More Rock Waiter Please With GAVIN HANSEN From THE POOR

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.


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