The Alarm - Direct Action
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The Brand New Album
‘Direct Action’ features 14 new recordings for 2010 and is released with a unique CD & DVD package which contains brand new performance videos for 11 of the album's featured tracks and a further two bonus videos for songs that only appear on the DVD. The CD / DVD package is only be available exclusively via www.thealarm.com. 'Direct Action' is also available as a download at most online retailers - the download version also features a bonus track unavailable elsewhere.
Release The Pressure Tour
The 'Release The Pressure' Tour was the biggest UK tour for many years with many packed and sold out performances. This will be followed by appearances at some of the best music festivals of the summer, commencing with a Sunday June 13th appearance at the legendary 'Isle Of Wight' Festival (on the same day as Paul McCartney). The Alarm will also be appearing at the Levellers' 'Beautiful Days' Festival Saturday August 21st, and also at Ireland's 'Electric Picnic' on September 4th (with PIL and Roxy Music amongst others....).
Direct Acoustic Tour
Later in the summer Mike will embark on his largest solo outing ever, playing the 'Direct Acoustic' tour in venues up and down the country.
How It All Started
Sessions for ‘Direct Action’ began within the framework of the Alarm's internet-only 'Counter Attack Collective' project that also gave birth to the acclaimed 'Guerilla Tactics' album. Once the new album's opening salvo of 'Direct Action' and 'Release The Pressure' have sounded, it's obvious that this album carries on from exactly where Guerilla Tactics left off. Three songs in however, and we begin to hear echoes of earlier Alarm signature themes with Mike Peters' trademark Acoustic coming to the fore on many of the tracks, including the surging 'Plastic Carrier Bags' and electro acoustic-blues rocker, 'CHANGE III''. 'Direct Action' also features a unique cover of New York songwriter Willie Nile's classic 'One Guitar' that has a slow burn acoustic intro before exploding to life in classic Alarm fashion. 'Direct Action' is lyrically upbeat with strong positive themes throughout. Mike Peters and co. were still recording right up to the last second and although two years in the making, ‘Direct Action’ is as fresh as a record could ever be.
The initial recordings for 'Direct Action' were embellished last summer with producer Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses) in Los Angeles, California . Gilby Clarke was / is responsible for the guitar-driven power mix of both Guerilla Tactics and half of ‘Direct Action’. This time around though, Mike Peters decided to mix it up a bit more and cut even more tracks back in Wales, resulting in the title track ‘Direct Action’ itself and the timely 'Release the Pressure', which features a special guest appearance from The Beat's Ranking Roger (Roger helped to write some of the lyrics and provide those distinctive backing vocals). The tracks 'Control' and 'One Guitar' were added during a final recording session in Wales last month as was 'Change III'.
The sound of 'Direct Action' is the sound of The Alarm right up to the minute and explores themes of change and the ways in which change impacts on our daily lives. 'Direct Action's main tenet is in how to deal with that change and the diverse emotions that it brings out in all of us. Lyrically, it challenges the listener to not be afraid of change but to take positive action or as the title track declares in it's first verse, 'To find inspiration where there is none." Perhaps the lyric that sums up ‘Direct Action’ best can be found in the simple Mike Peters' acoustic performance of 'Badge Of Honour' [Part Two] where he sings "It's up to us to make a truce, up to us to broker peace, up to us to find the words that will make or break us".
Available to order direct from www.thealarm.com.