Earlier this year THE ALARM struck a cunning blow to the music press and indeed proved that image over music is the important requirement of today’s clique-rock climate. By releasing a single ("45RPM") under the pseudonym The Poppyfields, only to see it shoot into the top 30, they won the battle over their NMES and everyone else who has been busy writing them off for more than 20 years!
Touring with this new line-up, (including members hailing from such rock royalty as The Cult, Sisters of Mercy and Stiff Little Fingers), Mike Peters is brimming with the confidence born from years of experience and a devoted fan base. From the moment he bounds onto the Academy stage, straggly-haired in stars & stripes, the crowd surges forward and doesn’t stop jumping until the set ends. The crowd consists roughly 50/50 of those who remember The Alarm’s rousing rock & roll and have held it in their hearts over the years, and those, much younger, who have discovered the band on the back of the new trend in retro rock.
Peters' trademark gruff falsetto carries us through all the old classics and the new "In The Poppyfields" tracks – each one sounding like an anthem in its own right. The Alarm’s live sound, full and big, captures the enthusiasm of the Academy crowd and doesn’t let go. Beefy guitars, acoustic intros and good old-fashioned rock & roll combine to create an energy and passion that is sadly missing from many new bands today.
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Although the eighties favourites are always great to hear, the new material is particularly interesting. Influences of their original peers – Big Country, The Clash and of course the original Alarm sound –all combine with a contemporary energy to produce a retro rock sound which would have many bright young bands looking over their shoulders. Muse’s Matt Bellamy, in particular, may be closely watching this new upstart that is Mike Peters!
The set ends on a predictably crowd-pleasing note and the black-clad punks are roused into a jumping mass of nostalgia. The new fans seem a little bemused, but you just know they’ll be going home to play their Alarm CDs on loud (the real fans of course still own their vinyl copies!). The message overall though is loud (very!) and clear – scuffed'n'proud retro rock is back with a vengeance. Not that it ever really went away, did it?
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