Exploited Gig Shows Punk’s Not Dead

Michael Woods

Monday, September 15^th at The Cobalt was a history lesson for some of today’s teens and a night of nostalgia for veterans of Vancouver’s punk rock scene as the infamous group out of Scotland, The Exploited, lead by Wattie Buchan, took the stage.

The band kicked off the night with a song called Let’s Start A War (a very sarcastic song about former prime minister Margaret Thatcher), followed by a set of rebellious anthems spanning over two decades.

 The show began a little on the shaky side as the lead microphone kept cutting out, causing one song to fall apart just after its intro, to which Wattie responded by cursing, stomping in circles and knocking his microphone against his mostly bare skull. The small sound problems were of course promptly fixed, and the show moved smoothly along. By the fifth song (each song spanning little over two minutes) Wattie’s face was sporting a glowing smile as he watched his fans dance and slam on the floor in front of him.

Both the band and the crowd became increasingly energized as the show went on while Wattie, who’s been telling the world that “Punk’s Not Dead” for more than twenty years, moved swiftly across the stage, interacting with the crowd in his quirky, foulmouthed and very charismatic way. One should not be expecting him to retire anytime soon.

 Unfortunately there is to be considered a very heavy contradiction which comes with punk rock, particularly with bands such as The Exploited, who are writing aggressive songs about bringing down the system, yet charging promoters $5000 for a single night’s entertainment.

It is a system to which they claim they are opposed, but a system they’ve done quite well by, and although their ability to entertain cannot be denied, their sincerity must be questioned.