The Exploited

About

The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, active since 1978 and led throughout by vocalist Wattie Buchan. Pioneers of the UK82 street-punk wave, they broke into the mainstream with their debut album Punks Not Dead (1981), which hit #1 on the UK Independent Chart, and cemented their reputation with Troops of Tomorrow (1982). Over the decades the band shifted toward crossover thrash, and despite a revolving lineup and Buchan's recurring health scares, they continue to tour relentlessly across Europe and beyond.

7.6M

Spotify streams - top track 'Beat the Bastards'

6.7M

Spotify streams - '(Fuck the) U.S.A.'

Concerts played in 2025

#17

Peak chart position - 'Troops of Tomorrow' (UK National Chart)

What's new

2026-01
Wattie Buchan collapsed onstage on January 31, 2026 at Schlachthof in Wiesbaden, Germany, and was hospitalized; the band attributed the incident to dehydration following a bout of flu and cancelled several upcoming shows.
2026-01
The Exploited launched their '45 Years of Punks Not Dead' European tour in January 2026, with dates across Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Greece and the UK.
2026-06
As of June 2026, The Exploited are touring across 8 countries with 22 upcoming concerts on the schedule.
2025
The band played 46 concerts in 2025, continuing their pattern of heavy European touring.