The Exploited and Face Up

With an original line-up of vocalist Terry Buchan, guitarist Stevie Ross, bassist Alan Paget, and drummer Andy McNiven, The Exploited’s name was a symbol of their politics. The band’s debut performance came in December 1978 at the Craigmuir School, after a night before of stealing Sunday papers, milk and bread rolls and redistributing them around their local area with a note saying “a gift from the exploited”. Following the gig, Wattie Buchan, Terry’s brother, joined The Exploited, and has remained the figurehead of the band’s outspoken anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist and anti-racist stance.

Inspired by the likes of Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned, the band created simple, no-nonsense punk rock, and formed their own record label in 1980. Through the label The Exploited issued their debut EP “Army Life”, which remained in the independent chart’s Top 20 for 18 months. The band’s subsequent singles “Barmy Army”, “Dead Cities” and “Exploited Barmy Army” all charted highly and helped introduce the second wave of punk rock in the UK, notarised by its speed and aggression.

In 1981 The Exploited signed with Secret Records and released their debut album “Punks Not Dead”. The album peaked at No. 1 in the independent charts and No. 20 in the national chart. The same year the band released their first live album “On Stage” and embarked on a national tour alongside Discharge, Anti-Nowhere League, and Anti-Pasti. The Exploited subsequently released the albums “Let’s Start a War” in 1983, “Horror Epics” in 1985, the live album “Live at the Whitehouse” in 1986, and the EP “Jesus Is Dead” also in 1986.

Ahead of their fifth studio album “Death Before Dishonour” in 1987, the band released the single “Sexual Favours”, however marked the decline in marketability for punk rock. The Exploited therefore expanded their style to a crossover from punk to thrash metal and released “The Massacre” in 1990, followed by “Live in Japan” in 1993, and “Beat the Bastards” in 1996.

After an extended hiatus of seven years, the band released the album “Fuck the System” in 2003 on Dream Catcher Records, followed by a tour of the UK and U.S. After a cancelled show in Montreal, Canada, due to the band not being allowed in the country, fans started a riot destroying eight cars and breaking several store windows.