The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and their debut EP, Army Life, and debut album, Punks Not Dead, were both released that year. Guitar duties were then taken over by Big John Duncan.
Stevie Ross continues to write songs and, in addition to solo performances, he also plays in The Station Road Band.
Early releases and Punk's Not Dead (1980–1981)
Influenced by 1970s punk rock music, such as that by the Sex Pistols, the quartet developed a straightforward, no-frills sound characterised by speed and aggression. In 1980, the group founded their own independent record label, Exploited Records, and released their debut EP Army Life, which ranked #6 in the Indie/Independent charts for eight weeks and remained in the Top 20 for eighteen months. The B-side was titled Fuck the Mods / Crashed Out, and the record's back cover featured the message, "To all the Edinburgh punks and skins - keep on mod-bashing!!".
They then released another single, "Barmy Army", which ascended the independent charts and remained there for 53 weeks, peaking at #4. The Exploited released the single "Dogs of War", which peaked at #2 on the Independent charts and #63 on the UK Charts. Also in 1981, the band released their first live album, On Stage, recorded during a concert in Edinburgh. Subsequently, the band toured with Discharge, Anti-Nowhere League, Anti-Pasti and Chron Gen on a tour titled Apocalypse Now, which was recorded and released as a live album. Their album Punks Not Dead, released in April 1981, reached #20 in May, and then climbed to number 1 on the Independent Charts. Many fans of the Exploited were unhappy with the band's decision to appear on the show. and Horror Epics in 1985. The period between these albums was marked by severe discord over the band's musical direction: guitarist Big John Duncan and bassist Gary McCormack both left to form new bands—"bands with disco beats and guitar solos, total shit", in Wattie's words—and the band experienced a rapid succession of drummers, one of whom allegedly left after a "nervous breakdown". The band was driven away from the Secret label by new management who demanded unrealistic changes in style and personnel. The album's cover featured artwork from the American punk artist Pushead, who complained that he was neither paid nor credited for the work. The band went on to release a Singles Collection album in 1993. The Exploited also released the videography Live in Japan in 1993. Their album Beat the Bastards was released in April 1996.
Fuck the System and next album (2003–present)
In early 2003, the band released the album Fuck the System on Dream Catcher Records, and in the following year, they toured the UK and the US. On 14 October 2003, around 500 fans sparked a riot in Montreal, Canada after an Exploited concert was cancelled due to the band being denied entry into the country. Rioters overturned and set fire to eight cars, broke eleven shop windows, and caused other damage.
thumb|upright=1.35|The Exploited performing in 2018
In a 2012 interview, Wattie Buchan stated that a new album was nearing completion. In February 2014, Wattie Buchan suffered a heart attack on stage during a performance in Lisbon as part of the band's Taste of Chaos Tour with Hatebreed and Napalm Death. He was taken to hospital, where he was expected to remain for at least a week for treatment. The band signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records, and it was planned that many of their albums would be reissued in March 2014. The band also confirmed that their first album in a decade would be released during the 2010s.
In March 2020, Wattie Buchan responded to the coronavirus outbreak that was forcing bands to cancel or postpone tours. He made a pointed remark about Green Day (a band he had frequently stated he disliked), saying, "Fuck coronavirus! I have had 5 heart attacks, a quadruple heart bypass and a heart pacemaker fitted. Cancel gigs for a virus? We ain't fucking Green Day piss – We are the real deal. No danger will we be cancelling our upcoming gigs. Punks Not Dead!" The Australian leg of the tour was cancelled four days later, although the band completed all the scheduled New Zealand gigs.
Legacy
The Exploited are one of the iconic bands of the UK 82 punk movement, alongside Charged GBH and . The term "UK 82" was derived from the Exploited's song "UK 82". AllMusic described the Exploited as "one of the most riveting British punk rock units of the early 1980s".
The Exploited have influenced Metallica, Slayer, Nirvana, Stormtroopers of Death, the Virus, Napalm Death, Terrorizer, NOFX, Pennywise, Anti-Flag, Blanks 77, Atari Teenage Riot, and Total Chaos.
Musical style and influences
The Exploited has been categorised as crossover thrash, punk rock, punk metal, street punk and Originally playing street punk and oi!, The Exploited evolved into a crossover thrash band with their album Death Before Dishonour. Wattie Buchan has also mentioned being influenced by James Brown and has expressed his admiration for The Cure's first four albums.
Lyrics
thumb|left|upright=0.85|Wattie performing with the Exploited in 2018
The Exploited have been controversial for their aggressive lyrics and rowdy gigs. Ian Glasper described them as "cartoon punks." Glasper wrote: "For many, the Exploited were the quintessential second wave punk band with their senses-searing high-speed outbursts against the system, and wild-eyed frontman Walter 'Wattie' Buchan's archetypal orange mohican." In a 1983 interview, the Exploited stated that they were not a political band, but their lyrics became increasingly political in the late 1980s. Wattie Buchan noted in the documentary Punk's Not Dead that punk is defined by its politics. As a band with anarchist-themed lyrics, the Exploited's vocalist Wattie Buchan identifies as an anarchist and has openly expressed disdain for politics. The song "Maggie" from the band's album Horror Epics is specifically about Thatcher. The Exploited's third studio album, "Let's Start a War... (Said Maggie One Day)," centres on Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War.
After the 1981 Southall riot, Oi! bands, in general, became associated with racism, and the Exploited were sometimes believed to be a racist band due to Wattie's swastika tattoo, an incident in the early 1980s where Wattie fought with a group of Asians in a café, and in 1985 when "Deptford John" joined from the skinhead band Combat 84. George Same has written about the fighting after the Finsbury Park gig in his book on modern music, Backward Moddy Boy. In a documentary about the band, former manager Gem Howard stated that he would often sneak the band out of hotels late at night, as they would frequently vandalise the hotel and steal items from the rooms.