselves the question; Are they on the Right Trail? To an answer they so candidly knew, YES! The EP also contained the tracks; What I’d do, Love Shot and Only The Night, which would be the only song from this release to find it’s way onto their debut album, Who Cares. The EP was produced by Rick Brewster (The Angels) and Bob Spencer (Skyhooks, The Angels). To keep with The Angels theme, the band was also co-managed by Brent Eccles.
The Poor Boys hit the road and toured the nation while many of their peers were playing in tribute bands. In essence, The Poor Boys were a tribute band, a tribute to being an Aussie pub rock band. They also found themselves in the U S of A playing at the ‘Wizards Of Oz’, a mini-festival sponsored by an Australian music company. Held at the Hollywood Palace to showcase rock talent, majority of the industry were there to see The Angels, but many went away as fans of The Poor Boys.
In 1993, the band released their second EP; Underfed, containing the tracks Dirty Money, Ain’t on The Chain, Sex and Anger. These songs had Poor written all over it. With constant touring, the EP was enough to bide their time, because in the artillery was a weapon for mass destruction, a song we would all come to know and love. It was in the wings, like an accident waiting to happen. In mid 1993, the band recorded their debut album, Who Cares, at Festival Studios in Sydney and Montreal, Canada with English Producer Paul Northfield. Due to an American Group with the same name, The Poor Boys became The POOR throughout the world. The name change was on the Right Trail; upfront, straight to the point and with a scope to appeal to a wider audience.
Everything was now in place, at the ready to fire at will. On March 21st 1994, New York based Epic Records released the single, “More Wine Waiter Please”. It instantly became the number 1 most added track on US Rock Radio and attracted unprecedented acclaim from the U.S. rock press. Any other band of this caliber and/or genre would need a ballad or a pop rock tune to enter the Billboard Charts in America. But not this band Mr. Corporate Man. Here it is, shove it up your arse and get the waiter over here now! June 13th 1994, would be the lucky day for all the rock hopefuls down under; the release of thee Album, WHO CARES!
There was no stopping the band now, mega hit single and album, the whole world wanted a piece of The POOR. They toured relentlessly, drank more and rocked harder. Never a dull moment, The POOR were always on the go, looking to tackle any obstacle that presented itself. Over the next 2 years The POOR toured the States (twice), Europe, Japan and back Down Under. During their turbulent roller coaster ride they won support slots for The Angels, AC/DC, KISS, The Scorpions, Alice In Chains & Van Halen just to name a few. While the boys were flying around the globe entertaining rock starved audiences, they were also working on material for a follow up album. Over 20 new songs had been unleashed to rock fans worldwide during their never ending tour that by the time they got back home for a well earned rest the 2nd album seemed not worth releasing. They had already toured the world with the second album, without its release. Was this a blessing in disguise or a curse that would forever burden itself upon The POOR?
The band overcame some obstacles in 1997 with the change of record labels and a replacement drummer for the departed James Young, who jumped off this wild ride as quickly as he jumped on. Refusing to let this latest episode get in the way of their dream, long time friend of Matt, Gavin Hansen, steps in to fill the void behind the skins. The POOR would now find themselves back on the Right Trail. Or would they? 1998 saw the release of the single ‘Simple Livin’. But something was missing, the hunger, the appetite, the desire or perhaps they were just simply burnt out searching for an easier way.
Nonetheless, some would say that the story of The POOR was vigorous, while others simply thought they were a flash in the pan. Over ten years have past since the blood, sweat and rock of The POOR entered many households around the world and gave Oz Rock another legacy. The story of The POOR may seem passé, but rest assured, there will come a day when The POOR embrace that sweaty stage once again. So you better be fuckin’ ready, because these boys don’t care. They will hit you like a hurricane with a cheeky smile in tact! ha-ha
Long live The POOR!

Pardon My Ignorance: 2008 saw the The POOR, back for more. They were invited to join US metal icons W.A.S.P. on a national tour around the country as special guests. Within minutes of being back on stage on the first night of the tour in Sydney, on April 8th, it seemed that 10 years had past in the blink on an eye. The POOR rejoiced with many old time fans while gaining many new fans who were witnessing their live performance for the very first time. With the door left open, watch this space!