Mike's fans will gather around
North Wales' most celebrated musical son Mike Peters is staging the Mike Peters Gathering IV from January 12 - 14.

The Gathering, which is basically an annual opportunity for Mike's most dedicated fans to meet up with their hero and with each other, has now become so big that it has been transferred to a larger venue.

This year's Gathering is being filmed by MTV and will be undertaken just a couple of weeks after a fantastically successful tour of the US coasts that included a gig with former Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer.

Most tickets for the weekend have already been sold but 100 have been held back especially for North Wales fans.

Mike has just finished recording his second solo album at Fort Apache Studio's in Boston, Massachusetts and it is scheduled for release in the spring, with many of the songs due to be showcased at The Gathering. There is an unplugged acoustic performance on the Friday and a full electric show on the Saturday at the North Wales Theatre, Llandudno.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

North Wales' most celebrated musical son Mike Peters is staging the Mike Peters Gathering IV from January 12 - 14.

The Gathering, which is basically an annual opportunity for Mike's most dedicated fans to meet up with their hero and with each other, has now become so big that it has been transferred to a larger venue.

This year's Gathering is being filmed by MTV and will be undertaken just a couple of weeks after a fantastically successful tour of the US coasts that included a gig with former Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer.

Most tickets for the weekend have already been sold but 100 have been held back especially for North Wales fans.

Mike has just finished recording his second solo album at Fort Apache Studio's in Boston, Massachusetts and it is scheduled for release in the spring, with many of the songs due to be showcased at The Gathering. There is an unplugged acoustic performance on the Friday and a full electric show on the Saturday at the North Wales Theatre, Llandudno.

Mike Peters and The Alarm created a mystique that lured and challenged hundreds of thousands across the globe.Peters sings these tunes like he's now connecting with them - you can hear broken bones in his soul rattle. In voice, performance and writing Mike Peters is just now hitting his stride.

Mike Peters returns with an LP of "rare" Alarm songs recorded for the 90's. The result is a likeable strummy set, with Peters playing half acoustically and half electrically and wringing as much passion as possible.

stranglers.asp

***
The Alarm may be no more but frontman Mike Peters is still around. He stopped by to give a surprise set opening up for Radiohead and gave a taste of what he's doing. The owner of one of the smoothest baritones around.

"Feel Free" In the USA

The Feel Free album will be released in the USA on Oct. 15, 1996.There are rumors of a bonus track on the album.
"Shine On" News

The single "Shine On", taken from Feel Free has been storming across America.KXBS in Ventura, California told the MPO on Monday, Sept. 30, that it was the station's#1 requested song. Reviews have been streaming from America as well, speaking ofthe song in "glowing" and "brilliant" terms.

Mike Peters spotted 'collaborating' with Billy Duffy of The Cult at The Phoenix Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon on July 16th.

On July 21st Mike Peters played the prestigious Mercury Lounge in Manhattan...... M.P. played Live from the Underground Lounge on July 25th. This radio interview was syndicated across the United States and Japan. On this same trip, on July 22nd, Mike P played special sell-out midnight show in Allentown, Buffalo, New York State, to mark the opening of MPO U.S. On July 26th M.P. appeared as Special Guest to Radiohead in Saratoga, Albany, New York State ... M.P. plays Ollapalooza Festival with poet Billy Lamont on July 28th...

Mike Peters appeared as Special Guest to Shane MacGowan at Tramps in New York on August 11th 1995. On August 12th Mike Peters played a SOLD OUT show in NYC at The Fez ... a two and a half hour set, including acoustic renditions of 'Rain in the Summertime' and 'The Message'...

M.P. has been spending time in the U.S. writing new songs. Recent collaborations include new songs with Francis Dunnery from 'It Bites' in New York City...

M.P. has been visiting Nashville, Tennessee to write with singer-songwriter, Steve Earle...

M.P. prepares for U.K. & U.S. Un.alarm.ed & Un.plugged Tour... Stay in touch with MPO U.S on (716) 827 1244 for further U.S. Tour updates...

Mike Peters NEW ALBUM coming soon... new songs to be premiered at The Gathering IV January 12th-14th 1996.
Watch this space...

Exclusive Mike Peters interview in Manchester United's match programme (rumoured to be the Liverpool/Utd. match on October 1st to coincide with Eric Cantona's comeback game).Watch this space…

Q Magazine * * * Star review - Breathe - The Acoustic Sessions
Following swiftly on the heels of the English and Welsh language versions of the LP, come the modish Unplugged sessions. At one time Mike Peters was seconds away from being inducted into that portion of the Hall Of Fame earmarked for windswept Celtic rock 'n roll visionaries when he knocked it on the head for The Alarm from the stage of Brixton Academy. Encumbered by the weight of expectation and history, and motivated either by bravery or stupidity, Peters sallied forth and started all over again. He's shrugged off his critics with a nonchalant shrug, and his latest work is alive with the rediscovered zest and ambition of a man with his appetite for the fray fully restored. Stripped down to its elemental components, Breathe is more powerful again - the familiar recipe of pungent and poignant songs of love and protest given their head by the space of the arrangements and the hungrily emoted vocals - great tunes too.

The Alarm played their last show on June 30 1991 when Mike Peters tucked his guitar under his arm and left the stage at the Brixton Academy, "I wasn't enjoying the Alarm any more...I felt the band had come to the end of its creative road." says Mike.
It was the final night of the sell-out 'Raw ' tour and it was fitting that Mike should exit in a blaze of glory. "I left the band the minute we walked off stage. My final memories of The Alarm are of a great band, on stage in front of a great audience, I'm still very proud of the achievements of The Alarm."

And so he should be - 14 Top 50 singles, six successful albums, packed out venues, critical acclaim, and most importantly, a staunch loyal following. The Alarm began in the early 1980's and scored their first chart hit with the rousing '68 Guns' which made the Top 20 in September 1983. 'Where were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?' was another chart success before the release of their debut LP, 'Declaration' which went Top Five on its first week of release. The album was a bold statement of intent, passionate lyrics, a hybrid of rock, folk and punk.

Never slaves to the commercial crust, The Alarm set about making intelligent, unpretentious music and continued the legacy with 'Strength', an album filled with personal statements such as the title track (the bands first U.S. top 40 hit) and the autobiographical 'Spirit of 76.'

By this time The Alarm had begun the tradition of near non-stop touring. When they finally took a break the result was 'Eye Of The Hurricane', sporting the hook-laden international hit 'Rain in The Summertime' and the blistering 'Rescue Me', among others. A series of world tours, including a critically acclaimed 2 month outing with Bob Dylan, during which time Mike Peters dueted with Dylan on the encores, solidified their reputation for all-out live shows, and culminated in the band's first ever collection of 'Live songs, the 'Electric Folklore' EP.

By the end of the decade The Alarm released 'Change.' The album proved to be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic with 'A New South Wales' reaching the UK Top 40 and the bluesy 'Sold Me Down the River' becoming a US Number 1 rock hit. The touring continued and at a sell out concert in New York city, the band were joined on stage by Neil Young.

After their 'Best Of'' album in late 1990, the cracks were beginning to show. The Alarm, at this point, were almost a decade old. "We were moving in different musical directions, and the spark just wasn't there. We went into the studio to record 'Raw' to see if we could conquer our problems. But it didn't work out", says Mike.

And so Mike decided to move on, to step forward on his own with a head full of new ideas and tunes. So it is no surprise then that 'Breathe' sounds as vibrant as it does. The songs literally burst out of the speakers, providing the platform from which to be heard. Mike Peters is back. He's never been away. Breathe the air.

Mike Peters happened upon the Sex Pistols in late 1976 at a club called Quaintways in Chester, England. The visual and musical expression that he witnessed that night, changed him forever. He had been drifting through his teenage years when this cathartic musical experience brought his whole life into focus. He knew, somehow, he had to start a band of his own and approached local musicians, (amongst them drummer, Nigel Buckle and bassist Glyn Crossley), to join his then unnamed punk band. No one was interested.

Finding sympathetic musicians in Wales was not easy and upon visiting Manchester, England, on May 8th 1977, he saw The Clash at the Electric Circus on the White Riot Tour. Rejuvenated, this made him redouble his efforts to get a band off the ground. During the summer, Mike bumped into Glyn Crossley, who had just returned from London and had experienced Punk Rock. Glyn had seen The Stranglers and was now able to understand Mike's ideas and so needed no persuading to join Mike's band. A drummer was recruited from an advert in the local paper, and another friend and fellow punk, rock acolyte, Gaz Hughes, enrolled as vocalist. A rehearsal was set for the following Saturday at the Bee Hotel in Rhyl. On the preceding Friday night, Mike and Glyn were having a drink in the Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, (future venue for The Alarm's first ever show). Mike noticed a sign on the wall, directing customers to The Toilets, and the name of the band was born. The two then went on to The Bistro, (a late night drinking establishment in Rhyl), to find that Gaz Hughes, the singer, had not turned up for the weekend and so, a new singer would have to be found urgently. The D.J. was playing The Sex Pistols 'Pretty Vacant', when Mike spotted an old school friend, O'Malley, pogoing in the middle of the dance floor. Above the spikey volume, Mike asked him if he would like to sing for The Toilets. O'Malley agreed instantly.

1981 - After playing together for 4 years in Rhyl, Wales, first as a Punk band, The Toilets, and then as Mod group, Seventeen (recording 'Don't Let Go', backed with 'Bank Holiday Weekend' on the Vendetta label). The quartet, comprising Peters, Sharp, MacDonald, and Twist make a fresh start as The Alarm, playing their first gig on June 10th at the Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn. In September The Alarm record 'Unsafe Building' in Pluto studios, Manchester for their own White Cross label, pressing 2,000 copies to sell at gigs and to use as demos for audition. In December the band become managed by then U2 agent Ian Wilson, and they finish the year playing with U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom on December 21st.

1982 - The Alarm spend most of the year paying their dues and after supporting the Jam, U2 and the Beat on various tours, gain music press support and industry interest. In August The Alarm sign to IRS records. October sees the release of their first IRS single, 'Marching On', which gains good reviews, but no hit.

1983 - The Alarm release 'The Stand' as their second IRS single and continue to build up a large and dedicated following. June 1983 and the Alarm debut in America as guests of U2 on their War tour. The Alarm EP which features 'The Stand' and 'Marching On' enjoys considerable American success.





1983 - While on tour in America The Alarm are stopped by an American Traffic Cop who informs them that they are needed in the UK to appear on Top Of The Pops where 'Sixty Eight Guns' has made its chart debut. Helped by the groups first UK TV appearance on Top Of The Pops, 'Sixty Eight Guns' reaches UK no 17. In November The Alarm enter Abbey Road and Good Earth Studios in London with producer Alan Shacklock


to record their first full length LP.

1984 - February and 'Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?' repeats the UK success of 'Sixty Eight Guns' climbing to UK no.22. On 3rd March 'Declaration' The Alarm's debut album enters the UK charts at no. 6. On 14th April 'Declaration' makes the U.S. Billboard top 50 as The Alarm EP peaks in the U.S.A. at no. 126.

1984 - The Alarm's 'Sound and Fury' World Tour took the band to the U.S.A. as guests of the Pretenders, and also in their own right as a headline act. The Alarm also toured Europe and Japan and had two minor hits in the UK with 'The Deceiver', which reached UK no. 51 and 'The Chant Has Just Begun' which reached UK no. 48 in November. The Alarm finished the year with a two and a half hour show at London's Hammersmith Palais on December 23rd.

1985 - The Alarm score further chart success with 'Absolute Reality' which reaches UK no. 35 and embark on the 'Absolute U.K.' Tour during which the band road test new material for their forthcoming 2nd album. In October 'Strength' produced by Mike Howlett charts in the UK at no. 18, whilst the single of the title track also reaches the UK top 40.




1986 - 'Spirit Of '76' an autobiographical hymn to Punk music reaches no. 22 in the UK. On February 8th the 'Strength' single peaks at U.S. no. 61, with the album set to peak at U.S. no. 31 a week later. The Alarm play to 26,000 fans on April 12th at UCLA. The show is beamed across the world by MTV, and is also released as a live video by IRS records. The Alarm tour Europe, America and Japan extensively and play support to Queen for two nights at Wembley Stadium on July 11th and 12th.

1987 - March/April sees The Alarm back on the road with 'The Electric Folklore' Tour which again showcases new material to be recorded during the summer. The Alarm spend May, June and July recording in Milton Keynes, England with The Smith's producer John Porter. October sees the first fruits of this fresh recording period with the single 'Rain In The Summertime' achieving the highest new entry of the week, and peaking at UK no. 18. The Alarm's third album 'Eye Of The Hurricane' follows in November and reaches UK no. 23 and U.S.A. no. 77. The Alarm hit the road and in December 'Rescue Me' taken from the album, charts fleetingly in the UK at no. 48.

1988 - January 16 sees 'Rain In The Summertime' peak in the U.S. chart at no. 71, while in February 'Presence Of Love' makes UK no. 44 and in April the same song reaches U.S. no. 77, The Alarm also play in Boston MA at The Wang Center For The Performing Arts, the show is broadcast live on WBCN a radio station in Boston and the recording will later be re-mixed for a live album. The Alarm continue to tour under the Celtic Folklore banner and embark on a critically acclaimed two and a half month U.S. tour with Bob Dylan. In Late October The Alarm release 'Electric Folklore Live' which peaks on November 5 at UK no 62 and on November 12 'Electric Folklore Live' reaches no. 167 on the American Charts.

1988 - The Alarm play some now customary Christmas Shows in the U.K. which again are used to perform new material. After the second show in Chester, England. Mike Peters is temporarily struck blind by spotlights and the tour is postponed to the new year.

1989 - January and the rescheduled shows take The Alarm into a lengthy recording period in Wales and London with Tony Visconti at the helm. The first track to see the light of day is 'Sold Me Down The River' which charts in the U.K. on September 23 at no. 43. 'Change' The Alarm's fourth studio album produced by Tony Visconti charts in the U.K. at no. 13. (The Alarm also record a Welsh Language version 'Newid' and become the first band to reach the chart in two languages simultaneously). In November 'Change' makes the American top 75 while back in the U.K. 'A New South Wales' recorded with the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir charts in the U.K. at no. 31. On the 14th November The Alarm begin a substantial tour of the U.S. with the first of two sold out shows at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles. It will end in New York on December 14th where The Alarm are joined on stage by Neil Young to play 'Rockin' In The Freeworld'.

1990 - The Alarm tour the U.K. and Europe on the 'No Frontiers Tour'. IRS Records release


'Love Don't Come Easy' as a single and it makes no. 48 in the U.K. charts. The tour ends on February 26 in Prestatyn, Wales with a benefit show for the local community which has been devastated by floods. Spring sees The Alarm return to the studio to begin recording again. In anticipation of a long silence IRS decide to release a 'Best Of'. The Alarm contribute three new recordings one being a new 1990 version of 'Unsafe Building' which upon its release in October reaches U.K. no. 54. 'The best of' now titled 'Standards A Collection Of The Alarm's Finest Recordings', reaches U.K. no. 47 and in December IRS Japan release the second new recording, The Alarm's cover of John Lennon's


'Happy Xmas (War Is Over).



The Third new recording is a new song 'The Road', This song acts as a source of immediate inspiration to The Alarm who continue to record for a further few more weeks and emerge with the 'Raw' album tapes. IRS caught unawares decide to press ahead with 'Standards' and hold back the new album until the new year.

1991 - Dave Sharp cuts his solo album 'Hard Travellin'' with producer Bob Johnston and plays selected acoustic gigs throughout the North-eastern U.S.. The Alarm return to the U.K. stage in April/May with the release of 'Raw' the self produced album and single.

1991 - The Alarm tour the U.S. and Europe during the summer and on June 30th 1991


on the final night of the 'Raw' tour at Brixton Academy Mike Peters makes the following announcement:

We've shared some great moments in time over the last ten years and tonight I would like to thank all the people who have supported me from the beginning to the end. Tonight, this is my last moment with the Alarm, I'm going out in a Blaze Of Glory my hands are held up high."

The following is a taped conversation that took place between Neil Storey and Mike Peters at London's Marcus Studios during the recording of the [Strength] album. Neil is now The Alarm's Press Officer having met the band on an aeroplane to New York last December. At the time he was working at Island Records but now works freelance for The Alarm and Kid Creole along with his other main interest which is cycle racing. The topics of conversation are wide ranging, from talking about The Absolute Tour, the new album, to how Mike copes with his private life as a public person.


Q How crucial Was it to play almost written and new material live on the recently completed Absolute Tour?


A A number of reasons caused us to play our new material before we recorded it, some not planned for. Initially we would have had the album recorded and released by February of this year.


Q Because the tour was originally planned to coincide with the album, wasn't it?


A That's right, yes. A number of things happened. When we had finished recording Declaration and spent time doing all the various tours around the world, at the time we were really happy with the album but as we grew further away from it we realised there were aspects of it we weren't really happy with, which we will go into later. Instead of committing to doing an album with Alan Shacklock, the producer of Declaration, which would have been normal for a band that was very happy with its record, we decided to do just two singles, The Chant and Absolute. This was a way for us to test whether we could take the relationship further. When we had completed these two tracks we felt that we had worked that relationship as far as it could go at that time. And so we began to look around for another producer.


Q And at the same time you were writing and writing and writing material?

A Yes.


Q No, what I am trying to get at is the conscious decision to actually play that tour the way you did. You were playing huge chunks of the album, and then carne back in to where we are now at Marcus to record the songs. How much has it changed?


A Well, the live stuff hasn't changed at all from the end of the tour apart from the odd few notes here and there but the arrangements have stayed very solid to what we were doing live. It's the most important thing we've done to date as a band, easily, because it was a challenge to us as a group. We played all the new songs in one section especially towards the end of the tour, so we were exposing people to songs they had never heard before. It meant we had to work twice as hard as a band, just as if we were starting out for the first time. It was not a question of standing back on our laurels playing hit after hit.


Q So it wasn't what it could easily have been, The Alarm’s greatest hits tour?'

A lt wasn't: That was what made it such an important experience for us all.

Q Usually after each show you would spend tirne talking to the kids. What was their reaction?


A Very positive. Also from the mail we have received. We wanted people to write to us to tell us what they thought and this was positive too. It was encouraging because there weren’t too many people who wanted to anchor us down to writing just fast numbers like "Marching On", or to writing to a formula of fast songs. As long as there was a depth to the lyric and an integrity about it and it was a good melodic song then people were happy. The most important song that Eddie and I had heard from the band since the beginning was "One Step Closer to Home". We first really heard that when we did a Radio 1 Session for Kid Jensen. This was approached by the band differently from the sessions we had done before. Instead of using all the instruments of the band turned up loud, we did this one acoustically with just one guitar. Eddie and l worked up "Walk Forever By My Side" and "Unbreak the Promise" while Dave played "One Step Closer to Home" which we'd never heard before. He recorded at the microphone in one take and we were swept away. Eddie was inspired to write several songs as a direct result of hearing it. I think the audience when we first put an acoustic section in the set were also blown away, so it took a while for people to get used to the song being played by the band. However it is now well established in the set and we get good mail on it. "Walk Forever", "Dawn Chorus", "Ravens", "Knife Edge" - in fact we have had a great response to all these songs. We are pleased because also when we had finished the tour we felt the need to write a couple more songs.


Q Was that a conscious feeling of wanting to write more for the album?

A Yes.


Q In the sense that maybe there were some bits that weren't good enough for the album?


A. Well you see…


Q Or Were you just in one of those frames of minds where the buzz, the adrenaline was just flowing?


A I think the thing was we have such high standards in the band that we didn't want to come out of the tour thinking: right, we've got eight or nine songs which we've played live so they'll be on the album. No song is ever that safe in The Alarm; if we can go in and write a better one then we will. We will now try and put only our best songs on the album. I think that's probably one of the mistakes we made with Declaration. At the time we put the best songs that went down a storm live and got the most physical reaction from our audience.


Q That's a natural thing in the sense of the saying that you have your whole life to make your first album and nine months to make the second, except you've taken eighteen months to do the second.


A I've thought in some ways that Declaration could have been better if we had included songs that we put out as B sides which didn't really work on record like "Pavilion Steps" and "2nd Generation", which would have given the album greater depth. But those things you learn. I think if we had been rushed and recorded our second album last summer or last autumn I think it could have been a disappointment and have let our people down.


Q Would you have let yourselves down?


A We wouldn't have done looking at it at that time because we were caught up in a whirlpool: I don't know what it was. I think we were just excited to be in a band achieving things and perhaps weren't quite objective enough.


Q Do you still get that same buzz from being in a band?

A Oh yes.


Q It is very noticeable being around you all that it is the most important thing in your lives. It is not only that but there is a tremendous comradeship which I don't think you’ll lose.

A No, I don't think so either. Nothing that we could go through outside the band could equal the experiences we have inside the band. But I don't think we would have made as good an album as we are now without learning what we've learnt. Like Springsteen, he doesn't release anything unless it is great.


Q In the sense that he won't release anything unless he himself gets a buzz out of it himself?


A That's right. He won't release a record just because it's the right time for the record company or it's in time for Christmas. We couldn't afford to spend two years in the studio writing songs. But we were a good enough live band and we had the confidence to go out and play to an audience who we had faith would turn out to see us, so we thought let's try our songs out on the road. To some extent we were forced into this situation because the record producer we had started with. Jimmy lovine, had to pull out for personal reasons. His father died, and this stopped him working at the critical moment. But the tour booked to go with the album that was not yet recorded became the chance to go out and work on songs on the road. It was exciting because we wrote a new song called "Strength". We kept playing it in the sound checks and got a great buzz from it. In fact it's likely to be the new single from the album. We had a show in Newcastle which was a fantastic experience. We were all so high after that show. I went back to the hotel but I couldn't sleep for this song going through my head. I crept down to the tour bus in the middle of the night and got my guitar, wrote the chorus and we worked it out the next day in Manchester. When we got home after the tour we added some more until it was finished. This will be a fantastic number in the set. All through the tour we were trying out songs on sound check that we weren't making for the set because they weren't quite ready, but we achieved a great deal


Q How critical of yourselves are you?


A In the past we haven't been as critical as we should have been.

Q When you say "should have been" what do you mean?


A Well it goes back to the excitement of being in a band. You think that when you hear stuff back through speakers that it's all so exciting; it's so great to be here. You see, we come from a backwater and we feel privileged to be here - we don't want to take it for granted. But now we have learnt that enthusiasm is not enough, we have to have the highest standards. We have learnt to pace ourselves. We have never really been happy with our records.


Q Don’t you think that every band that reaches the stage that you have reached can actually do that? Are you looking at things in too hypercritical a light.


A Possibly. We are not in any way unhappy with the songs or the lyrics we have written.


Q Sure. But what I am saying is that it’s rather like being an author. When you get to your tenth book you look back and think; well it's rather like wishing you knew then what you know now. One can be hypercritical.


A l think so. What we've done on this album is not listen to any other music as an influence as we did when we first started the band. At first we would listen to all the new sounds around.

Q Yes. but also at that time there were Dylan influences too.


A What we've done now is to draw on our own experience and music. Although we've only released one LP we have made a lot of music. Some 14 songs have been released as singles or B sides that are not on Declaration.


Q You say there is little that is musically influencing you at the moment. But there must be something?


A Oh yes. The Springsteen gigs have been amazing.

Q But I don't mean necessarily musically.


A Yes, what has been getting to me is something that Eddie said. He said, instead of writing songs about the whole world, why don't you write about your own world, because everything that happens in the world happens in your little corner of it too.


Q Do you feel isolated from reality at all?


A I think so, yes. I don't think I've had much responsibility until now for the first time in my life l am having to face responsibility. When I first saw punk rock I turned my back on everything and went hell for leather, busking a living on the dole, getting whatever I could. I've never been one to want lots of money but just enough to get by. As long as I had good friends around me I was OK. I have started to reflect that in the lyrics to my music now.


Q Do you read much?


A At the moment I have been doing. I read an awful lot in the first part of last year and then seemed to stop, but I've started again recently. Stuff like Richard Llewelyn and Alexander Cordel, Welsh writers, you know, "How Green Was My Valley". It was interesting that the guy from "The Men They Couldn't Hang", the IronMaster single, should refer to Alexander Cordel, the same one I'm reading called "Land Of My Fathers" - a really good book. I'm trying to rediscover my roots, if you like.


Q Yes, I was going to ask you, do you think that by reading that, shall we say that the inherent Welshness is coming through more now?


A I want it to. Reading these books has awoken an interest in the history of Wales.


Q Which wasn't there before?


A It definitely wasn’t there before. I was certainly a very rootless person.

Q Does that come from hearing the whole punk explosion and saying "right, screw it, I don't want any roots at all"?


A Definitely.


Q So it's almost Iike a 360 degrees turn?


A I've been round the world in that time. With punk rock I decided there was nothing for me where I lived. The first place I ever tried to get anything going was in Liverpool at Eric's Club. That's where I met Pete Wylie. Everyone in Rhyl tended to head to Liverpool. Eddie, myself and Twist would go there - there was a scene. Dave would go when he was home from the navy. And then Eddie, myself, and my friend Red Eye tried to create the same scene in Rhyl which we called The Gallery but that was destroyed by violence. That was the spur that told us we've got to get out of this place, and so we moved to London. We never went round saying, "Oh, we're from Wales". We were just a London band as far as anyone was concerned.


Q But now I detect there is more of a proudness of "We are Welsh"?


A When you go to America and the Mayor of New York introduces you as from England, you think, "hang on, we're from Wales". And also it's another way of identifying the group. We are a band that has been compared to so many other groups and it really hurts.


Q But thankfully you are now losing that tag of the band that supported U2.


A Yes, the band that sounds like Bob Dylan. You know that classic quote from Gary Bushell in Sounds. "Born of Janice Joplin and Bruce Springsteen, Bono was the Preacher, Bob Dylan christened them" you know. It's very difficult to emerge from this. It hurts me and especially Eddie. He is the musical form in the band. He really pushes us to get original ideas in our arrangements.


Q Theres a conscious decision to lose that tag in a way?


A Yes. lt's not that we think we mustn't do that because it's going to get compared to this or that. That's why in a way we have not really been listening to any records other than our own. We have just been going on our own feelings.


Q How important are the politics of today inasmuch as unemployment and lack of money are a feature of Britain today? Do you see this as a class problem? Do you see yourself as having an important role?


A I don't know because I've been in the position of having no money, but I come from quite a good background. My Mum and Dad are not rich but they own a shop and get by. I had a good job in computers - this was in 1975 - and I could have stuck at it and been part of what is the boom industry of today. I didn't want it though, and went to having nothing because I was happier that way. l wanted to be in a band and be a "rock'n roller". I refuse to believe that young people cannot rise above their station in life. I believe if you want something badly enough you can get it, because I've done it. I think there's a place for everybody in this world and there's somewhere for everyone to go. Most people are sold the dream that getting to the top is the be all and end all of life. But it isn't. I'm not blinded by the desire to be the biggest rock star in the history of the world. I am more concerned to nurture friendships outside the band. I am ambitious to improve the songwriting and performance of the band because of the personal pride in doing something well. In answer to your question, I think the morality of brotherly love is more valuable than the immorality of class war. This is not a hippie ideal, and I don't necessarily mean a Christian ideal. It's just common sense.


Q What do you see as the stage the band has now reached in its slow but sure climb up the ladder of success?


A I see us as having reached that stage that many bands reach where we either go on to really achieve some form of greatness or to slide into oblivion. Obviously I hope it's the former. We are on our own now, we're not part of a movement nor are we a band that will turn round and have an out-and-out pop career. We don't write music for the sake of it. I like to think we write because we've got something to say.

Q Can I take it from that that the idea of a hit single doesn't obsess you?


A No, not at all. But it is important for us to maintain our standards and make good records. We don't put out records to be unsuccessful. l know at the heart of the group there's an identity that makes us different from any other group. That's important. I feel we will achieve it with this album. Hopefully we will surprise a few people.


Q Looking back over the past three years, you've travelled more or less round the world. How much as a person have you changed?


A Quite a lot really. I have been through a heck of a lot of things. We've stepped into a whole new world - the world of the music industry. This is a world of big money and I've seen this influence the friendship of the band. We've survived this; we now control the system - the system does not control us. I've had spiritual upheavals and so has the band, and we learn from this each time - but of course in learning, you change. I have learnt a lot about girls. I was the classic "love them and leave them" character and hurt people by being that way. I am trying to settle myself down and get some regularity into my life, to try and understand why I do what I do and to learn what drives me to do what I do on the stage. I used to be totally different on stage to off, and I couldn't believe the things I could do on stage. When l hit the songs and launched myself at them I knew that was the real me coming out - like I really wanted to be. Much of the time I felt the pressure to write songs for the band and that's why I would always say it's "we" this and "we" that, when really, and I have to thank Eddie for this, I could better say what I really felt. lt's been so important to write down on paper and admit that I'm a lonely sort of person. It was such a relief to write "Dawn Chorus" - you know, I lived that song to write it - and to get up on stage and sing it really helped me relax as a person, on stage as well. So the person on stage is much closer to me now. I think many people were confused by this difference. lt was difficult, with the press for example, the business of politics and The Alarm I found confusing, and belief in God. Now I am coming to terms with it and starting to take a responsibility because it is easy to run away from things, and that I can't do.


Q Do you find it difficult to have your own world within your public persona?


A No, because I keep close contact with my friends. There are times when I go out and people come up to me that I would rather not have to deal with. So I always stick with friends who treat me as an equal. I'm not really that recognised yet, but I do tend to go into situations that people don't expect, like sneaking into Springsteen as a steward with the big orange bib on. L.oads of people would come up and say, "Is it? No, couldn't be - not a steward". Then they leave you alone.

Q Although you have toured extensively and travelled a lot, is there anywhere you really want to play?

A Yes, in Wales at Cardiff Arms Park. Having played on big festivals in Europe, I know we can do it. I wouldn't want it to just be a rock concert, rather a Welsh event with male voice choirs, Max Boyce - the lot. [N.B. Max Boyce is a famous Welsh comedian]

Q How important a gig was Crowe Park, Dublin, to you? You played to 60,000 people and the vibe was extraordinary. In Tua Nua came, and did well; then REM, who didn't die but didn't do justice to their worth on record; and then you. You didn't just go the whole way to the back but you went up both sides of the stadium. You exploded; the whole place just went mad. What did it fee! Like? How important was it?

A It's just incredible. You can't just do it without the back-up of great songs. We are capable of writing more songs that can come to life in the big gigs. The show just sent shivers down my spine. For me the day was encapsulated in what I said from the stage, 'cos two years previously I had been in Dublin at Phoenix Park pogoing at the front to U2, and here today I'm on U2's stage playing. You see, everybody really wants to be in the band, and the better the band are the better it is for the crowd. It's the best feeling I have ever had at a gig. It's hard to say what goes through your mind, but the feeling of peace of mind is incredible.

Q What song rneans most to you that you have written?

A At the moment I would take "A Dawn Chorus". lt means a lot, not because I like the sound of my own voice, but because it is the best song I've written so far. I'm looking forward to bettering it.

Mike Peters, former banner-waving, rabble-rousing scout leader of The Alarm, returns with an LP of rare Alarm songs re-recorded for the '90s. Sounds like a nightmare. Except that stripped of some of The Alarm's pomposity, the 10 tracks-which range back to the very start of the Rhyl quartet's career-sound surprisingly human. Forget for a second the frightened, on-end haircuts and tassled jackets and the result is a likably strummy set, made up of songs which didn't make it on to The Alarm's five LPs. Playing half acoustically and half electrically, Mike Peters mixes early U2 with Levellers (Second Generation itself sounds like U2 circa Stories For Boys, while Reason 41 could be Levellers busking outside Woolworth's). Some of the lyrics, mostly The Alarm's famed rallying slogans, sound wishy-washy now, but Mike Peters wrings as much passion as possible from them.

Little did we realise what we were starting when Mike Peters asked me to co-ordinate a Fan Base Organisation to keep his fans fully informed of past, current and future happenings in his career. Mike insisted that it be a free information service with the unique idea of an open 'phone-line that incorporated detailed answer-phone information when the office was unmanned.







We enthusiastically went about the task of tracking down past Alarm fans from the old Alarm 'Shelter' Fan Club and by searching through past copies of the various Alarm fanzines. Thus the Mike Peters Organisation was formed.







The first mail-out included a signed introductory letter from Mike Peters together with details of the first Mike Peters solo Exodus tour with The Poets of Justice. The first mail out was to 687 fans.







Well I do remember the first 'phone-call from Graham Brazier from the Midlands area. He had obtained our number from IRS (The Alarm's Record Label). From that initial 'phone-call the MPO has now blossomed into a thriving buzzing office, dealing with a constant flow of letters and calls from all around the world. The fan base now stands in excess of 7000 with members all over Europe, the USA, Australia, Japan and Canada. The USA is now serviced by it's very own MPO under the capable control of Gary Zoldos in Buffalo.







The expansion of the MPO has led to the development of a global MPO on the Internet. Initially set up by Gary Freedman, the site is now being maintained and further enhanced by a combination of Steve Fulton (USA) and Gary Overington (UK). This provides the forum for debate between fans via the Information Superhighway. It has been fascinating to observe the global expansion of the MPO, with people of all nationalities being drawn together by the inspiration of the lyrics and music of Mike Peters.







Even though the MPO is growing at an alarming rate, it is hoped we can maintain Mike's original philosophy of the Information Fan Base - by the fans for the fans, with unique opportunities for MPO members to be involved via the open phone line, by letter, by fax and now by E-Mail. Long may these principles continue......







To cope with the extra demand of the MPO, it has been very satisfying to welcome on board Danny Cohen. Danny and I are assisted in the MPO by Megan, Dorothy, Steve, and more recently Jules who has now taken on a more active role within the MPO alongside her touring and recording commitments.







The Gathering Weekend in North Wales brings together committed fans from around the world, and many deep and lasting friendships have been forged through the bond of Mike Peters' music. The Gathering Weekend provides the MPO with it's greatest administrative challenge but the many letters and phonecalls after the event always make the efforts worthwhile.







A further expansion of the MPO has been the birth of 21st Century Records and Official 21st Century Merchandise, firstly with the release of 'Breathe - The Acoustic Sessions' and now with the exciting release of 'Second Generation': Volume One in a series of The Alarm Revisited Collection.







It is hoped that the development of Mike Peters' career means that the MPO will continue to provide you, the fans, with the up-to-date information on Mike Peters you deserve.







Love and Life