Mike Peters is the most humble, kindest man you will ever meet. He truly loves his fans and will spend hours after his shows visiting and chatting with each and every one of them. The Alarm then and now will always be my favorite band. If you get a chance, check out The Alarm's newer albums. Personally, I believe Mike's music writing has gotten better in time (although the old stuff from the 80's holds a special place in my heart). Love Hope Strength
Love the album Journey. I saw him when he was touring with Big Country in Temecula, CA.. Spent about an hour after the show with him chatting and sharing stories. Great guy.
Mike Peters is a real rock and roll hero! I've seen him perform at 110 percent many times. He is a gracious and humble guy and I have met him several times. I continue praying for him to be healed from cancer and to have the strength to keep marching on! 🙏🙏🙏
During the tour for that album, after the concert at the Riviera in Chicago, the band came outside. They mingled with every single fan waiting, and honored every single request for an autograph, a photograph, or a brief chat. Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, and Twist were a class act! 😎
Whole-heartedly agree. In the late 90's I did some guitar tech work with a friend's band. Said band opened for Mike Peters at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Mike came on stage with an acoustic guitar and had only a mic and music stand with him for his play list. That man played for nearly 3 hours and was going stronger at the end than at the start. Truly a performance I will never forget. After the show he took the time to find and thank the opening band and we all got very firm hugs from him. Truly one of the kindest and most genuine men in all of music.
Change from The Alarm is a stonking album. Listen to No Frontiers and tell me this wasn’t a band in their prime. Shame it all fell apart with the dreadful follow up Raw which all but ended the band.
I have all the Alarm CDs, Mike's solo stuff, and his two Mike Peters &the Poets EPs. I really dig his stuff with Big Country (another favorite 80s band)
Great interview! These guys were at the door to become the next U2 at the end of the '80s. I highly recommend a listen to their 89's album Change. I read an interview a long time ago that even Bono and the U2 (they were friends since the early days and The Alarm supported U2 in many shows opening for them) guys thought that they would be huge, but somehow it never happened... Every rock band has a mature point in their life and once that point is reached and something big doesn't happen, the chances of survival start to diminish. Dear Professor of Rock, please you have to do a feature about the Change album! It's really is a fantastic work with absolutely no bad songs on it! Oh... by the way... Love, love, love your channel!!! It's one of the very best! Always great content, very well produced and you are a very cool host!!!!!!!! All the best from Brazil!!!!!!
I think the reason that they never became 'the next U2" is simply that their basic sound was too close to that of U2. Since U2 were both formed before the Alarm began recording and continued in the wake of the end of the Alarm, there was no 'in' for them to take on U2's mantle, the way Led Zeppelin became the worlds biggest band in the wake of the Beatles implosion.
Talk about a blast from the past! Met Redeye at their NYC pier show summer of something. Hell of a nice guy. Met Dave Sharp the same day. This band ALWAYS took time with their fans. And now I’m replacing my old vinyls, first purchase, The Stand.
Fantastic, Professor! Mike Peters is a fabulous front man who gives 100% in his live performances. He's always so personable and optimistic... I recall Brandon Flowers (The Killers) paying homage to him last year as he's a big fan of Mike's music. "Strength" and "Rescue Me" are truly two gems. Whoops, forgot "Absolute Reality"... so original!
When The Killers played Cardiff Castle, they snuck Rain In The Summertime into the set. Mike was there and his wife Jules - who was in on it - caught his reaction on her phone. You could literally see the penny drop and his grin of delight was just beautiful. 🤘☺️
Just found your channel and am highly impressed. The Alarms Strength was one of my favorite albums. Going through all your past videos now. Great stuff.
Happy 62nd Birthday Michael Leslie Peters 25/02/59 Prestatyn, Wales Your folksy / raspy voice is one of a kind. And so is The Alarm. Born same day as George Harrison too..
Love this guy! Saw the Alarm at Pine Knob - outdoor venue - in Detroit suburb in 90s. Didn’t know anything about his cancer until his moving little speech at the start of the show. I Love the music probably cuz of his heart-felt vibe. It’s great to see more of him & know he’s still with us. Thanks for having him on❣️
My favorite musician in the world. Saw the Alarm on the Strength tour in Michigan, the energy in the crowd was electric and one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I have met Mike a few times and he is the best, generous, humble and coolest person out there!
That song and band got me through some really tough times as a teenager. I was heartbroken when the original lineup called it quits. The VH1 reunion show gave me hope that they would put it back together. I’ve seen The Alarm the way it is now and I’ve seen him front for Big County and they were fantastic shows but there was musical magic in the original four guys playing together.
Advanced Living Totally agree, I seen them loads in Newcastle in the 80’s including 1985 the year when Bruce Springsteen played St James’s Park, home of Newcastle United. They were a great live band, and I continue to see them when they come to Newcastle. Real pity the original 4 are not together.
As a lifelong fan, I'm biased but I couldn't agree more. They deserved to be as big as their contemporaries and good friends U2 - in fact, Bono was always handing out The Alarm's tapes to journos when they toured together. In a weird way, though, I like that Mike & co remained hometown heroes and had the cult status they gained over years of hard work and great music. It grew them an incredible but tightly-knit fanbase who have become like a second family to many of its members - including me! ❤
I love how all the kiddies are gangster now about social activism, until they realize bands like The Alarm and U2 were doing it when their parents were toddlers.
When I was 14, my friend and I saw The Alarm play at the gymnasium at Cal State Fullerton. We saw them every single time they came to town after that. What a great show! They were the most amazing, giving, crowd focused band. I'll never forget going to the free UCLA concert and being right up at the front. They still remain the best band I've ever seen live. As a 14-year-old girl, I even imagined I'd grow up to marry Mike Peters. But, it was more than just cute guys and great songs for me. I had lost my 20-year-old cousin to a drunk driver at 12. And I was so full of grief and confusion. Then, a dear friend died in a car accident. The Alarm brought me closer to God. They were my church. They helped me through some very dark days. I'll never forget listening to that beautiful, heartfelt, raspy, smiling voice. Oh, how my friend and I loved this band. A few years back, I saw Mike Peters at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. Still great. Still speaking to and touching my soul.
It is very moving. He did an update of it with the current choir a few years ago. It is a great song. There is a version of it from 1989 on the BBC Wogan show as well.
Wow! Just found this! I'm so glad that someone besides me is a US Alarm fan! I've been a fan since the first EP, and I have not yet met anyone personally who's favorite band is also The Alarm. They're going to play Blaze of Glory at my funeral. Wanna talk about a band that saved your life? The Alarm is mine.
Wonderful interview. I remember being mesmerized by Spirit of 76 when I first heard it. One of those 'what the heck?' moments when everything froze except the music. The intro fades off and the drums & guitars hit - BOOM - instant Alarm fan. It felt foreign and close all at the same time.
I've been an Alarm fan since I was in school - I first heard them in Welsh as Yr Alarm and was gobsmacked and delighted to discover their English language back catalogue! In the 30-odd years since I first heard 'Crynu Dan Fy Nhraed' (aka Unsafe Building), I have had the enormous pleasure of meeting and chatting with Mike on many occasions. In fact, my son has grown up referring to him as 'Uncle Mike' (partly because of the white lie we once told his school about him being absent for a 'family reunion' which was actually The Alarm's legendary annual weekender The Gathering! 🤪) Mike, his wife Jules and their two lads Dylan and Evan are some of the nicest, kindest, most genuine people I have ever met from _any_ walk of life. They work hard, they love fiercely and they are always great company.
Professor very good content, like and subscribed. Have a question for you; Will there be a moment in your busy schedule to talk about Killing Joke? Thanks for such an excellent channel!
I was a MASSIVE fan of the Alarm, along with my high school boyfriend, and other fans, we slept outdoors for multiple nights, waiting in "line" for tickets to go on sale - in order to ensure front row seats for the show - this was at the Orpheum in Boston, typically, and after the shows we chased them all around the streets of Boston as though they were our very own Beatles! I MADE LIFELONG FRIENDS WAITING IN THOSE LINES. Anyone who wanted to could chat with Mike or Twist (Dave and Eddie were a little more difficult to chat with, they were just shyer). That is, if you were clever enough to call around to find out where they stayed, asking the hotel if the tour manager was staying there, or where the tour bus was parked at the venue. What an education in investigative methods! I wasn't lucky enough or old enough to see them open for U2 in 83, but from 84-87 I attended any Boston stops and outside the city, too, in CT or RI or NY, as far as our cars could take us. Their honesty spoke to those of us who were too young to be "real" punk, but still fired up with all that youthful rebellion, and this band's music was a wicked positive outlet for that. When the Stand would come on MTV, I was completely smitten -moved to chase down whatever I could regarding them. The hairspray from those shows could have burned down the entire city of Boston! Now that I've lived a full life, with many high ups and very low downs, the music still stands, and just like Mike said here, from a very diff perspective the song meaning is even more profound. I love you guys. You made my teens more livable, and I found acceptance in those fans and in those albums. It brings tears to my eyes now. I don't think the Orpheum's structure will ever be the same after they played there, the balcony has more bounce thanks to them.
This is a great comment if I may say so. I have been a fan of The Alarm since the eighties and they really were an amazing band. I lost interest in the mark two iteration but think the first Mike Peters solo album is very powerful. I never saw The Alarm live but have seen him solo electric and solo a few times. I can still remember him opening with Poetic Justice in a small venue in St Albans, not far from London in the 1990s. This obviously pales compared to your experience of seeing the band. It is great to read how much it meant and still does, and about the lasting friendships formed as a result of following the band. It is hard to distil the magic of the band into a couple of sentences but what first drew me to them was the energy and power of the melodies, and the way they channelled the spirit of The Clash and punk more widely. I am 53 now and was never into punk but I understood how it changed the entire musical landscape for good (and improved it immeasurably). I still think The Alarm were better than U2 although I like some of the latter's music, mainly from the eighties. Not that it really matters in the big scheme of things, but if there was any justice The Alarm would have been the more successful of the two as they were tipped to be originally. The Song That Changed My Life segment on You Tube with Mike talking about how In A Big Country by Big Country inspired him is so moving. He is an inspirational figure not just musically but for his strength of character and authenticity. A lot of rubbish is written on You Tube but your comment stood out as an exception!
Where do I start with the Alarm? From seeing them for the first time on Top of the Pops performing 68 Guns, playing Declaration (their first, and in my view best, album) over and over again in my early teens, seeing them support Queen (on a bill alongside Status Quo and INXS) in 1986 at Wembley Stadium and then again at a smaller gig at the Cambridge Corn Exchange a few years later, to in more recent years getting my teenagers to listen to them with me in the car. One of my favourite bands of all time and so massively underrated.
Gotta love it when a musician you like listening to is as likeable as their songs. My only issue with the interview..........I wish it kept going. :) Great job by both guys.
Cover more from The Alarm and Mike Peters. Sold Me Down The River would be a great one. His guitarist is James Stevenson of Gene Loves Jezebel. Cover Desire too.
Just watching your channel. It was nice to see Mike Peters. In the 80s, I was more of The Alarm fan than U2 and in many ways still arm. I will go Marching On.
Love Mike love The Alarm, past & present. Strength has been with me since I got it aged 14 on day of its release way way back in 1985. Remember being blown away by guitars on 7” single, then completely falling in love with full length version on album. Strength like all Mikes songs have been with me in good & bad times. Shaped my outlook. Thank for this post.
Sooooo excited to see Mike on your show. The Alarm truly was (is) one of the best bands to walk out on a stage and fully engage emotionally with their audience. Seeing them live (I was blessed to see them perform live 3 times in the 90s) would leave your speechless. Partly because how dynamic/musically talented they were and partly because you were so horse from singing with them during each song. Much of their set list on shows I saw were anthemic in nature. Thanks for featuring one of the best and if you could slide Big Country and Til Tuesday into your interview schedule I would be eternally grateful. 😄
So many great alarm songs all overlooked in error. Great music to be heard. Thanks for bringing an under appreciated music hero forward to inspire us all.
Saw them in Dallas, Texas in 1985 for the Strength tour. They sounded amazing. No auto tune and the only extra musician they had was the pianist. They sounded better than the album. I have all their recordings. Even some really obscure stuff. I love the Alarm in my youth. Their music got me through many dark times.
I got to see them live on this tour in ‘85. A smaller venue on a college campus. They were AWESOME 👏. I’ll never forget it. My first attended ‘Intimate’ performance. Afterwards, all four came out and greeted us, thanked us for coming, signed autographs, it was amazing, especially for a teenager. They were a fantastic band. Still my favorite album by them.
In my eyes the first FOUR albums are fantastic - CHANGE is one of my alltime favourite albums and it is the reason why I discovered The Alarm in 1989 (being a 13 years old teenager) and still love the band. I am happy that I could make it several times to The Gathering in Llandudno.
I was along HWY 1 and I was dining at Duartes Tavern in Pescadero, CA with my parents. We were at a large table, so the restaurant sat a couple at the table with us. This was in 2015. Anyway, we all got to chatting at the table and the guy ended up being the drummer for The Alarm. He really didn't tip his hand as to who he was, but I had remembered Mark Goodman raving about the song on MTV and the drums and how the clubs in New York would blow every one away with that song and drums back in '85. I think he liked that. Mostly my parents liked his dry UK style humor...
THE band of my college years. Lucky enough to see them in 85, 86 and met Mike in 88 before a show where I was able to be right up front singing my heart out with the band. One of my favorite memories ever. Btw.. Only the Thunder from that Album is poetry .... 😁
3 Chords and the truth. 6 LPs and a T-shirt: 1 - Tom T Hall "Greatest Hits, Volume 2" 1975 2 - Jefferson Starship "Freedom at Point Zero" 1979 3 - Eddie & The Cruisers OST 1983 4 - Jim Croce "Life and Times" 1973 (Second appearance of this one) 5 - 6 - I feel like I should know this one. Adam is wearing a Beatles Please Please Me shirt. GGGWY!
Amazing. Thank you. The Alarm were underrated I'm the U.S.. I have actually revisited them lately and I have discovered a new-found respect for their music. Thanks for the interview and thank you to The Alarm.
thanks for doing this one. The Alarm has been one of my favorites since Declaration. I had the chance to chat with Mike at SXSW in Austin a few years ago. He's very friendly and truly a humble, regular kind of guy. They were playing a tune-up gig at a small bar and I was front row, 3 feet away. This was when 'Under Attack' came out - definitely one of the best Alarm albums. How about interviewing Echo & The Bunnymen (Ian and Will) if Ian would ever do it. He's a little like Morrisey so good luck lol but they are an excellent band from the 80s and still going strong today.
Saw The Alarm, Echo and The Bunnymen,The Icicle Works, U2 at the same venue between 1983 and 1984.The Alarm did two dates, as did Echo. U2 blew up.But they are all fantastic.
I bought the record and side A (titles) was missing. The record was still warm. It was sticky. I think that I was one of he first owners of the record. I think the records were printed in Haarlem (Holland).
"Strength" is my favorite song by the Alarm. I listen to it whenever I am going thru a rough patch. The song energizes me. I feel better after listening to it.
Thank you for perspective on one of my all time favorites. I listened to this interview while finishing my 4th Alarm karaoke track "Spirit of '76" and send many prayers for Mike's recovery. I didn't even know about the first or second leukemia diagnosis until a follower mentioned it. Be well Mike! You are in my prayers
For me.. growing up in the early 80s - I woke up MUSICALLY to two bands.. first there was U2 - what a musical revoloution!! Then... this little band came along - with their ENERGY and perfect pop/rocksongs that had such excellent lyrics - The Alarm!! Two bands that I will never, ever stop loving... needing... wanting!
The Alarm is the most underrated band ever... with the most underrated lead singer ever... got all their albums... plus a few 12" singles... met Mike after a gig (dead men walking)... he was so warm and honest... Pete Wylie was a bit loud!
BITD I picked a couple of cut-outs from Bleeker Street Bob’s and one was The Alarm; back in The U of D they came through and played at the STONE BALLOON in Newark, Delaware which holds about 75-100..that 1 show was the best show ever beating the pre-War U2 concerts. When we were leaving Mike was at the alley door and we got to talking..and he is a down to earth guy, no rock star posturing.. I continue to wish him well ; the man deserves it making people happy with music is a well spent life.
