The Aliens (Australian band)
| The Aliens | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | New wave |
| Years active | 1978–1981 |
| Labels | Mushroom/Festival, Planet X/EMI |
| Associated acts | Gold, Riff Raff, Mondo Rock, GANGgajang |
| Past members | see Members list below |
The Aliens were an Australian new wave band which formed in April 1978. They were one of the first local bands of the late 1970s to adopt a "uniform" of "black clothes and skinny, white ties". Two of their singles, "Confrontation" and "Follow that Girl", appeared on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart top 50. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, noted their "sound embraced guitar-oriented pop rock with the emphasis on 1960s melodies".
Three of the founders of the Aliens, Danny Johnson on lead vocals, Geoff Stapleton on guitar and vocals and Greg Webster on lead guitar, were in an Adelaide band, Gold, at that time Stapleton was on drums. In 1975 the line-up of Gold also included Grant Lang on keyboards, Dave Lewis on lead guitar and Grant Lewis on bass guitar. They played local venues around the city, as well as a number of country performances. In 1976 Gold were winners of the 5KA 'Battle of the Bands'. Soon after they were renamed as Riff Raff, which had a more punk name which reflected their material.
In 1977 the Riff Raff line-up were Johnson, Stapleton (now on guitar), and Webster (now on guitar and vocals), together with Rob Grosser on drums. In February 1978 Johnson, Stapleton and Webster moved to Melbourne and in April that year they formed the Aliens with Graham Lewis on keyboards and Kevin Patricks on drums. They were one of the first local bands of the late 1970s to adopt a new wave "uniform" of "black clothes and skinny, white ties".
In June 1979 the Aliens signed with Mushroom Records and recorded their first single, "Confrontation", with producer Charles Fisher over a weekend, from 11 to 13 August 1979, at Trafalgar Studios, Sydney. The group were mid-tour supporting The Sports nationally. In December "Confrontation" reached No. 36 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.
Their debut album, Translator, was recorded at The Music Farm, in northern New South Wales, between 24 November and 9 December 1979, with David Tickle producing. The band performed on TV shows: Countdown, Nightmoves, Sounds Unlimited, and Hey Hey Its Saturday. In January 1980 the band toured nationally supporting United Kingdom band, Squeeze, and in March they supported The Police. The band had released its second single, "Follow that Girl", on 25 February that year, which reached No. 48.
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