Ben Wallers

Ben Wallers performing as The Rebel at the Worm in Rotterdam, January 2008.

Benedict Roger Wallers (a.k.a. The Rebel) (born 15 September 1971, St Albans, Hertfordshire) is the frontman, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the band Country Teasers. His lyrics often deal with taboo subjects such as racism, sexism and xenophobia 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 Country Teasers, formed in Scotland in the mid 1990s.[1] Wallers is generally regarded to be Scottish, but various places of birth have been put forward, including Saville Row, London[2] and St Albans, Hertfordshire (according to his autobiography).[1] Wallers' wife Sophie Politowicz plays drums on his latest project, The Devil.[3]

Music career

Country Teasers

Main article: Country Teasers

The Rebel

As well as Country Teasers, Wallers records under the moniker The Rebel.[1] 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"[4]). Before 1998 The Rebel was not known as The Walrus, but was named Walrus after the Wallers family name.[5] The name 'The Rebel' is a reference and homage to the film starring Tony Hancock. Ben Wallers represents himself by a symbol called a Spakenkreuz, which is a Swastika (Hakenkreuz) with a broken (or 'spastic') arm, bent backwards to cross over the previous arm in the circularity of the swastika. As far as he is aware, he invented this symbol.[6]

Songs Appearing on Compilations:

The Male Nurse

Male Nurse featured Country Teasers regulars Alan Crichton, Eck King, Alastair MacKinven and Lawrence Worthington as well as Keith Farquhar on vocals. The band recorded two Peel Sessions,[7] three singles and appeared on the Guided Missile Records compilation Hits and Missiles. The Male Nurse's output was marked by heavy influence of Mark E. Smith's, The Fall.

Releases:

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", two singles for Guided Missile, and appeared on four compilations.[8]

Skills on Ampex

Skills on Ampex is a joint project between The Invisible Hand, a tapes project by artist (and Teaser) Robert McNeill,[9] and The Rebel/Benedict R. Wallers.[10]

The Stallion

The Stallion originated as a musical entity composed of Wallers and Country Teasers guitarist Alastair J. R. MacKinven, which specialized in covers.[5]

The Company

The Company is a London recording project involving Amir Shoat and Ben Wallers.[11] Between Autumn 2001 and Spring 2002 they recorded a 99-song album which was then distilled into a twelve-track 12" LP in 2007 and released as Side Three of The Moon on Difficult Time In Mental Jail Records[12]

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.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Noel Gardner (4 November 2013). "The Devil". The Quietus. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  2. ↑ George Skafidas (5 June 2012). "The Rebel Abides: In Search of Ben Wallers". Dapper Dan magazine. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Devil". Bad Sounds. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Rebel's Albumography". therebel.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-05. External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. 1 2 "rebel biog.htm". Therebel.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  6. ↑ "Strategic Art Getts". . Retrieved 2008-02-05. External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. ↑ "Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - Male Nurse". BBC. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  8. ↑ Sick Happy Idle. "The Beale - Home". Sickhappyidle.com. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  9. ↑ "Welcome to MonkeyTown". Monkeytownhq.com. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  10. ↑ "skillsonampex.html". Therebel.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  11. ↑ "company.html". Therebel.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  12. ↑ UK. "Difficult Life In Mental Jail Records | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
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