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Aliens

 
 
 

Years active:

Mid-60s

 
 

Location:

Falmouth

 
 

Band Members:                                         

Paul Hodder (lead guitar, vocals)
Steve James (vocals, drums / guitar)
Hugo Madden (drums)
Alan Peters (bass)
Simon Robson (guitar, vocal)    
                                     

 
     
 

Thanks to Steve James here's the Aliens story;

The band were all from Falmouth Grammar School, and began life as the "Redspots", with Paul, Hugo, Alan and Simon practising in the cellar of Simon's home in Marlborough Avenue. They changed their name to The Aliens, and Hugo left for a while, to be replaced by Steve. They played a few gigs with that line-up, in various venues in and around Falmouth, and even entered a talent competition at the Polytechnic hall, posing as "Joe Soap and the Bubblemakers". Their sound system failed, not unusually, and they came second to an eight-year-old girl performing a dance routine with a pair of doves and a hoop...

When Simon left the band, Steve switched to become lead singer and second guitarist, with Hugo returning on drums. This line-up was their most fruitful in terms of bookings, and they appeared as such venues as the Parish Hall, Laburnum Hall, Women's Institute, Falmouth Grammar school hall and, most famously, on a number of occasions in the crypt of the Roman Catholic church in Falmouth.

They played mostly covers, with one or two self-penned numbers, and built up quite a strong following locally, as well as enjoying a friendly rivalry with The Backstairs Influence.

 

The Aliens held a reunion gig at the Falmouth Rugby Club on Hallowe'en night in 2008. Rehearsals took place in Plymouth, near to where Alan now lives, and he thoroughly enjoyed picking up his bass for more-or-less the first time in forty years. His son, Rob, sat in on drums for the occasion, as Hugo now lives in the USA. Steve has continued singing, mostly in folk bands and as a solo performer in folk clubs in the Somerset area, and Paul has worked as a professional musician, gigging abroad and doing session work at various times. He still performs regularly in and around Falmouth.

Simon Robson has kindly added to the story

My earliest recollections are learning/practising/copying records in Allan's parents front room in Albany Place, Falmouth, circa 1962/3, with Allan on bass and myself on rythm guitar, Paul on lead and Hugo on drums to form the initial band, then also practising in Hugo's parents house on the corner of Marlborough and Albany Road, and then also in our cellar in Marlborough Avenue.

Practise was shared around whoever's house we could get into (without upsetting the neighbours too much - which inevitably happened !), but later-on we got, on occasion, permission to use Swanvale youth club hall and Labunum Hall, amongst others.

The first major "gig" I remember was played in a talent competition at the Methodist Youth club, (back of the Methodist Church on the Moor), in 1964, (met my then future wife at it - she was doing a St. Trinians act with some friends).

The Polytechnic Hall talent competition is still etched in my mind, especially the look of horror on the faces of some members of the audience, when the judges went off to deliberate, and I believe we volunteered to play during this as we had got the amps working again !

Being a "schoolboy" band we were not "cash rich" as they would say today, so much of our original equipment was home-made, including if I remember correctly, Allans bass guitar, and certainly my electric guitars (2) which were "projects" made during woodwork classes at Falmouth Grammar School, updating me from the Accoustic with the home made pick-up which you see in the picture.

Allan was our electronics wizard, and we made our own amplifiers, (originally using thermionic valves from old radio sets), plus our own pick-ups (from the handsets of old telephones). To buy my first "pro-built" amp, (a massive 15 Watts !), I worked every day of the summer holidays picking Strawberrys and Tomatoes at a market garden up off Bickland Water Road, back-breaking work !

As Steve says, we covered quite an eclectic mix ranging from The Big Three, to Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones to The Hollies via The Pretty Things, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, The Searchers, The Marauders, etc. and expanding on from there.

 
     
 

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Did you play in this band? If so please get in touch!
 
 
     

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