Tag Archives: The Alarm

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle.

The Alarm’s Mike Peters at the 02 Academy, Newcastle, 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

In troubled times, when the glow of the knife edge seems to radiating heat and venom beyond that which is tolerable in the world, Mike Peters words to The Alarm song Where Were You Hiding When The Storms Broke? seems to take on a meaning that makes the nerve endings in the spine shudder but with steely resolve not to be found wanting when the hard decision is put your way. It is in the courage of conviction to make the choice which will either see you popular or see you determined by history to be right.

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle. full post

(483 words, 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Strength (2015). Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Revolution or evolution, pretty much the end result is the same, things change and the old order is wept away; sometimes into obscurity, at others into the realms of fondness and nostalgia. Whichever way is chosen, what is always needed in the dark days after the shots have been fired and before the new way forges ahead, is Strength.

The Alarm, Strength (2015). Album Review. full post

(502 words, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Declaration (2014). Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The art of re-imagining, of taking something so pure and sometimes corrupting it just to suit your own ideal of perfection is one the most part an art to avoid, it never captures the spirit for which it is intended and can lead to frustration in many fans eyes.

Like Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes, it can be ridiculed and derided and whilst thankfully the new stories, effectively prequels in their own right can help get over the scorn in the public gaze, the image is still there forever imprinted into the retina.

The Alarm, Declaration (2014). Album Review. full post

(509 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Buffalo Summer, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Wales has always managed to hold onto its musical secrets until the right time comes along to unleash them upon the world in a blaze of Welsh pride, especially its rock groups. The Alarm, Manic Street Preachers, The Reasoning and The Stereophonics all have become household names over the decades not just in their home country but across the River Severn and through the mountains and hills of the North and invaded the collective music thought of the neighbours in England.

Buffalo Summer, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(362 words, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Gig Review. O2 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

There are homecomings for local heroes and then there are homecomings in which the performers on stage know that even they are from another town, another country, another place that they are so well thought of, so in tune with the indigenous psyche that they are welcome back time and time again. Such is that honour bestowed upon Mike Peters and The Alarm that to see the elder generation of fans who took the band to their hearts over 30 years ago, bouncing and enjoying the gig with a generation of fans young enough to be forgiven for following so called fashion rather decent quality is heart-warming and astounding.

The Alarm, Gig Review. O2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(475 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Mike Peters, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Mike Peters at the o2 Academy, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

It has to be said that Mike Peters really is the epitome of musicians who never know how to sit still and take in their place in society, nor can he ever be accused of giving anything less than 100 percent when he is on stage. Whether as part of one of the finest bands to come out of Wales, The Alarm, his occasional forays into the world of Big Country of which he has done a splendid job fronting or when it is just him, a guitar and a harmonica; he never ever gives less than the crowd deserves.

Mike Peters, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(511 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Gig Review. Carling Academy, Birmingham.

Originally published by The Birmingham Mail. July 2004.

Some years ago The Alarm were a band you either loved or loathed. The public mostly loved them, whereas certain areas of the establishment didn’t. Now, 20 years after their first album and almost completely new line up, The Alarm are back with music and lyrics that are just as potent as their early songs.

The new material matches up perfectly on stage with old favourites like Knife Edge and Marching On. The set opened with Coming Home from the new album In the Poppy Fields and onto Absolute Reality before heading back to the new record for Right Back Where I started From and the stunning Unexplained.

The Alarm, Gig Review. Carling Academy, Birmingham. full post

(221 words, estimated 53 secs reading time)

The Alarm, Direct Action. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. April 18th 2010.

Once more The Alarm release an album full of social commentary, hard hitting lyrics that will make you stop and think and above all, music that will make you want to sing along and go with the flow.

The album Direct Action seems like a wonderful reminder of the band’s previous releases, not only in name, but in the way the band have pieced the tracks together to show how little society has moved on in the years since the band unleashed their debut album Declaration onto an unsuspecting public in 1984.

The Alarm, Direct Action. Album Review. full post

(340 words, 1 image, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy Liverpool.

The Alarm in Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. May 4th 2010

The last night of a tour is always quite emotional for any band, but for Mike Peters and the Alarm it is always special when they finish their tour in Liverpool. Mike has a lot of affection for this city and it comes through in a lot of the lyrics that the band has written over the years.

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy Liverpool. full post

(451 words, 1 image, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. May 25th 2011.

For the second time in the space of six months Mike Peters strode onto the Liverpool Academy stage and wowed a crowd that for all intent purposes takes him to their heart as if he was from L1 and not from Prestatyn.

Back in January it was as lead vocalist for the reformed Big Country of which Mike was an avid fan and who was especially proud to front on the night as an invited guest for the much missed Stuart Adamson. On his return a few months later it was with his own band and one of the finest to come out of North Wales, The Alarm.

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(409 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)