English Dogs
Encyclopedia
English Dogs are a British crossover
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...

 punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

/heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band that began life in the early eighties.

History

English Dogs formed in October 1981 in Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...

 and produced two demos during 1982 entitled 'Show No Mercy' and 'Free To Kill'. The band toured as support to fellow punk band Charged GBH
Charged GBH
Charged GBH are an English Street punk band, formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy and Drummer Andy " Wilf" Williams. GBH were early pioneers of English street punk, often nicknamed "UK82", along with Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited...

 in Germany during early 1983 and followed this with a British tour supporting Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...

. In 1983 they signed to Clay Records and released a 6 track EP titled 'Mad Punx And English Dogs' July 1983.

English Dogs' first full length album, 'Invasion of the Porky Men', emerged a year later. Personnel changes ensued after the debut album emerged with vocalist Wakey departing to be replaced by ex-Ultraviolent singer Ade Bailey. At this juncture the band also decided to augment their live and recorded sound by adding ex-Destructors guitarist Graham 'Gizz' Butt who added Metal riffing , guitar leads and contributed to the English Dogs songwriting.

This change saw them leave Clay records to sign with Rot Records and release the decidedly metal tinged 'To The Ends Of The Earth' EP in September 1984. The metal leanings increased with Forward into Battle. English Dogs , culminating with the "Metalmorphosis " 12" and 'Where Legend Began' album through Under One Flag in 1986. In Spring of that that year the Dogs toured the USA to sold out shows at the LA Olympc auditorium , Fenders Ballroom , San Diego , San Francisco , Baltimore , New York , Chicago , in fact all over the East and West coast. Upon their return to the UK Jon Murray left the band.The group appeared on the legendary Shades promoted Thrash bill at Camden's Electric Ballroom with Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...

 and Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...

 later in 1986. Pinch also left the band around Winter '96. . The band carried on with Adie, Gizz and Wattie playing with other musicians until calling it a day in the fall of that year.

In 1993 Pinch and Gizz Butt reformed English Dogs with "Mad Punx" vocalist Wakey and Future Damned Bassist Stuart West , signed to German label "Impact records" and released 'Bow To None', Wakey left shortly after with him being replaced by Stuart 'Stu-Pid' Jones (Also of Police Bastard, Sensa Yuma and ex Contempt) for the 1995 five track EP "What A Wonderful Feeling... ...To Be Fucked By Everyone" on Retch Records .

Eventually English Dogs became a 3 piece with the line up of Gizz Butt - Lead Vocals and guitars , Pinch - Drums and backing vocals and Shop - Bass guitar and Backing vocals . They released the 16 track crossover album "All The World's A Rage" also on Impact records and toured UK ,Germany , Austria and Switzerland many times. in 1996 the English Dogs played their last shows as Pinch , Gizz and Shop were soon to re-emerge as Janus Stark
Janus Stark
Janus Stark were an experimental punk rock band from Peterborough, England. Their album "Great Adventure Cigar" was highly rated by The Foo Fighters and Die Toten Hosen and was a fusion of Punk, Hard rock, Heavy Metal and Alternative with influences from Helmet to Radiohead to The Beatles to...

.

An English Dogs / GBH
Charged GBH
Charged GBH are an English Street punk band, formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy and Drummer Andy " Wilf" Williams. GBH were early pioneers of English street punk, often nicknamed "UK82", along with Discharge, Broken Bones, The Exploited...

 union resulted in Wakey and Pinch creating The Wernt with GBH members guitarist Jock Blyth and bassist Ross Lomas for a 1997 album 'Wreckin' Temples'.
Gizz Butt replaced Jim Davies of Pitchshifter
Pitchshifter (band)
Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...

 as the live guitarist for The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...

, which in turn revitalized interest in English Dogs and prompted a re-release of Where Legend Began.
Gizz also announced the formation of a new act Janus Stark the same year recording with (3 Colours Red producer)Terry Thomas acting as producer. 1999's 'I've Got A Gun' was recorded live in Finland in 1994 when Pid was on vocals . By 2000 Pinch had joined The Damned. Gizz Butt returned in 2002 with The More I See
The More I See
-Formation:The More I See were formed by guitarist Graham 'Gizz' Butt, formerly of Punk Metal band English Dogs and the Prodigy.Formed in Cambridgeshire in 2002 with vocalist Chad Sunderland, guitarist Gavin King and bassist Lee Churchill.-Personnel changes:To speed the musical pace up, both live...

.

In May 2007, English Dogs reformed with the original line-up with the exception of Pinch, though he would have liked to join he had commitments with The Damned. He was replaced by Stuart Meadows, who played for Resistance 77. They mainly play throughout Europe, but they do not play their crossover material. English Dogs released an EP called "Tales of the Asylum" in November 2008.

English Dogs had another line-up change in 2009, then afterwards a hiatus . At one point the only original member being bassist Wattie .After months of leaving, Wakefield reformed the band with him being the only member to have featured on any official release.

Albums

  • Invasion of the Porky Men (Clay Records, 1984)
  • Forward Into Battle (Rot Records ASS20, 1985)
  • Where Legend Began
    Where Legend Began
    Where Legend Began is probably English Dogs' most successful album and also their album most heavily influenced by thrash metal. It was released on the Under One Flag label late in 1986...

    (Under One Flag Records FLAG4, 1987)
  • Bow to None (Impact Records, 1994)
  • All the World's a Rage (Impact Records, 1995)
  • I've Got A Gun! Live In Helsinki (Retch Records, 1999)
  • This Is Not A War (Retch Records, 2002)

Singles and EPs

  • Demo '82 tape (1982)
  • Mad Punx and English Dogs 12" (Clay Records, 1983)
  • To the Ends of the Earth 12" (Rot Records, 1984)
  • Metalmorphosis 12" (Under One Flag Records 12FLAG101, 1986)
  • Sei Was Du Bist (Impact 1995)
  • What a Wonderful Feeling to Be F**ked By Everyone (Retch Records, 1995)
  • Tales From The Asylum (Retch Records 2008)
  • Get Off My F***ing Moon (2011)

Compilation albums

  • Have a Rotten Christmas Vol. 2 LP (Rot, 1985)
  • Driven to Death LP (Clay, 1990)
  • Angry Songs and Bitter Words CD (Ruptured Ambitions, 2003)

First line-up

  • Pete "Wakey" Wakefield - Vocals
  • Jon Murray - Guitar
  • Mark "Wattie" Watson - Bass
  • Andrew "Pinch" Pinching
    Pinch (drummer)
    Pinch is the current drummer in punk band The Damned. He has been with the band since 1999. He attended the King's School in Grantham, where he was a founder member of the English Dogs....

     – Drums

"Forward Into Battle" line-up

  • Adie Bailey - Vocals
  • Graham "Gizz" Butt
    Gizz Butt
    Gizz Butt is a British musician, best known for playing the guitar during live performances by band The Prodigy in the late 1990s.-Early years:...

     - Lead Guitar
  • Jon Murray - Guitar
  • Mark "Wattie" Watson - Bass
  • Andrew "Pinch" Pinching
    Pinch (drummer)
    Pinch is the current drummer in punk band The Damned. He has been with the band since 1999. He attended the King's School in Grantham, where he was a founder member of the English Dogs....

    – Drums

Present UK line-up

  • Pete "Wakey" Wakefield - Vocals
  • Nick Wynch - Guitar
  • Michael *Tat* Tatler - Bass
  • Jay *Khaos* Tatler - Drums

External links

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