Benedict Roger Wallers, also known as The Rebel, is the frontman, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the band

Country Teasers Country Teasers were an art punk band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1993. Frontman Ben Wallers also performs solo as The Rebel. He plays live shows with a Gameboy backing-track or accompanied by Country Teasers bassist Sophie Politowicz on ...

. His lyrics often deal with

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

subjects such as

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

and

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

from first-person standpoints.

Biography

Wallers has been releasing music under various guises since 1995. He is best known for being part of the group ''

'', formed in Scotland in the mid 1990s. Wallers is generally regarded to be Scottish, but various places of birth have been put forward, including

Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

, London and St Albans, Hertfordshire (according to his autobiography). Country Teasers bassist Sophie Politowicz plays drums in live performances and features on various Rebel recordings. The pair also play together in the band ''The Devil''.

Music career

Country Teasers

The Rebel

As well as Country Teasers, Wallers records under the moniker ''The Rebel''. Most of the recordings, which are largely abridged musical interpretations of arcane and proper historical text, have not seen official release (several for the reason that they are "not masterpieces"). Before 1998 The Rebel was not known as The Walrus, but was named Walrus after the Wallers family name. The name 'The Rebel' is a reference and homage to the 1961 film starring

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series '' Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

. Ben Wallers represents himself by a symbol called a Spakenkreuz, which is a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

with a broken (or 'spastic') arm, bent backwards to cross over the previous arm. As far as he is aware, he invented this symbol. *"KROT" (Monofonus Press, twelve inch, 2014) *''Still Taping After All These Discs '' (twelve inch, plamenco records, ltd 250, 2014) *''Sternold the Bachelor or Music 2000 '' (reissue cassette, +DL code ltd 100, neenrecords 2012) *''Nuclear Jazz Holocaust'', (reissue cassette, +DL code ltd 100, Neen records 2012) *''Titrack Luxury or Bums on a Rock'' (reissue cassette + DL code ltd 100 nightschoolrecords)2012 *''Nature's Wind Mixed Wine with Lethe'' (reissue cassette + DL code by nightschool records 2012 ltd 100) *''The Rebel - Pre-Pub EP//Year Of Birds - Blocker For Coinslot EP'', (Ack! Ack! Ack! Records, split twelve inch, 2012) *'' The five-year plan E.P, (Monofus press MF 034, 2011)'' *''The Rebel/The Bomber Jackets E.P.'', (Savoury Days and

Kill Shaman Records ''Kill Shaman Records'' is an independent record label which was founded in 2003 by Paul Kneejie and Crabby Levine in Los Angeles, CA. It is now split in both Oakland and Los Angeles, California Artists * Crime in Choir * Expo '70 * Thee Oh See ...

, split seven-inch, 2011) *''The rebel/Bo Knows Split E.P'', (Stipple records, STIPPLE-001) *''The Race Against Time Hots UP'', (

Junior Aspirin Records Junior Aspirin Records is an artist-run independent record label founded in London in 2002 by Andy Cooke, Dan Fox, Ashley Marlowe and Nathaniel Mellors.

, twelve inch, 2010) *''The Incredible Hulk'', (Junior Aspirin Records, twelve inch, 2009) *''Aiming Low E.P.'', (Lexi Disques, seven-inch, 2009) *''Mouthwatering Claustrophobic Changes!'', (Junior Aspirin Records, twelve inch, 2009) *''Kufr E.P.'', (Needle Soup Records, compact disc, 2009) *''Northern Rocks Bear Weird Vegetable'', Limited edition- velvet sleeve with inserts (

Sacred Bones Records Sacred Bones Records is an American independent record label founded in 2007 and based in Brooklyn, New York. The label has released recordings from artists including Zola Jesus, David Lynch, John Carpenter, Spellling, Blanck Mass, Crystal S ...

, twelve inch, 2008) *''Northern Rocks Bear Weird Vegetable'', (

, twelve inch, 2008) *'' Live Aids E.P.'', (Kanker Mongool, seven-inch, 2008) *''Tarscoffsky's The Snackrifice E.P.'', (

Emperor Jones Emperor Jones is a small Austin, Texas based independent record label founded in 1995 by Craig Stewart. It has released albums by acts such as Alastair Galbraith, The American Analog Set, Roky Erickson, Thuja, ST37, The Mountain Goats, Stick Men ...

, twelve inch, 2007) *''Kufr'', (self-released compact disc, 2007) *''Sternold the Bachelor or Music 2000 '', (self-released compact disc, 2007) *''Nuclear Jazz Holocaust'', (self-released compact disc, 2007) *''Prawns'', (self-released compact disc, 2007) *''Brown Girl in the Ring'', (self-released twelve inch, 2006) *''Bums on a Rock E.P. (AKA "Assassin Strikes in China Town")'', (Flitwick Records, seven-inch, 2006) *''Frederick the Great of Prussia's Second Hard Album (unpublished)'', (self-released cassette, 2005) *''Prawns'', (

Junior Aspirin Records Junior Aspirin Records is an artist-run independent record label founded in London in 2002 by Andy Cooke, Dan Fox, Ashley Marlowe and Nathaniel Mellors.

, twelve inch/self-released compact disc, 2004/2005) *''Kit'', (Hook or Crook Records, compact disc, 2004/2005) *''KIT'', (self-released compact disc, 2004) *''The Rocket Breaks Down'', (Pecan Crazy Records, compact disc, 2003/2004) *''Exciting New Venue For Soccer and Execution of Women E.P.'', (SDZ Records, seven-inch, 2003/2004) Songs Appearing on Compilations: * "Maureen" on ''Flottante Tension D'Eclipse'', (LP, SDZ Records, 2010) * "Your English" on ''Remove Celebrity Centre'', (CD, Junior Aspirin Records, 2006) * "A Devil in the Woods" (

Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

) on ''Salvo of 24 Gunshots - Tribute To Gun Club'', (LP/CD, Unrecording Records, 2005) * "If Every Day Was Like Christmas / Obey" on ''Get Thee Behind Me Santa'' (CD, Puppy Dog Records, 2002) * "Only a dream" on ''Fruit Machines'', (CD, Blang records, 2005) * "Hitlers and Churchills" on ''Sonic protest'', (CD

Sonic Protest Sonic Protest is a yearly music festival in France focused on left field music genres like experimental rock, electroacoustic music, improvised music, noise and avant garde music. The first edition of Sonic Protest took place in 2003. The editions ...

, 2006)

The Male Nurse

Male Nurse featured

regulars Alan Crichton, Eck King, Alastair MacKinven and Lawrence Worthington as well as Keith Farquhar on vocals. The band recorded two

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

, three singles and appeared on the

Guided Missile Records A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of Propulsion, self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a targ ...

compilation ''Hits and Missiles''. The Male Nurse's output was marked by heavy influence of

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...

's, The Fall. Releases: *''G-D-R'', ( Guided Missile Recordings, seven-inch, 1997) *''My Own Private Patrick Swayze'', ( Guided Missile Recordings, seven-inch, 1997) *''Magic Circle in the Sky/ what does woman want?'', ( Guided Missile Recordings, seven-inch, 1997) *''Gilded Lil/ The male Nurse'', (

stupid cat Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit, an inability to learn. It may be innate, assumed or reactive. The word ''stupid'' comes from the Latin word ''stupere''. Stupid characters are often used for comedy in fictio ...

, seven-inch split, 2000) Also the Male nurse Cdr self-released (Trade apartment CD)1998 and 2007.

The Beale

Active between 2000 and 2007, The Beale consisted of Adrian Shaw (of The Teenbeat), Ben Wallers, Leighton Crook (Country Teasers/Rebel drummer), Paul Kearney (owner of Guided Missile Recordings) Peter Hart and Ben Pestell. They released a six-song mini-album titled "21 Years in

Kranj Kranj (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fourth-largest city in Slovenia and the largest urban center of the traditional region of Upper Carniola (northwestern Slovenia) and the Slovene Alps. It is located approximately northwest o ...

", two singles for Guided Missile, and appeared on four compilations.

Skills on Ampex

Skills on Ampex is a joint project between The Invisible Hand, a tapes project by artist (and Teaser) Robert McNeill, and The Rebel/Benedict R. Wallers.

The Stallion

The Stallion originated as a musical entity composed of Wallers and Country Teasers guitarist Alastair J. R. MacKinven, which specialized in covers.

The Company

The company is a

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

recording project involving Amir Shoat and Ben Wallers. Between Autumn 2001 and Spring 2002 they recorded a 99-song album which was then distilled into a twelve-track

12" LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; ...

in 2007 and released as ''Side Three of The Moon'' on Difficult Time in Mental Jail Records

The Black Poodle

At the turn of the century Ben Wallers was also the vocalist in The Black Poodle who played regular concerts at The Foundry in Old Street, London. The band was the brainchild of Joel Cahen and Amir Shoat, who invited Wallers to collaborate at the concerts by improvising on vocals, guitar and saxophone, which material they would manipulate live.

The Devil

A three-piece group led by Wallers that has only gigged occasionally during the 2000s. They released an album, ''The Devil'', in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallers, Ben Living people Musicians from St Albans English punk rock singers English punk rock guitarists Year of birth missing (living people)