Legendary Scottish second-wave punk band The Exploited uplifted an outdoor crowd in Tallinn last Saturday at Tallinn’s Paavli Kultuurivabrik (Culture Factory).
The band had been supposed to perform in the capital in early February, but the gig was postponed due to the singer’s health problems.
With the arrival of summer it went ahead at the same venue, this time outdoors, after the change of date was announced in April. The band had played in Tallinn before, most recently in 2019.
Founded in Edinburgh in 1980 and led by singer and frontman Wattie Buchan, The Exploited is considered one of the central names of the UK82 movement, an aggressive, fast-paced sub-genre of punk rock that emerged in the U.K. in the early 1980s. The band was founded by former soldier Buchan, whose signature mohawk, raspy vocals and uncompromising energy have become iconic elements of punk culture. The Exploited emerged at a time when the U.K. was being shaken by economic crisis, high unemployment and growing social discontent, and their songs reference some of these events.
The Exploited’s lyrics tackle war, political power, class struggle, police brutality and social inequality with unflinching anger and directness. Their music also influenced the later development of hardcore as well as thrash and crossover metal, with members of bands including Slayer, Sepultura, Napalm Death and Municipal Waste citing The Exploited as an inspiration.
The albums “Punk’s Not Dead” (1981), “Troops of Tomorrow” (1982), and “Let’s Start a War…” (1983) helped shape and accelerate the second wave of British street punk in the early ’80s. “Punk’s Not Dead” became a manifesto for an entire generation, while the follow-up releases helped define the sound of British street punk, characterized by blistering tempos, raw guitar work and scathing social commentary. They released several more studio albums, though the most recent, “Fuck the System,” came out back in 2003. Despite this, the band has continued to perform actively and has never disappeared from the live circuit.
In addition to Buchan, the band comprises Gary Sullivan, also known as Gman, Irish Rob (Robert Halkett), and Steve Campbell.
Support acts were Germany’s Antinorm and local performers Skoone and Huiabella Fantastica.
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