ALIEN SEX FIEND

Alien Sex Fiend are an English rock band, formed in London in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs. Fiend. The band were influential in developing the style of gothic rock known as deathrock.

History

Alien Sex Fiend were formed by Nik Wade (Nik Fiend), Christine Wade (Mrs. Fiend), David James (Yaxi Highrizer) and Johnny Freshwater (Johnny Ha-Ha) in late 1982 at the Batcave club in London (where Nik worked). The band became known in the gothic scene for its dark, electronic industrial-leaning sound, heavy samples, loops, dub remixes and manic vocals. Wade had previously been a member of the Alice Cooper-influenced bands the Earwigs and Mr. & Mrs. Demeanour, and later the punk band Demon Preacher (later known as the Demons).

Alien Sex Fiend recorded a cassette (The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nick) with Youth of Killing Joke, which brought them to the attention of the UK music press, along with the appearance of their track "R.I.P." on the Batcave club compilation, The Batcave: Young Limbs and Numb Hymns 1983, released by London Records in 1983.

They signed to the Cherry Red sub-label Anagram Records, releasing their first single, "Ignore the Machine", in August 1983. The single was immediately successful on the UK Independent Chart, reaching No. 6, with a further 11 singles and five albums reaching top 20 positions in the chart in the period up to 1987.
The band released the world's first 11" single, "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)", in October 1984.
The band recorded two BBC Peel Sessions in 1984. At the May session, they recorded "Attack!!!", "Dead and Buried", "Ignore the Machine" and "Hee Haw"; at the August session, "In God We Trust", "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" and "Boneshaker Baby".
In October 1985, their third studio album Maximum Security reached No. 100 on the UK Albums Chart and remained there for the week of 12 October. They also had two top 100 singles with "Dead and Buried" in August 1984 (No. 91) and a reissued "Ignore the Machine" in March 1985 (No. 99). Throughout the early 1980s, their work was frequently in the UK Indie Chart and remained a fixture on American college radio.

The band also became popular in Japan, and in 1985, they released a live album recorded there, Liquid Head in Tokyo. Freshwater left later in 1985, and the band continued as a trio, supporting Alice Cooper on his "The Nightmare Returns" tour in 1986 and releasing "It" the Album that year. The band was reduced to a duo of the Wades when James left following the release of 1987's Here Cum Germs.

In early 1988, the band, as The Dynamic Duo, recorded a one-off 12" single "Batman Theme" with recording and live engineer Len Davies, before continuing as Alien Sex Fiend, incorporating electronics and sampling even more into their sound on the album Another Planet. They reverted to a four-piece with the 1989 addition of two prior guest collaborators, drummer/guitarist Andrew Wilson (a.k.a. Rat Fink Jr., formerly of the Turnpike Cruisers) and keyboardist/guitarist Simon "Doc" Milton, who made their official debut on that year's Too Much Acid? double-live album.
Fink and Milton departed in 1992, following that year's Open Head Surgery album and its subsequent tour (documented on The Altered States of America live album).

The Wades then became a duo once again and provided the soundtrack for the Digital Image Design game Inferno in 1994.
In 1996, the Wades launched their own 13th Moon label, issuing three further albums: Nocturnal Emissions (1997), Information Overload (2004) and Death Trip (2010).

Later projects

Fink published a book in 2000, Once Upon a Fiend, recalling his experiences in the band. He later drummed for Blackpool bands United States of Mind and Dog Food before joining Uncle Fester in 1999, who changed their name to UFX in 2006. Fink currently serves as frontman of Vince Ripper and the Rodent Show, a duo also featuring Vince "Ripper" Cornwall. They perform Alien Sex Fiend and the Cramps material, and have released two albums, It's Fun to Be a Monster and Boneyard a Go Go!!!.

Discography

Studio albums

Alien Sex Fiend live in Paris, 2007

• Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain (1983)
• Acid Bath (1984)
• Maximum Security (1985)
• "It" the Album (1986)
• Here Cum Germs (1987)
• Another Planet (1988)
• Curse (1990)
• Open Head Surgery (1992)
• Inferno (1994)
• Nocturnal Emissions (1997)
• Information Overload (2004)
• Death Trip (2010)

The English deathrock band Alien Sex Fiend have released 13 studio albums, 6 live albums, 17 compilation albums, two extended play "mini-LPs", 22 singles, and 8 video albums. Most of their releases have been on Anagram Records, a sub-label of Cherry Red Records. The band has also released three studio albums and three singles on the 13th Moon label founded in 1996 by band members Nik Wade (Nik Fiend) and Christine Wade (Mrs. Fiend).

In the 1980s, the band's releases regularly reached the top 20 on the UK indie charts, beginning with the 1983 release of "Ignore the Machine", which peaked at No. 6 on the UK indie singles chart. Between 1983 and 1987, 12 more Alien Sex Fiend singles appeared on the independent chart, all but one of which reached the top 20. Five of their albums made the top 20 on the UK independent album chart.
Two mid-'80s singles also made the official UK Singles Chart: "Dead and Buried" peaked at No. 91 in 1984, while the 1985 reissued version of "Ignore the Machine" reached No. 99 the following year. Maximum Security is the band's sole album to make the UK Albums Chart, reaching No. 100 in 1985.

Alien Sex Fiend discography
Studio albums	13
Live albums	6
Compilation albums	17
Video albums	8
EPs	2
Singles	22

Studio albums

• The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nik cassette (1983, F. O. Reckords)
• Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain (1983, Anagram Records/Relativity Records)
• Acid Bath (1984, Anagram Records)
• Maximum Security (1985, Anagram Records)
• "It" the Album (1986, Anagram Records)
• Here Cum Germs (1987, Anagram Records)
• Another Planet (1988, Anagram Records)
• Curse (1990, Anagram Records)
• Open Head Surgery (1992, Anagram Records)
• Inferno - The Odyssey Continues (1994, Anagram Records)
• Nocturnal Emissions (1997, 13th Moon Records)
• Information Overload (2004, 13th Moon Records)
• Death Trip (2010, 13th Moon Records)

EPs

• The Impossible Mission Mini-LP (1987, PVC Records)
• Inferno: The Mixes (1995, Anagram Records)

Live albums

• Turn the Monitors Up (1984, F. O. Reckords)
• Liquid Head in Tokyo (1985, Anagram Records)
• Too Much Acid? (1989, Anagram Records)
• The Altered States of America (1993, Anagram Records)
• Flashbacks! (Live 1995–1998) (2001, Yeaah!)
• Zombified (2002, Anagram Records)

Compilation albums

• The First Compact Disc (1986, Anagram Records)
• All Our Yesterdays (1988, Anagram Records)
• A.S.F. Box (1990, Windsong International)
• The Legendary Batcave Tapes (1993, Anagram Records)
• Drive My Rocket - The Collection Part One (1994, Cleopatra Records)
• I'm Her Frankenstein - The Collection Part Two (1995, Cleopatra Records)
• The Singles 1983–1995 (1995, Anagram Records)
• Wardance of the... Alien Sex Fiend (1997, Recall)
• The Bat Cave Masters (1998, Cleopatra Records)
• Fiend at the Controls Vol. 1 & 2 (1999, Anagram Records/Cleopatra Records)
• The Best of Alien Sex Fiend (2001, Anagram Records)
• Fiend Club (2005, Cleopatra Records)
• Para-Abnormal (2006, 13th Moon Records)
• R.I.P. A 12" Collection (2008, Anagram Records)
• Bat Cave Anthems (2008, Cleopatra Records)
• Between Good and Evil (The Collection) (2013, PressPlay)
• Classic Albums and BBC Sessions Collection (2015, Cherry Red)

Singles

• "Ignore the Machine" (1983, Anagram Records/Relativity Records)
• "Lips Can't Go" (1983, Anagram Records)
• "R.I.P. (Blue Crumb Truck)" (1984, Anagram Records)
• "Dead and Buried" (1984, Anagram Records)
• "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" (1984, Anagram Records)
• "I'm Doing Time in a Maximum Security Twilight Home" (1985, Anagram Records)
• "Ignore the Machine (Special Electrode Mix)" (1985, Anagram Records)
• "I Walk The Line" (1986, Flickknife Records)
• "Smells Like..." (1986, Anagram Records)
• "Hurricane Fighter Plane" (1987, Anagram Records)
• "The Impossible Mission" (1987, Anagram Records)
• "Here Cum Germs" (1987, Anagram Records)
• "Stuff the Turkey" (1987, Anagram Records)
• "Batman Theme" (as The Dynamic Duo) (1988, Cherry Red Records)
• "Bun Ho!" (1988, Anagram Records)
• "Haunted House" (1989, Anagram Records)
• "Now I'm Feeling Zombified" (1990, Anagram Records)
• "Magic" (1992, Anagram Records)
• "Inferno (The Youth Mixes)" (1994, MFF Records)
• "Evolution" (1996, 13th Moon Records)
• "On a Mission" (1997, 13th Moon Records)
• "Tarot" (1998, 13th Moon Records)

Video albums

• A Purple Glistener (1984, Jettisoundz)
• Liquid Head in Tokyo (1985, Cherry Red Films)
• Edit (1987, Jettisoundz)
• Over Dose! (1988, Jettisoundz)
• Re-Animated - The Promo Collection (1994, Jettisoundz/Cleopatra Records)
• The Making of Inferno – The Odyssey Continues (1994)
• Edit Overdose! (2003, Cherry Red)
• A Purple Glistener + Liquid Head in Tokyo (2005, Cherry Red)