Slaughter & the Dogs
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 Bates.
Slaughter and the Dogs
Wythenshawe, Manchester, England
1975–1979, 1979–1981, 1996–present
Rabid, Decca, TJM, DJM, Thrush, Damaged Goods, Link, Receiver, Captain Oi!, Taang!, Dodgy Items, Castle, TKO, Amsterdamned, Cleopatra Contra Records Europe Spaghetty Town Records USA
Wayne Barrett-McGrath
Martin Pellicier
Jean Pierre Thollet
D.D Deleaz
Brian "Mad Muffet" Grantham
Howard "Zip" Bates
Phil Rowland
Nigel Mead
Noel Kay
Jean Pierre Thollet
Dan Graziano
Mark Reback
Mick Rossi
Mike "Spider" Day
History[edit]
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.[1] This concert, more than any other single event, spawned Manchester's punk scene,[2] which was concentrated around the Electric Circus Club.[3] Mike Day left the group after this gig.
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]
Wayne Barrett reformed Slaughter and the Dogs (including Mick Rossi and new drummer Phil Rowland, formerly of Eater).[7]
Slaughter and the Dogs released the Beware Of... studio album in October 2001 on Captain Oi! Records.[8]
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.[9][10] Cleopatra issued a live album, Tokyo Dogs, in 2017.[11]
On 9 February 2017, Slaughter and the Dogs embarked on a seven-week European tour, playing 33 shows in 10 countries.[12]
On 5 August 2018, Slaughter and the Dogs headlined the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England.[13] and then embarked on a two-week UK tour.[14]
In July 2019, Barrett announced on the band's Facebook page that he had fired the band, and that he intended to form a new line-up.[15] In 2022, Barrett recruited a new line up, including ex-bassist Jean-Pierre Thollet, Martin Pellicier on guitar, and Denis Deleaz on drums. The band has been on tour promoting their last album 'Il Tradimento Silencio' in Europe and the United States.