Slaughter and the Dogs are an English punk rock band formed in 1975 in Wythenshawe, Manchester. Their original line-up consisted of singer Wayne Barrett McGrath, rhythm guitar Mick Rossi, drummer Brian "Mad Muffet" Grantham, lead guitarist Mike Day and bassist Howard "Zip" Bates.

History

Slaughter and the Dogs were founded in 1975. The band name is a mix of Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Diamond Dogs, the band had previously been called Wayne Barrett and the Mime Troupe. They were one of the first punk rock bands in North West England, and they supported the Sex Pistols at their gig at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall on 20 July 1976. This concert, more than any other single event, spawned Manchester's punk scene, which was concentrated around the Electric Circus Club.The band befriended Rob Gretton, who went on to manage Joy Division, and with his financial help, became the first band to release a single on Manchester's independent record label Rabid Records. This debut single, "Cranked Up Really High", was released in June 1977 and was listed in Mojo's list of the top 100 punk rock singles of all time. It was also included on Streets, which has been described as an "essential" compilation album of early UK punk bands from a variety of independent record labels.The band played at the London punk club, the Roxy, in January 1977, supported by the Adverts. They headlined there twice in February and once in March of the same year, supported by Johnny Moped. In April, they were supported by the Lurkers. Their live renditions of "Runaway" and "Boston Babies" were included on the Harvest Records compilation album Live at the Roxy WC2.

The band signed with Decca Records in 1977 and released the single "Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone?" in late 1977, followed by "Dame to Blame" and "Quick Joey Small". Their debut album, Do It Dog Style, was issued in May 1978.

Barrett left the band for the first time after the March 1979 four-song EP "It's Alright".

Slaughter and the Dogs ended, and Mick Rossi created the band Studio Sweethearts.

Wayne Barrett rejoined Slaughter and the Dogs (including Mick Rossi and new drummer Phil Rowland, formerly of Eater), later in 1979 for one more single, the band's first on DJM Records. "You're Ready Now" was a cover version of Frankie Valli's 1966 solo single.

At the end of 1979, Barrett left the band for a second time, and Ed Garrity (of the Nosebleeds) replaced Barrett as frontman. This line-up released the album Bite Back in 1980, under the band name "Slaughter".

In 1996, Barrett and Rossi reformed the band to headline the Holidays in the Sun Festival with the addition of bass player Nigel Mead and drummer Noel Kay. Bassist Jean Pierre Thollet later replaced Mead. Barrett and Rossi continued to record and tour as Slaughter and the Dogs until 2019.

Slaughter and the Dogs released the Beware Of... studio album in October 2001 on Captain Oi! Records.In 2006, "Cranked Up Really High" was featured on North by North West: Liverpool & Manchester from Punk to Post-punk and Beyond (Korova), a three-disc box set compiled by Paul Morley that served as an overview of the punk, new wave and post-punk scene in those two cities.

In 2015, the band announced a one-off 40th anniversary show, "Back to the Start", featuring the original line-up of Barrett, Rossi, Bates and Grantham. Held at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester on 9 October 2015.

In August 2016, the same original line up of Barrett, Rossi, Bates and Grantham performed together again at the Rebellion Music Festival in Blackpool, United Kingdom.

In 2016, the band recorded the album Vicious in Los Angeles with a new rhythm section of Mark Reback (drums) and Dan Graziano (bass) and subsequently toured Japan in May 2016 and Europe in February and March 2017. It was released by Cleopatra Records on 16 September 2016 to rave reviews, including a 9-out-of-10 rating by Vive Le Rock magazine. Cleopatra issued a live album, Tokyo Dogs, in 2017.On 9 February 2017, Slaughter and the Dogs embarked on a seven-week European tour, playing 33 shows in 10 countries.On 5 August 2018, Slaughter and the Dogs headlined the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England. and then embarked on a two-week UK tour.In July 2019, Barrett announced on the band's Facebook page that he had fired the rest of the band, including Mick Rossi and that he intended to form a new line-up using the Slaughter and the Dogs.

Reviews

"A more consistent songwriting approach might have lengthened the Dogs' run, though their lack of airs ensured a winning team for a time. Any band cited by the disparate likes of New Order, the Stone Roses and Smiths' frontman Morrissey surely deserves another look".

"More often mentioned for the big name connections rather than their actual music, Slaughter & the Dogs nevertheless remain one of the key players in the early punk scene."

"Opinion on Slaughter is divided; glam chancers or punk? Who cares! What can't be denied is their songs are full of style, speed and tunes which coincided with punk and the Pistols. They deserved more but that's music for you ... Check 'em out on Don Letts 'Punk Movie' doing Cranked Up Really High."

"Cranked Up Really High, Where Have All the Bootboys Gone? and You're Ready Now ... [are] their enduring punk classics."

"Slaughter played with a rare conviction and power, soul-stirring napalm guitars that laid the groundwork for an entire generation of future punk minimalists."