Bombsite Fanzine 1977; Slaughter & The Dogs

Eric's Club August 22nd 1977
Slaughter and the Dogs band members were young teen guitar heroes from the legendary skinhead suburb of Manchester, Wythenshawe. Just a few miles away were many of the venues, nightclubs and halls where other Manchester bands first inspired legions of like minded young British Northerners amidst the vibrant punk scene.
The review starts in the Grapes pub next door to Eric's club.

In 1977 the UK inner city club world was ruled increasingly by cynical intolerance for everything power rock and heavy metal. Slaughter and the Dogs rousing Ronson, Glitter, sound, interested the casual punk observer, and over the years it has been lost and found, again and again.
The stage theatrics and lack of idealism, guarded interest from the core street punks, and yet the propulsive guitars and fast charging beat sounded worthy to punk's on vinyl. And while many bands from the era started out with an energetic output, and long ago sold out and morphed into some form of stylistic pop music for the masses. The Dogs charged forward with a real intensity and have stayed true to their origin. Over the years they have widely been accepted as a veteran Manchester punk band. While many of the bands original songs were aggressive chants, and, whether they realized it or not, they we're laying a path toward the punk Oi spin off with their original sound.

Above; Roxy Tour Poster is part of Bombsite collection; Original artwork by Steve McGarry -Factory Records

Watching the band rip through a live set in front of a few hundred fans produced a feedback of sheer power and that was unquestionable. The kids throwing themselves around fists raised, singing each lyric as if it meant the world to them. The entire affair was like some riotous soccer match, but free thought, dissent and anarchy was missing. Many of the original fans were sought of angry nerds, not punks, not skinheads, not mods, but copying the Sunday newspaper pullout stories and trying to be rebellious. Although, In the end, it worked, the band was original, and teenagers were inspired, and the music was their passage into a scene that gave them a purpose, and the punk philosophy, to get out and do something in the terrible Northern economy.

Above; Credit to Melanie at www.soulkiss.co.uk for Slaughter photo at Wigan Casino June 25th 1977
Melanie and Vanessa watched Slaughter and the Dogs at the Wigan Casino show. The Bombsite writers were also at the show. We were with Mike Peters from the Alarm, I bought a Slaughter and the Dogs single at the show. There was a bunch of trouble outside as the locals were waiting to roll some punks. We were always OK with a bundle, so I stuffed the single down my pants. As we scrapped our way out, the damn single got busted. That is about all I remember of the night.

Mel says, "The Spitfire Boys played support as the Damned had canceled the show. I also bought the Dogs single at the show, seems so long ago now - The crowd went wild and the singer wore a headmasters outfit and doused himself with talcum powder from head to toe it went everywhere when he came on stage, really good band. After the gig Wayne came over to us and asked us had we enjoyed the gig. I had first heard them play on 'The live Roxy' album. Wigan casino got burnt down and there is a huge car park in its place now and shopping centre".

Furthermore, "I met Mick Rossi many years later around 1983/4 at a night club called Legends in Manchester (new romantic era) . We chatted quite a bit and he told us he had or was living with Glenn Matlock and name dropped a few others. I still have the diary entry somewhere and I am quite surprised I didn't snap a photo or two but then it was very misty they had smoke machines going all the time and couldn't see in front of you. He was trying to get a bed for the night and preferably my mates ;-) it didn't happen!!"