The Alarm
Back in the 80s, The Alarm were real contenders, one of the hottest live bands around. Born out of the punk explosion, the band burst out of Wales with a sound described as Bob Dylan meets The Clash. That was not a bad description for the band’s fiery mix of folk and punk and is (almost) as relevant now as it was then.
Last time I saw a set of Alarm songs played here, it was Mike Peters presents The Alarm, essentially erstwhile Alarm mainman Peters doing a karaoke version of his band by singing and playing guitar over backing tapes. For all that, it was an excellent night and so I was looking forward to this.
Tonight is not the classic line-up of the band. Here, Peters is more than ably backed up by wife Jules on keys, Smiley on drums and Gene Loves Jezebel, Gen X, Cult, Holy Holy and Chelsea man James Stevenson on guitar and bass. All three supply the gang-chorus backing vocals so essential to this band’s anthemic sound.
Mike Peters is clearly the centre of attention. Like the … present The Alarm show, there are three mic stands, a small bass drum and a snare stage front. Peters makes use of all three mics, leaping and bounding between them like a man possessed for the whole set. Smiley and Jules are, as is to be expected, rooted behind the kit and keys, respectively. Less expectedly, for the most part Stevenson is anchored stage left, between amp and mic-stand and outside of what could be called Peters’ territory. Whatever, all four of them are clearly having a ball up there and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
With a main set taking in fourteen songs, an encore of another eleven (!) and a running time of almost exactly two hours, picking highlights is difficult. From the main set, I’ll go for a storming Absolute Reality, Rain In The Summertime, Cenotaph from Peters’ mid-set three solo performance, Spirit of ’76 (the intro to which almost always brings me close to tears) and the stomping finale of Blaze of Glory. In the encore, I can’t really look past My Town, 45 RPM, Sixty Eight Guns and the ever mighty Strength.
In summary, The Alarm deliver a passionate, storming set that has to be seen to be believed. The music might not be to everyone’s tastes, the band may be so unfashionable as to be virtually verboten in today’s music press but the commitment and sheer energy on display has to be praised. There is many a young band that could learn a lot from this show.
A quick word about opener Dave Sharp. For those in the know, Sharp is greeted like a bit of a hero, having been the guitarist in the original line-up of The Alarm. It seems that most here do not know who he is as there is a fair amount of chatter a certain lack of attention during his set. Performing with just voice, guitar and harmonica, Sharp is perhaps not the most attention-grabbing solo artist. For all that said, he plays with a certain charm and commitment.
As an afterword, it is unlikely that a review of The Alarm these days will not mention the C-word. Yep, cancer. Mike Peters has come through several bouts of treatment for lymphoma and leukaemia whilst Jules Peters is recovering from treatment for breast cancer (both of which make the level of tonight’s performance all the more extraordinary). Tonight, the DKMS Foundation is in attendance as part of the band’s drive to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donors. Further information can be found at www.dkms.org.uk, www.anthonynolan.org and www.lovehopestrength.co.uk.
And finally, Ipswich’s New Wolsey Theatre is currently hosting Oxy and The Morons, a musical co-written by Mike Peters, Paul Sirrett and Steve Allan Jones taking in punk rock, cancer and more. It finishes this Saturday, 21st October. I have not seen it but, by all accounts, it is well worth catching.
