The Aliens (Australian band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 in Melbourne, Australia |
| Defunct | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Albums, singles |
The Aliens emerged as a new wave group from Melbourne, Australia, in April 1978. They stood out among their contemporaries in the late 1970s by adopting a signature look featuring black attire paired with slim white ties. Two of their singles, "Confrontation" and "Follow that Girl," achieved positions within the top 50 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. According to music expert Ian McFarlane, their style was characterized by guitar-driven pop rock, heavily influenced by melodic elements from the 1960s.
History
Danny Johnson (lead vocals), Geoff Stapleton (guitar, vocals), and Greg Webster (lead guitar) were initially members of the Adelaide band Gold, which later transformed into Riff Raff with a punk-oriented sound. In February 1978, this trio moved to Melbourne and established the Aliens alongside Graham Lewis (keyboards) and Kevin Patricks (drums). They quickly crafted a distinctive new wave image.
By June 1979, the Aliens had secured a deal with Mushroom Records and released their first single, "Confrontation," produced by Charles Fisher. The track climbed to No. 36 on Australian charts by December. Their debut album, Translator, was recorded later that year at The Music Farm studio under the guidance of producer David Tickle. The band increased their visibility through appearances on television programs such as Countdown, Nightmoves, Sounds Unlimited, and Hey Hey Its Saturday. Early in 1980, they toured nationwide supporting UK band Squeeze and subsequently The Police. Their follow-up single, "Follow that Girl," reached No. 48.
Following an intense schedule of 356 performances over sixteen months, Webster departed in May 1980. The group continued as a trio with Stapleton taking on keyboard duties. Randy Bulpin briefly joined as lead guitarist before the band relocated to Sydney. Pierre Baroni was added for his vocal talents, songwriting contributions, and guitar arrangements. Drumming duties saw changes as Rob Grosser exited in November 1980 and was succeeded by Alex Bash in December.
Johnson left the band in March 1981, leaving Stapleton as the only remaining founding member. Later that month, Greg Trennery joined on bass guitar. This ensemble recorded their third single, "I Don't Care," at EMI Studios 301 in May, which was released in December on their own Planet X Records imprint through EMI. Malcolm Fogg briefly replaced Bash on drums mid-1981 before Bash returned for the band's final television appearance on Countdown that December.
Stapleton went on to join prominent Australian groups including Rockmelons, GANGgajang, Absent Friends, and The Dukes. Meanwhile, Baroni shifted his career towards Mushroom Records’ art department.
The band's repertoire and live performances demonstrate a calculated fusion of new wave aesthetics with accessible pop rock melodies, establishing them as a significant part of Australia's late-1970s music landscape and influencing future endeavors by key members.
Members
- Geoffrey Stapleton – rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (April 1978–80); guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1980); lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1980–81)
- Greg Webster – lead guitar, backing vocals (April 1978–May 1980)
- Graham Lewis – keyboards (April 1978–end 1979)
- Danny Johnson – bass, lead vocals (April 1978–81)
- Kevin Patricks – drums (April 1978–end 1979)
- Rob Grosser – drums (1979–80)
- Alex Bash – drums (1980–81)
- Malcolm Fogg – drums (1981)
- Randy Bulpin – lead guitar (1980)
- Pierre Baroni – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1980–81)
- Greg Trennery – bass (1981)
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:22 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:120 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/04/1978 till:01/01/1982 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1979 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1979
Colors =
id:voc value:red legend:Vocals id:lg value:green legend:Lead_guitar id:rg value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards id:b value:blue legend:Bass id:dr value:orange legend:Drums id:alb value:black legend:Studio_album id:bar value:gray(0.95)
LineData =
layer:back color:alb at:15/03/1980
BackgroundColors = bars:bar
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(12,–4) bar:Greg Webster from:start till:05/06/1980 color:lg bar:Randy Bulpin from:15/09/1980 till:20/10/1980 color:lg bar:Pierre Baroni from:20/10/1980 till:end color:lg bar:Pierre Baroni from:20/10/1980 till:end color:key width:7 bar:Pierre Baroni from:20/10/1980 till:end color:voc width:3 bar:Geoff Stapleton from:start till:06/03/1981 color:rg bar:Geoff Stapleton from:05/06/1980 till:15/09/1980 color:lg bar:Geoff Stapleton from:01/06/1979 till:06/03/1981 color:key width:7 bar:Geoff Stapleton from:01/06/1979 till:06/03/1981 color:voc width:3 bar:Geoff Stapleton from:06/03/1981 till:end color:voc bar:Geoff Stapleton from:06/03/1981 till:end color:rg width:7 bar:Geoff Stapleton from:06/03/1981 till:end color:key width:3 bar:Graham Lewis from:start till:01/06/1979 color:key bar:Danny Johnson from:start till:06/03/1981 color:b bar:Danny Johnson from:start till:06/03/1981 color:voc width:3 bar:Greg Trennery from:06/03/1981 till:end color:b bar:Kevin Patricks from:start till:01/11/1979 color:dr bar:Rob Grosser from:01/11/1979 till:27/11/1980 color:dr bar:Alex Bash from:27/11/1980 till:29/05/1981 color:dr bar:Malcolm Fogg from:29/05/1981 till:end color:dr
</timeline>
Albums
- Translator – Released by Mushroom Records (1980)
Singles
- "Confrontation"/"Boys in Black" – Issued by Mushroom Records (December 1979) AUS peak position No. 36
- "Follow That Girl"/"The Hyding of Dr Jekyll" – Mushroom Records (February 1980) AUS charted at No. 48
- "I Don't Care"/"Over My Head" – Released under Planet X label (December 1981)