The Alarm 1991-??-??
Brixton Academy, London, England
Set 1
Blaze Of Glory (Acapella)
Rockin' In The Free World
Sixty Eight Guns
Raw
Devolution Working Man Blues
Howling Wind
Rain In The Summertime
Strength
Sold Me Down The River
Spirit Of '76
Rescue Me
Moments In Time
Blaze Of Glory
Rockin' In The Free World
Sixty Eight Guns
Raw
Devolution Working Man Blues
Howling Wind
Rain In The Summertime
Strength
Sold Me Down The River
Spirit Of '76
Rescue Me
Moments In Time
Blaze Of Glory
Set 2
Set 3
Comment
The Alarm began rather inauspiciously in 1978 as a band name "Seventeen", formed in the North Wales town of Rhyl, in the wake of an explosive punk scene that was then whimpering towards the 80's. Each member of "Seventeen" had spent several years languishing in rock and punk bands around and in the vacinity of Rhyl. They had all known or known-of each other since their pre-teen years, and had played together in previous bands. Formed from the demise of such memorable stalwarts as "The Toilets" (Mike Peters, Nigel Twist), "Quasimodo", (Dave Sharp, Nigel Twist), "Chuck Burial And The Embalmed" (Dave Sharp), "Pax" (Dave Sharp, Nigel Twist), and "Amsterdam" (Eddie MacDonald), "Seventeen's" ideals were much like those previous bands'. They were going to muster the teenagers, sign a record deal, hit it big on Radio 1 and conquer the world. "Seventeen" tried to achieve their lofty goals in a rather ordinary way with ordinary results. They played reasonably competent, yet unremarkable, mod-flavored power-pop, inspired by the popular styles of the day ("The Jam", "Rich Kids"). By 1981 they had released a go-nowhere single ("Don't Let Go" b/w "Bank Holiday Weekend" )on an independent label, and were kicked off a tour with Dexy's Midnight Runners after one show. While things looked bleak, they went on hiatus for a few months, and ended up rediscovering why they wanted to be in a band in the first place.
By the Autumn of 1981, The Alarm were making a name for themselves playing shows all over London and the surrounding area. They stormed the clubs, playing acoustic punk with an intensity that few had witnessed since the punk heyday 5 years prior. Working with nearly all acoustic instruments, they bashed out their inspirational, observational, and political anthems to any audience that would hear them. By this time, the roles of each band member had been clearly laid-out. Mike Peters was the main lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Dave Sharp became the lead guitarist, and sometimes lead vocalist. Eddie MacDonald became full-time bass player, and Nigel Twist continued to play drums. The Alarm differentiated themselves on stage by wearing cowboy and cavalry clothes and spiking their hair in a ceiling-scraping, electric shock style that gained them instant notoriety within the ranks of club-going music fans. The style of the band's clothes and hair may have gotten people to stop and listen but it was honesty and sincerity put-forth in the music that kept people coming back. Ultimately, the vinyl single was the killer element, giving new fans something to take home, and record company men something to listen to.
To support the?Raw? album, the band embarked on a tour of the USA, Europe, and the UK culminating in a final show, June 30th, at Brixton Academy. The tour had gone amazingly well. The band was in top form, playing a sweaty, blistering set of their best live material night in and out. Fans who had been dismayed by circulating rumors of The Alarm's imminent demise were re-invigorated by the quality of the live shows. However, it would not last long. The behind-the-scenes feuds continued throughout the entire tour, and by the time the Brixton show arrived Mike Peters had decided to leave the band. Instead of announcing his decision to the papers, or quietly telling his band-mates, he decided to first tell the people that mattered to him most, the fans, even if it meant leaving the rest of the band in the dark until the last possible second. During the show, he substituted the lyrics in "Moments In Time" with more revealing ones, adding "This Is My Swan Song" to the chorus. When the band started playing the final song of the night, "Blaze Of Glory", Peters told the audience "this is my final moment with The Alarm". He finished the song, and as the strains of the audience shouted the song's timeless refrain over and over, he left the stage and The Alarm forever.
6/30/1991 was their last show with the original lineup...Mike quit the band onstage.
By the Autumn of 1981, The Alarm were making a name for themselves playing shows all over London and the surrounding area. They stormed the clubs, playing acoustic punk with an intensity that few had witnessed since the punk heyday 5 years prior. Working with nearly all acoustic instruments, they bashed out their inspirational, observational, and political anthems to any audience that would hear them. By this time, the roles of each band member had been clearly laid-out. Mike Peters was the main lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Dave Sharp became the lead guitarist, and sometimes lead vocalist. Eddie MacDonald became full-time bass player, and Nigel Twist continued to play drums. The Alarm differentiated themselves on stage by wearing cowboy and cavalry clothes and spiking their hair in a ceiling-scraping, electric shock style that gained them instant notoriety within the ranks of club-going music fans. The style of the band's clothes and hair may have gotten people to stop and listen but it was honesty and sincerity put-forth in the music that kept people coming back. Ultimately, the vinyl single was the killer element, giving new fans something to take home, and record company men something to listen to.
To support the?Raw? album, the band embarked on a tour of the USA, Europe, and the UK culminating in a final show, June 30th, at Brixton Academy. The tour had gone amazingly well. The band was in top form, playing a sweaty, blistering set of their best live material night in and out. Fans who had been dismayed by circulating rumors of The Alarm's imminent demise were re-invigorated by the quality of the live shows. However, it would not last long. The behind-the-scenes feuds continued throughout the entire tour, and by the time the Brixton show arrived Mike Peters had decided to leave the band. Instead of announcing his decision to the papers, or quietly telling his band-mates, he decided to first tell the people that mattered to him most, the fans, even if it meant leaving the rest of the band in the dark until the last possible second. During the show, he substituted the lyrics in "Moments In Time" with more revealing ones, adding "This Is My Swan Song" to the chorus. When the band started playing the final song of the night, "Blaze Of Glory", Peters told the audience "this is my final moment with The Alarm". He finished the song, and as the strains of the audience shouted the song's timeless refrain over and over, he left the stage and The Alarm forever.
6/30/1991 was their last show with the original lineup...Mike quit the band onstage.
Sources
| SHNID | Date | Venue | City | State | Archive Identifier |
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Created At
Thu Feb 23 2006 19:19:21 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Updated At
Mon Aug 18 2003 09:06:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
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