Wayne Barrett – Slaughter & The Dogs Interview January 2025 – John Wisniewski
Without a doubt, Slaughter and the Dogs are punk legends. That gig with the Sex Pistols at Manchester Free Trade Hall is itself the stuff of legend that spawned the whole Manchester punk scene and reverberated musically beyond those years. With everyone from New Order to Morrissey and Craig Charles citing the band as an influence, they also produced some absolute punk classics including Cranked Up Really High and Where Have All The Boot Boys Gone?
Throughout their career, there have been splits, breakups, reformations, new singers and people joining and leaving. In 2019 though, singer Wayne Barrett fired Rossi and attempted to trademark the name Slaughter and the Dogs. Subsequently in a legal case, he lost the right to solely own in the UK (he owns a 1/4), but owns it 100% in the EU & Americas. The original band is appearing at Rebellion festival later this year as the original Slaughter and the Dogs but without Wayne so now we could have two Slaughter & The Dogs playing! It’s a crying shame because life’s too short and we all hope they kiss and make up.
Interview below by John Wisniewski
Where did the name Slaughter and the Dogs come from and when and how did the band form?
In 1974, I created a band called “Wayne Barrett and the Mime Troupe”. This included me, on vocals, Michael “Mick” Rossi on rhythm guitar, Brian Grantham on drums, Charlie B. on rhythm and lead guitar, and Peter Crooks on bass. I was implementing mime into the shows due to my influences from Lindsay Kemp and David Bowie. Then, in 1975, I got rid of the mime in the shows, wrote a song called “Song for Slaughter”, and changed the name to Slaughter and the Dogs. The lineup changed to Michael “Mick” Rossi on lead guitar, Brian Grantham still on drums, the loss of Charlie B. in the band, and the addition of Howard Bates on bass, as well as me on vocals. We started out very Roxy Music/David Bowie-esque with our writing and performances and then punk hit!
The name Slaughter and the Dogs was created solely by myself, Wayne Barrett, sitting in my bedroom and gazing at two of my favorite albums; Mick Ronson’s “Slaughter on 10th Avenue” and David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs”. I put them together, and created, “Slaughter and the Dogs!”
Not as much punk, but more “pub-rock”, for example, Eddie and the Hotrods, The Saints, Dr. Feelgood and Little Bob Story.
We came from Wythenshawe, south Manchester, and there was no “punk” scene in 1975. It was still very glam; T-Rex, David Bowie and Roxy Music. It wasn’t until 1976 that we started to hear the word “punk” emerging from the press when we were compared to The Ramones from a journalist in NME.
We had never seen the Sex Pistols until we played with them on the double bill at the now famous Lesser Free Trade Hall gig. It was an eye-opener to me as an artist, as I had never seen anything so raw and real. After the show, I asked Martin Hannett, “What did you think about the Sex Pistols?” He replied, “That is you 24/7, every day, the punk is already in you and Michael “Mick”, you just need to drop the satin/glam image and just be your true selves.” Which we did.
What did you think Wayne of other Manchester bands like Buzzcocks and then the Drones and Worst who followed?
I’ll be honest, I didn’t care much for the Buzzcocks from the first time we met at my Mum’s house in Peel Hall, Wythenshawe. I’m talking about Shelly and Devoto who behaved like they were God’s gift, pretending to be working class when all along they were snobs. I only met the rest of the band when we played with them. I only got to know Steve Diggle when we started to play at HITS festival. They were from north Manchester like the Drones, and we were from south Manchester, so we didn’t really mix.
What is your favorite Slaughter and the Dogs song and your favorite punk song?
I have two favorite SATD songs: the first is ‘Cranked Up Really High’. That was a great moment, working with Martin Hannet and seeing your first record was an amazing moment! Releasing something artistic from at that time, the slums of the northwest, was an achievement! The second would be the last single I wrote, ‘Manchester Boys’, which is really a homage to the 1999 Manchester United team when we won the treble FA Cup, Premier League Cup, and the UEFA Champions League cup. A magic moment.
As for my favorite punk rock song, would be The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be You Dog’, as I believe we are all dogs to someone, HAHA!
How do you see the legacy of Slaughter and the Dogs and your place in the history of punk?
If there is a legacy to be thought or spoken of, I would say being true to the fans. Never hiding anything back. Yes, we all want to be rock stars at the beginning, but I understood quickly that the businesses is corrupt as fuck: managers, record companies, so called colleagues, in your world are there just using you. But as long as you stay true to your fans, your fans will believe in you.
Bands like New Order and the Stone Roses always namecheck the band as does Craig Charles the DJ-Do you feel the band gets the respect it’s due?
I’m always happy when my name is referenced in music or books, but a lot of the time it gets distorted more than complimented, but that’s the way the world turns. Today the world prefers pain and horror rather than love and beauty. I love what the Manchester scene has become, I admire what New Order, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays etc. have done for Manchester and I love their music as well.
What are you working on now Wayne?
Currently, I am working on soundtracks for film and television, the last being “Nightsleeper”, a BBC six-episode suspense series that is currently airing. I am also working on a collaborative effort combining electronic music with a punk rock groove, which should be finished and available by the beginning of 2025.
Actually, it was all down to my wife Erin. She was contacted by the person who was working in the costumes and music side of the production, and they asked if they could use one of my T-shirts I made for my band and she automatically said “yes”, and told them that I had just finished my last album, and would they be interested in using some of the music? They got back to us the day after and said they loved the album and would like to use it, so that’s how it happened. It has also opened new horizons for me in the cinema and series world for me.
What have live shows been like for Slaughter and the Dogs over the past ten years? Do you get a mix of old and new fans coming to the shows? Is punk still a thriving force for you? Is the old energy still present for you?
Over the last ten years, I have seen a shift to a much younger fanbase in places such as the United States, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain and Scotland. Meanwhile, in England, it is still the old skool crowd from the late 70’s.
Yes, punk is still a thriving force for me and many of the newer up-and-coming bands, so, it still definitely has its place in music. I am currently using that “thriving force” to create and add punk into soundtracks, and my new collaborative effort I spoke earlier about.
Regarding the first single “Cranked Up Really High” and the first album, “Do It Dog Style”, it was like having a child that you created and got to see the outcome of all the hard work, love and dedication put into it. We finally were being recognized as “real” artists, not just kids playing in a youth centre on a Friday night. It opened so many possibilities for us, that had been closed before. It really felt like we had “made it”!
Why did you fire the rest of the band in 2019?
The truth be told, the only person I fired or rather realized our collaboration was over, was Michael Rossi. The other two had disappeared for more than 30 years but that’s another story.
I had a really big show for us in France that we did two years before and Rossi and I got really good money for it, and when I say good, I mean it was good! I told him about this, and he started saying he didn’t know as he was writing a scenario for a film NOT!!! Anyway, I found out from friends I have that he was promoting the Walter Lure project under the name of SATD in Japan without asking me, and I had to cancel the festival in France and also a mini tour in Europe. When I found this out, I was shocked and disgusted with him. Also, when my mother died the night of the last gig we did in Manchester, he didn’t even call me or send an email. He knew my mum but I found out he was just using me, now onwards to the next question!
How do you feel about the rest of the old band promoting themselves as the original Slaughter and the Dogs but without you?
It makes me laugh! Honestly, Bates can’t sing for shit, and Rossi sings like he is suffering from an asthmatic attack. So maybe they might get the Mr. or Mrs to stand in. Who knows anyway?
Is there any way the band will get back together because fans love the original band to bits?
Next year (2025) I will be celebrating the 50th year of Slaughter and the Dogs™. I am in negotiation with two promoters and intend to play two more shows without the so-called original line up.
The show will go through the 5 albums: Dog Style, Shocking, Beware Of, Vicious and Il Tradimento Silenzioso. The set will be around two hours, so automatically that rules out the original line up as I was told they are only capable of playing a 50-minute set! So, stay tuned for an update, as these officially will be the very last dates Slaughter and the Dogs™ will be playing!
After this I have decided to draw the curtains, as there are many, new, young and talented bands who punk fans should be paying attention to, rather than watching old men pretending it’s 1977. I will happily continue moving forward with my new projects that will always include the essence of me and my rebellious nature. To be continued!
TalkPunk
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