The Aliens is a Scottish band consisting of former Beta Band members Gordon Anderson (lead vocals, guitar), John Maclean (keyboards, backing vocals) and Robin Jones (drums, backing vocals).

The Aliens formed in 2005, one year after The Beta Band split. Influenced by artists such as Serge Gainsbourg, The Stone Roses, The Beatles, The Who, David Bowie and The Doors, The Aliens have an upbeat and psychedelic pop sound, which differs quite notably in comparison to the trip hop style of The Beta Band.

The Aliens released their debut EP ‘Alienoid Starmonica’ in May 2006 on their own EMI imprint Pet Rock. This was followed by the release of their debut full-length album ‘Astronomy For dogs’ in March 2007. The band produced the album themselves and scheduled its release to coincide with a ten-date tour, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to Gordon Anderson breaking his clavicle whilst climbing a tree.

The band recently announced on their official website that they are currently working on their sophomore album which should be released in September this year and will be titled ‘Luna’.

Unfortunately, during spring this year the band had to cancel all of their shows other than festival appearances due to the increasing ill health of Gordon Anderson who has suffered with bouts of mental delusions. Gordon speaks of his illness:

"I was doing a lot of mushrooms, LSD, dope. I did 40 mushrooms every night for two months. Just writing songs and getting hammered on mushrooms - great fun!"

Then the fun ended abruptly.

"My illness took over," he says. "I'd just be putting some milk back in the fridge or something, and I'd feel this presence growing inside me. Completely evil, demonic, worse than you can imagine. At first it was in my legs, then it was climbing up my insides. I'd try and do paintings to bring out what was inside - pictures with flames coming out of me. But it just got worse. I felt there was something dwelling behind my soul, in the back of my head, creeping up on me. So I'd be hunched up, fearful and scared of everybody. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. I was like a zombie. It took five months for this thing to completely overtake me."

It became obvious that Gordon couldn't continue with the band, so he returned home to Scotland for psychiatric treatment. Scary what a few mushrooms can do...

"It wasn't the mushrooms," insists Gordon. "I feel it was a classic case of demonic possession. You read about these things, but you don't think it actually happens to people. I became a different character - something that wasn't me possessed me. It sat inside me, controlling everything. It was saying 'Murrrrdur! Murrrdur!' It got to the point where a voice in my head was telling me to kill my twin brother, Ian. I'd be with him and the voice would be hissing at me, 'Kill him. Kill him now. Kill him now. Kill. Him. Now.' They were spirit voices. You couldn't see them, but you could hear them sitting in the corner of the room. I had conversations with them."

Thankfully the voice didn’t manage to take over, and Gordon found the help to battle his demons through Jesus and his friends. "Something dragged me through the darkness for a long time, and now something's taken me back out the other end. All I can say is thanks a lot."