The adage ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ says nothing about
giving him a new lease of life. Two albums and four years into their career,
original drummer Rich Mitchell decided to leave Dogs at the end of last year.
When one member of a band decides to leave, the glue that holds a group
together often comes unstuck, and the connection between the remaining
members dissipates. Not so with Dogs.
Quickly the band set about finding a drummer who could match both
their intense passion for music, and their incredible energy.
That drummer is Paul Warren.
Having always been the sum of five equal parts, with Paul, they feel more
complete than ever. “Paul’s got an incredible positivity that has rubbed off on
us all,” explains Johnny Cooke. “Not to mention he’s a blinding drummer.
He’s lit a bomb under this band.”
Dogs have always liked to live life fast.
Taking less than two years to attract the interest of the major labels,
the London-based five-piece signed to Island Records in 2004.
Debut album Turn Against This Land was released in 2005 to critical
acclaim. This snarling, vitriolic LP ia a snapshot of Johnny Cooke’s observa-
tions on what it’s like to live and love in England this side of the millennium.
“Turn Against This Land is a mix of fiery punk and anthemic rock that has
more hooks than The Ramones on a fishing trip” Clash Magazine.
The follow up , Tall Stories from Under the Table, saw the group adopt
a more mature, versatile sound to the buzz pop of their debut.
Johnny, a dedicated lover of literature, used the canvas of the band’s
songs to paint vivid pictures of the stories that capture his imagination.
This collection of 12 songs takes in cult Orwellian characters
(Winston Smith), Iconic gangsters Bonnie and Clyde (These Days)
and the problems of youth violence today (Little Pretenders).
Paul Weller also features, having joined Dogs in the studio
to record album closer Let it Lay.
Dogs built their reputation with incendary live performances with their
fans travelling thousands of miles across the globe just to catch one of the
band’s legendary shows.
Tattoos of lyrics and copycat tattoos like Johnny’s are often flashed on the
front row. The gospel of the band is spreading rapidly across Europe, with
recent tours in Germany drawing large crowds.
Celebrities and musicians such as Roger Daltry, Paul Weller, Noel Fielding,
Jonathan Ross, former tour mate Sam Riley and Kings of Leon have all joined
the ranks to heap praise on them.
The quintet are currently writing new material and road-testing it live
around the country. Building on the foundations laid by the first two albums,
they are pulling on increasing circles of influence within their music, while
maintaining the bite underneath that has become their calling card.
“We’re making a big leap forward,” explains Johnny, “We’ve developed a
telepathy with each other and it’s reflected in the music. Songwriting’s a
pleasure at the moment, we have no agenda and are just letting ourselves go
creatively, our only restriction is a self imposed one not to repeat ourselves.
The songs are more melodic than before, but we’ve retained the grit and guts
that make it all matter to us so much. We are irrepressible.”
DOGS are:
Johnny Cooke – Vocals
Rikki Mehta – Lead Guitar
Duncan Timms – Bass Guitar
Kevin Iverson – Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Paul Warren – Drums
DOGS - 'Turn Against This Land' 
