http://micksinclair.com/zigzag/alarmzz.html

So most of us were half a mile back from the stage in the heaving, sweating darkness but returning after a six month British absence The Alarm were bound to break down all the barriers and set Heaven alight. Sure enough by the middle of the second number 'Where Were You Hiding?' the venue was transformed into the Cardiff Arms Park of punk - the roaring hymns and driving anthems, the religious intensity of the experience as everyone but everyone got caught up in this whirlwind of sound. The thrashing-crashing anger of the rhythm section, the deadly serious conviction of Dave Sharpe on guitar and the serene and smiling countenance of conductor Mike Peters looking down lovingly on the mass of devotees.

The new material seemed strong, particularly the cliché-free, chant-inducing 'Absolute Reality` and the new single 'The Chant' with its clever harmonising and occasional acapella moments - definitely a progression but definitely The Alarm. But the main attraction was the classics - the vehemently rootsy 'Howling Wind`; the melodious poetry of 'Deceiver' with Peters mimicking his hero on harmonica; the interminable acoustic intro to the power and story of 'Meet Your Maker' and the beautiful gospelly-thrash of 'This Train Is Bound For Glory'. And for afters? What else but the might and passion of '68 Guns` and 'Blaze of Glory'.

Sweat - the body’s signal of satisfaction. And this gig couldn't have been damper had it been an underwater benefit for Jacques Cousteau. The Alarm - you don't analyse, you just get out of bed.

INTERVIEW: Before Kloten Festival, May 1984

Notes: A well meaning, but hard to understand

German speaking Swiss

girl interviewed the band. Her questions

are denoted with

'I:'.

I: "I just told People, umm, That you are using

mostly

acoustic guitars, and ah, not any synthesizers,

and this is very

rare nowadays, and why do you use no synthesizers?"

Mike: "Well we just tend to think of ourselves

as a band that writes

songs, songs are written on guitars, songs

are written by human

beings, not by machines. You know, we

do the synthesizer a

little bit, but only as a musical instrument,

not as something

to take over the people, because music

is about emotion, and we

show out emotions live on stage, that's

what it is all about.

I: "So you are a real live band then, and we'll

see you tonight, but

what is, what are you doing tonight? In Switzerland

you are not

as well known as in England, how do you conquer

a new audience?"

Twist: "Play live basically."

I: "Play loud hehe..."

Twist: "No, live, playing live"

I: "What does it mean"

Twist: "It means we enjoy playing live shows,

which is what we are

doing tonight"

I: "And then you come over to them?"

Twist: "Oh yeah, yeah, definitely"

Dave: "Just want to say hello to Switzerland

basically, 'cause we

haven't been here before. Hello"

Twist: (laughs)

Mike: (laughs)

I: "You are compared to great groups like U2,

Clash, and even The

Rolling Stones and Who, so what do you think

of that?"

Mike: "We don't mind, if you are going to

get compared, get compared

to the best,... you know, as we are a song

writin' band, and

all groups who have great songs, we pride

ourselves that we

have, and, ya know, if we've been talked

of in that company,

that must all get well for the future."

I: "But...is Alarm different to other groups

now coming from

England?"

Mike: "Were here in Switzerland, and their

not."

I: "Ok, let's play live..but a, you were touring

with The Pretenders

and the U2 in America, how was it?"

Mike: "It was a great opportunity, ya know,

we are alive band, and

that gave us an opportunity to play live

in front of somebody

else's audience, ya know, we went out there

to nick the

audience, and we managed to establish ourselves

as a headline

act in America in our own right, and we

hope to be doing that

here in Switzerland tonight, it is our

first ever live concert,

although we did the ???? Pop Festival once

but that was miming,

but now we are here to show what we can

really do as a live

group."

I: "You told me before I talked to you, you

are still fans from U2

and

so on, and how do you show this, that you are

fans?"

Dave: "Well, we always have been, and we

always will be fans of music,

we appreciate all different kinds of bands,

we just like to

feel

that we can be like everyone out there

ya know."

I: "Ok let's go, huh"

Notes:

The Alarm go out and play a short, but good show

including the songs:

-Declaration

-Marching On

-Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?

-Howling Wind

-Third Light

-The Chant

-The Stand

-68 Guns

-Bound For Glory

This show is available on a few different bootleg

CDs, for example:

-The Alarm, Live in Switzerland 1989

-The Alarm, Live In Switzerland 1984

Transcribed by Steve Fulton, 4-16-95

The Alarm may look like desperado bandits fresh off the cattle truck from Mexico, but in reality you couldn’t hope to meet four nicer boys; honest! The clothes may be black and menacing, the haircuts stiff and spiky, but underneath the tough exterior The Alarm heart ticks to a happy beat!

The four musicians from Rhyl in North Wales suddenly found their world turned upside down when their single, “68 Guns”, shot into the charts back in September ’83.

“We were touring America at the time,” says guitarist Eddie McDonald, “and although we had faith in the record, we didn’t think it would go so high.”

But when it surfaced at number 50, the band was travelling by van to Boston and had no idea that they were required for their very first “Top of the Pops” appearance back in London. Patrol cars had to be sent screaming down the highway after them to relay the news and the band duly caught the next flight back to England. For The Alarm, this chaotic routine was to become a way of life over the next few months.

In the little seaside town where they grey up, they all joined different bands, but all four knew that one day they would form a band together, They waited for the right time, the right attitudes, and the right songs. The enthusiasm had always been there.

“I was in my first band when I was nine,” laughs drummer Twist. “I had one single drum and Dave had an acoustic guitar. It’s funny, it was just a hobby then. I only wanted to become a musician later on in life. At that age I wanted to be a pilot or a bio-chemist!”

Eddie, on the other hand, didn’t have any doubts about his future career.

“I was smitten by the whole music scene when I was twelve,” he recalls. “I bought my first record and I went to my first gig and after that nothing would stop me. Every spare penny I had was spent on records, posters and music papers.”

Some years later, the same kind of dedication was put into action. The Alarm had formed and realised there were limits to the success they could achieve in their home town. They made the brave decision to pack their bags and head for London. Mike, Dave and Eddie shared a tiny flat in Battersea, while Twist lived two miles down the road because they couldn’t find a place which would hold them all (Awwww!).

“At some points, the only thing that kept us going was our beliefs in the band,” states Eddie, “but that’s all we needed.” The Alarm have always been very good friends and the only thing that causes arguments between them is music.

“We never fight over girls,” says Eddie. “That’s totally stupid!” Whenever one of them gets down or feels lonely or homesick, the other three will rally round and cheer him up again; qualities which were needed when the group embarked on their first long tour of America,

The first time they visited the States they played support to U2; when they returned earlier this year it was to headline in their own right.

Touring America has brought it’s own rewards for The Alarm, including the many new additions to their wardrobe.

“Every time we stopped at a new town,” says Twist, “it was always straight into the nearest clothes shop to see what we could buy.” Prized possessions include the studded belts and beautiful intricate buckles which have become as much a part of their image as their cowboy boots.

But as The Alarm become more popular, less time is available for the little pleasures in life, like shopping.

“We don’t really live anywhere now,” says Eddie. “We live permanently out of suitcases. We’ve travelled so much and seen so many places, but we love it. The road has been very good to us so far, we’ve got a really good audience in this country and we’re building a good audience in America. It’s getting really exciting as more and more people start to discover the band.”

And it’s just as exciting for those who have always known the band. “Our parents have always been right behind us,” says Eddie. I know it sounds daft, but it’s just when you’re travelling up and down the country, living out of a van and you haven’t got any money and you desperately want a new pair of jeans, that’s the time your parents will help. It’s just the little things like that all the way along that keep you going.”

“The most Important thing to the group is feel”, says leas vocalist Mike Peters, both in the studio and in live performances. We try to inject our personalities into everything we do, and if it doesn’t feel 100 per cent right, we just don’t do it.”

And this is something that they project through their music.

“We don’t exactly have a message for everyone,” concludes Eddie, “it’s more something which we’ve learned through our own personal experience. When times are hard or difficult, we’re trying to uplift people. We believe a lot in personal experience. When times are hard or difficult, we’re trying to uplift people. We believe a lot in personal ambition; people tend to get stopped at the first hurdle in life and we think that you should never stop. You’ve got to keep going, get over that fence.

The Alarm themselves have crossed many bridges and jumped lots of fences. Let’s hope they stay the course for a long time to come!

Your reaction to this album will probably depend upon whether or not you've already come to any conclusions regarding one of the most popular touring bands of the last few months.

If you've decided that the Alarm have come along by way of replacement for the Clash, you're not only mistaken (on more than one count but you're also going to be extremity disappointed. Indeed, those who have misinterpreted what the Alarm are about will probably claim that this album effectively chronicles their downfall.


Alternatively, if you re looking for a reasonably honest bunch of blokes who play fairly excitable; certainly accessible, quality pop songs - with a lyrical content stronger than 99 per cent of other chart material - then you need look no further.


The Alarm have come clean worth ‘Declaration', proving that they owe much more to the early-Sixties style of protest song than they do to the anarchist charge of the late Seventies. Undeniably Dylan-influenced (right down to the sleeve design complete with cryptic poetical banter) Mike, Dave, Eddie and Twist offer up a collection of songs to guide the new generation through the tunnel of terror created by their predecessors.

An immediate favourite, ‘Marching On’ is a clear and provocative youth anthem which tactfully, or tactically, steers clear of party political lines. Instead it offers a straightforward chant urging our elders to "Take a Iook at what you've created."


No collection of protest songs could be complete without an anti-war number or two, and the Alarm present us with a scorcher in 'Third Light', a song questioning the role of patriots in the nuclear age. Sadly though they chose to almost totally mix out the lyric concerning the real crux of the matter.


With haunting harmonica, numerous hints of winds blowing and the direct reference to his classic 'Forever Young' (in '68 Guns'), The Alarm don't try to hide their respect for Bob Dylan. With this in mind, I found perhaps the most stimulating song on the album to be 'Shout To The Devil'. Built upon a backing riff reminiscent of the American's '(Most Likely) You'll Go Yom Way And I'll Go Mine', we must assume that the similarity is deliberate and that the Alarm are now seemingly dishing out directives to their “preacher/teacher", as well as to anyone else who they feel is in need of advice on modern morality.


An album which will be remembered, and I hope not regretted, for its bold sense of optimism, 'Declaration' can be stamped both intriguing and exciting. More than just a worthy debut, it's sure to be enough for the time being.

http://micksinclair.com/sounds/alarm2.html

This powerful, articulate, and alarming Declaration of desperation, anger, frustration, and ardent passionate dedication to their cause makes "Declaration" by the Alarm a must for all who are troubled by the lack of control young people experience in longing to order their destiny and affect change. For those who lived through the sixties, it is a re-declaration and challenge to continue questioning and hopefully changing a society that refuses to acknowledge the cries of it's wounded and disillusioned youth. Leading off with "Marching On" which affirms the need to band together, followed by "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke," challenging those too fearful to fight, this thoughtful work examines, states, and shoots bullets of gut-wrenching feelings and emotion, hitting its target at every turn. The music and vocals never betray or dilute the message. The Alarm have something special to say here and though it's all been said before, it's awfully comforting to hear it in the eighties.