Pix by Fozz Gibson Marshall
As sure as water is wet and the sky is blue, you just know that Queensland rock machine The Poor are going to deliver live.
And then some.
The first time I ever saw these guys live was at a bike run called Purga Creek way back in the 1990s. I was still in my teens and fortunate enough to have backstage access at the event and to this day remember how vividly I was blown away, not just by the sound, but also by the charisma of the whole band, but in particular frontman Skenie.
Fast forward 25 years or so and Skenie is not only the Sergeant Of Fun for The Mullets – a party club that defies words of grandeur – but I am also fortunate enough to class him as a mate and brother. In fact, that pretty much goes for the whole band, but I assure you such things would never cloud my judgement or review.
If I think something is shit, I will call it as such.
But out of the dozens of times since Purga Creek that I have seen The Poor live I can honestly say not once have I left even remotely close to being disappointed.
One thing I have not done in all those years is see The Poor play at Gold Coast’s legendary live music venue Vinnies Dive Bar, which was duly rectified recently when the boys played their biggest hometown show in forever, their last headlining show before heading off for a run of dates with another bunch of Aussie legends in Rose Tattoo.
For all of you old-school Gold Coasters, Vinnies hosts a large number of local, national and international bands, but has recently undergone a transformation with an adjoining premises literally opening its doors to become part of the Vinnies family.
The result is a massive band room with stage to suit and a even more massive shot in the arm for live music immediately South of Brisbane.
Local act The Whiskys opened the night and sounded great from the smaller, opening room, but it took me nearly an hour to get from the front door into the music hall, so apologies for not being able to give a more thorough account.
Vinnies was packed to the rafters by the time The Poor stormed the stage, launching into This Is The Story from their critically acclaimed new album High Price Deed, with the thick sound of hard rock falling over the crowd like a metal blanket.
Which was when I saw Chippy behind the sound desk, which is also when I knew the sound was going to be loud and flawless.
After a recent overseas jaunt – also with the Tatts – and a string of Aussie shows up and down the East Coast promoting High Price Deed the odds were always high that we would be privy to a decent number of tracks from the album.
Which is fine because just quietly that album is an absolute belter.
What we were treated to was more of an album smorgasbord with – and I might be mistaken here, but don’t think I am – all but two of the album tracks being played.
A good gauge of just how good a song is has always been its transition from studio to stage and every song to a man dripped every ounce of intent, if not more, than the recorded versions.
Lead single Payback’s A Bitch – which surely now is as entrenched as More Wine Waiter Please is in the set list – went down a treat, as did fellow singles Lover, Cry Out, Let Me Go, and the recycled classic Love Shot, but it was unreleased tracks like Goin’ Down and I Know It’s Wrong that showcased the writing depth at The Poor’s disposal.
Pick of the night for me was another song from High Price Deed called Lies, with a blues/rock hybrid sound that crushes live. Trouble from the album Round 2 was another standout in a sea of highlights, but it wasn’t just the song selection that carried The Poor machine tonight.
It was the air of confidence and satisfaction in which the whole band played.
Bass player Matt Whitby smashed it despite sporting an equally smashed hand courtesy of a work accident, while drummer Gavin Hansen was grinning more than a Cheshire cat the whole time, which I still don’t know if it was due to Penrith’s massive win earlier that night or the afternoon soundcheck party thrown by the good folk at Rebel FM.
But one thing stood out to me above all else and that was the performance from (relatively) new guitarist Daniel Cox.
His guitar skills have never been in question – the fucker CAN play – but until tonight I have never seen him actually own the stage. Which is fair enough for someone coming into an internationally established band and having to find their place.
If there is such thing, tonight Cox earnt his full stripes with The Poor. He played with a professional confidence and stage-induced flair that would have begun to manifest on the back of show after show this past 12 months. He played considerably more guitar solos – some in older songs that would normally be considered perfect just the way there are – and added a touch of flair and impromptu defiance that can only get even better with time.
I’m pretty sure I even heard him introduce Love Shot, which was noticeable because up until this point I don’t think I have heard him do anything but laugh over the microphone.
Leaving the stage after Only The Night, The Poor weren’t fooling anyone in the crowd who all knew by that the fact More Wine had yet to be played that the night was far from over.
From the darkness Cox teased with snippets of the landmark song before Skenie – resplendent in the red lighting with black background (Bombers anyone) – emerged leering at the crowd and gave them their parting wish by belting out the track complete with his customary shirtless table-top dancing and wolf whistles ordering “a couple of drinks over here”.
Finishing with Poison, The Poor departed, job done.
If these guys aren’t the best hard rock live band in this country then they aren’t far off the mark. And good luck finding many old school music fans that would disagree…
