Alien Sex Fiend are an Englishgothic rock band, formed in London in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend. Five of the group's albums and 12 of their singles reached top 20 positions in the UK indie charts in the period up to 1987.^[1]

Alien Sex Fiend
Alien Sex Fiend in 2007
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Gothic rock deathrock industrial post-punk
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Anagram, 13th Moon, Flicknife
Members	Nik Fiend Mrs. Fiend
Past members	Yaxi Highrizer Johnny Ha-Ha Rat Fink Jr. Doc Milton

Alien Sex Fiend were formed by Nicholas Wade^[2] (Nik Fiend), Christine Wade (Mrs Fiend), David James (Yaxi Highrizer) and John Freshwater (Johnnie Ha Ha) in late 1982 at theBatcave club in London (where Nik worked).^[3] The band became known in thegothic scene for its dark, electronicindustrial-leaning sound, heavysamples,loops,dub remixes^[4] and manic vocals. Nik Wade had previously been a member of theAlice Cooper-influenced bands the Earwigs and Mr & Mrs Demeanour, and later the punk band Demon Preacher (later known as the Demons).^[5][6]

Alien Sex Fiend recorded a cassette (The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nick) withYouth ofKilling Joke, which brought them to the attention of the UK music press,^[7] along with the appearance of their track "R.I.P." on the Batcave club compilation,The Batcave: Young Limbs and Numb Hymns 1983, released byLondon Records in 1983.

They signed to theCherry Red sub-label Anagram Records, releasing their first single, "Ignore the Machine", in August 1983.^[5] The single was immediately successful on theUK Independent Chart, reaching No. 6. Their debut studio album,Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain, was released by Anagram on 1 November 1983, followed byAcid Bath in 1984.^[3] They released the world's first 11" single, "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)", that October.

The band also recorded two BBCPeel 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".^[8]

In October 1985, their third studio albumMaximum Security reached No. 100 on theUK Albums Chart and remained there for the week of 12 October.^[9] 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).^[9] Throughout the early 1980s, their work was frequently in the UK Indie Chart^[10] and remained a fixture on Americancollege radio.

The band also became popular in Japan, and in 1985, they released a live album recorded there,Liquid Head in Tokyo.^[5][6] Freshwater left later in 1985, and the band continued as a trio, supportingAlice Cooper on his "The Nightmare Returns" tour in 1986 and releasing"It" the Album that October.^[5][6] The band was reduced to a duo of the Wades when James left following the release of 1987'sHere Cum Germs.^[5]

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 albumAnother Planet, released in November 1988.^[5][6] 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,^[6] who made their official debut on that year'sToo Much Acid? double-live album. Their seventh studio album,Curse, was released in October 1990.^[3]

Fink and Milton departed in 1992, following that year'sOpen Head Surgery album and its subsequent tour (documented onThe Altered States of America live album).

The Wades then became a duo once again and provided the soundtrack for theDigital Image Design gameInferno in 1994.^[5]

In the mid 1990s, the band's video for "Zombified" appeared on theMTV show,Beavis and Butthead,^[11] subjected to their usual commentary.

In 1996, the Wades launched their own 13th Moon label,^[5] issuing three further albums:Nocturnal Emissions (1997),Information Overload (2004) andDeath Trip (2010).

On 9 November 2018, Alien Sex Fiend releasedPossessed, their first album in eight years, on Cherry Red.^[12]

Alien Sex Fiend has been described as gothic rock,^[13]deathrock^[14] andindustrial.^[14]Glenn Danzig has cited the group's sonorous and echoing sounds as having influenced the mixing for several of the recordings for his groupSamhain.

Fink published a book in 2000,Once Upon a Fiend,^[15] recalling his experiences in the band. He later drummed forBlackpool bands United States of Mind and Dog Food before joining Uncle Fester in 1999, who changed their name toUFX 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 andthe Cramps material, and have released two albums,It's Fun to Be a Monster andBoneyard a Go Go!!!.^[16]

Studio albums

• 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)
• Possessed (2018)

• Official website