The Exploited

The Exploited
The Exploited's lead vocalist Wattie Buchan performing.
Background information
Origin	Edinburgh, Scotland
Genres	Oi! hardcore punk crossover thrash street punk anarcho punk punk rock
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Nuclear Blast Secret Rough Justice Captain Oi! Exploited
Associated acts	The Blood Uncles Square Peg Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie The Satellites The Skroteez Xtract Discharge Charged GBH Picture Frame Seduction (band)
Website	www.the-exploited.net
Members	Wattie Buchan - vocals Wullie Buchan - drums Irish Rob - bass Robbie Steedo Davidson - guitar
Past members	(See former members)

The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1979, in Edinburgh by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan and later by ex-soldier Wattie Buchan (Terry's brother). They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and that year released their debut EP Army Life.

The album Punks Not Dead followed that year. The band maintained a large cult following in the 1980s among a hardcore working class punk skinhead, and Neo-Nazi audience. Their songs have been covered by Slayer and Ice-T, and despite many lineup changes, Wattie has remained as the Exploited's singer and leader.

The original line up was Terry Buchan (vocals), Stevie Ross (guitar), Alan Paget (bass) and Andy McNiven (drums). Formed in the West Granton area of Edinburgh, a large grey council estate on the north side of the city. The band's politics was reflected in its name, coined by drummer and song writer McNiven, whose father was a Korean War veteran and a communist. While in the early stages as a band, with little equipment, the band were invited to play their first gig at Craigmuir School. The band seemed to be a victim of their own publicity here. They had spray-painted their band name locally and had stolen Sunday papers, milk and bread rolls in the early hours of Sunday morning and redistributed them outside peoples' front door, with a note saying, "a gift from the exploited". Their first gig was on Friday 15 December 1978. The date was recalled by McNiven as it coincided with a performance by the Doomed (the Damned by another name) at Clouds in Edinburgh to which they went after their own gig. The gig was attended by Terry's older brother Wattie, who had recently left the army and was a punk in London. Wattie soon replaced Terry, and Andy McNiven and Colin Erskine were dropped from the line-up also. After a few gigs in and around Edinburgh, Stevie Ross left after an appearance in Aberdeen supporting the UK Subs. A few months later, he and Terry Buchan formed The Exposed. The Exposed split in 1980 after a gig supporting The Exploited. While Terry left for London, Stevie was prominent in the Edinburgh band scene during the 1980s and fronted bands like Strychnine and Burlesque before becoming lead singer with blues band Roadside Medicine. Now based in West Lothian, he still sings and writes original songs.