The Exploited

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. Their single “Dead Cities” reached #31 on the UK Charts. Their single “Exploited Barmy Army” peaked at #4 on the Independent/Indie chart.

In March 1981, the band signed to Secret Records and spent a month recording their debut album, Punks Not Dead. 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. During this period, the Exploited appeared on the popular mainstream TV programme, Top of the Pops. Many fans of the Exploited were unhappy with the band's decision to appear on the show. The hardcore punk band Conflict wrote the song “Exploitation” about this appearance, which led to a long-standing rivalry between Conflict and the Exploited, dividing the punk fan base.

Troops of Tomorrow, Let's Start a War, and Horror Epics (1982–1986)

The band released the albums Troops of Tomorrow in 1982, Let's Start a War in 1983 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. Their next label, a small enterprise named Pax Records, folded after its owner fled with all its assets.

The concert album Live at the Whitehouse was recorded in Washington, D.C., in 1985 at the 9:30 Club and was released the following year in 1986. They also released the studio EP Jesus Is Dead in 1986, followed by Live and Loud, a videography of the Exploited performing across Europe and the United States. During the US tour, Wattie and Karl Morris had an altercation on stage, and Karl left shortly afterwards. He was briefly replaced by Mad Mick, who then disappeared without trace. Nigel Swanson was then appointed as the new guitarist.

Death Before Dishonour, The Massacre and Beat the Bastards (1987–2002)

“Sexual Favours”, a single from the album Death Before Dishonour, was released in 1987. The album only ranked in the top 200 of the British Alternative Music chart. However, the album sold out quickly. The album's cover featured artwork from the American punk artist Pushead, who complained that he was neither paid nor credited for the work.

In 1990, the Exploited released their album The Massacre. The album is a crossover thrash album. 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. The band was banned from performing in Mexico City as a result of the riot.

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.