Slaughter and the Dogs

UK punk legends Slaughter and the Dogs are graduates of the class of 1976, when the Manchester quartet famously opened for the Sex Pistols. Vocalist Wayne Barrett and guitarist Mick Rossi might have gone on to be the Mick and Keith of the Britpunk movement, but the pair’s combustible music making was fueled by equally turbulent offstage behavior. This intraband warfare caused Barrett to depart the group following the release of its seminal ’78 debut, Do It Dog Style. Future Cult guitarist Billy Duffy joined the group, and Rossi briefly took over on vocals, but Slaughter eventually went to the dogs. In 1995, Barrett and Rossi reunited but waited until last year to book its first extensive stateside tour. Tapes from these gigs resulted in the group’s recent in-concert disc Dog Day Afternoon, which underscores the incendiary nature of the Dogs’ renowned live show.