UK Punk Vets Slaughter and The

- advertisement -

Back in July U.K. punk vets Slaughter and the Dogs headed into the studio to record their first album in many years. The band who reformed five years ago for the inaugural "Holidays in The Sun" festival, have since become a regular headline attraction at festivals, with their own shows packing them in at venues around Europe, and even as far as Japan.

The boys were back on their home ground in Manchester for the first time since recording the seminal Do It Dog Style, with the dynamic duo of Mick Rossi (Guitar) and Wayne Barrett at the helm. Two of the most distinctive and infamous characters on the mid-late ‘70s punk scene, the inseparable pair of Barrett and Rossi, now find the Atlantic Ocean between them for much of the year, with Barrett settled in France and Rossi on the West Coast of the United States. However, both agreed that the only place to record this new album was back in Manchester.

"Being back in Manchester is genuinely very important to us - it's about returning to our roots," says Rossi. "There's something in the air in Manchester that makes you kick," adds Barrett.

The band shot to fame on the back of a notorious gig in Manchester on 20th July 1976 playing with the Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall. The show was the subject of a recent Granada TV Documentary I Swear I Was There! generating great viewing figures with the renewed interest in one of the most important periods in the history of popular music.

This much anticipated and eagerly awaited new album features 10 new tracks written by Barrett and Rossi, a reworking of the classic Beatles song, “Hard Days Night.” A re-recording of live favorite, “Hell in New York,” originally penned back in 1979, now takes on a chilling new dimension as a tribute to the thousands who lost their lives in New York on 11th September.

When the album is released there'll be some rare bonus material and more than a few surprises along the way. The album was produced by the Rossi/Barrett team, and is scheduled for release on the Captain Oi! label in November by Mark Brennan - an ardent and staunch supporter of the band for many years. The album’s stateside distribution will be handled by Mark Rainey chairman of TKO records, to an American market eager to hear more from Manchester’s finest.

The track listing for the album is as follows: Saturday Night ‘til Sunday Morning, Welcome To Our Town, Blow, I Got Your Number, Message From A Ghost, Hard Days Night, Hell in New York, Car Thief, Rope Around Your Neck, Schizophrenic, Come On (Let’s Do It), Anthem For The Kids.

In many ways it is the perfect crossover record, pleasing fans old and new. The new material has one foot firmly in Do It Dog Style territory with the other striding confidently into the 21st century.

The band will be touring worldwide to support the autumn release of the Beware of… album. However, fans in San Francisco were lucky enough to get a glimpse of some of the new material along with all the old classics, when Slaughter & The Dogs co-headlined HITS USA last August.

The San Francisco show was just one aspect of a very busy schedule for Slaughter and the Dogs. The gig itself was the band’s first in the USA, and was the subject of a documentary, with an L.A. film crew under the direction of Sean Stanek following the band’s every move. A promotional video to accompany the forthcoming “Saturday Night…” single was shot in and around the Tenderloin district of San Francisco in the middle of the night. The winos, transvestites, junkies and hookers that make up the colorful list of extras for the shoot are very much for real, and not the bizarre imaginings of a Hollywood casting director. Watch and enjoy!

The legacy of the trip, along with some fantastic memories, was a band as eager as it’s fanatical audience to play more shows stateside, at the earliest possible opportunity. The great news is that America will not have to wait too long for the return of Slaughter and the Dogs, with a coast-to-coast tour being scheduled for early in the New Year.

Here are the 2002 tour dates:

1/30/02 Seattle, WA, Graceland
1/31/02 Portland, OR, Satyricon
2/1/02 San Francisco, CA, Justice League
2/2/02 Los Angeles, CA, Troubadour
2/3/02 Mesa, AZ, Tba
2/5/02 Austin, TX , Emo’s
2/6/02 Houston, TX, The Engine Room
2/8/02 Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade
2/9/02 Charlotte, NC, Tremont Music Hall
2/12/02 Chapel Hill, NC, Cat’s Cradle
2/13/02 Richmond, VA, Alley Katz
2/14/02 Baltimore, MD, Sidebar
2/15/02 Two Shows!!! Early - Philadelphia, Pa, Pontiac Grille, Late - New Brunswick Nj, Court Tavern
2/16/02 Boston, MA, Bill’s Bar
2/17/02 New York, NY, Cbgb’s (Matinee)
2/19/02 Hoboken, NJ, Maxwell’s
2/20/02 Pittsburgh, PA, 31st Street
2/21/02 Cleveland, OH, Grog Shop
2/22/02 Detroit, MI, The Shelter
2/23/02 Chicago, IL, The Fireside Bowl
2/24/02 Milwaulkee, WI, Globe East
2/26/02 Madison, WI, University Of Madison
2/27/02 Minneapolis, MN, First Ave/7th St Entry
2/28/02 Iowa City, IA, Gabe’s Oasis
3/1/02 Kansas City, MO, El Torreon Ballroom
3/2/02 St. Louis MO, The Creepy Crawl