Mike Peters recalls his experiences on the Bob Dylan Tour
www.uncut.co.uk
ON THE ROAD WITH DYLAN!
frontman with The Alarm, recalls his experiences on the Never-Ending Tour

ARTIST INFO Bob Dylan

SPECIAL FEATURE Life On The Road with Bob Dylan

HOW THE ALARM CAME TO TOUR WITH BOB…

“We played the whole of that summer, about 30 dates. We were being managed by Elliott Roberts – who’s managed Neil Young and Bob Dylan – and Jeff Kramer, Elliott’s assistant. At the end of the tour Jeff became Bob’s manager. We were invited on the tour cos Elliott and Jeff had been telling Bob about The Alarm, that we came from Wales and played acoustic guitars and had this element of folk rock which was buried in there somewhere, and he liked what he was told about us and what he heard, and he invited us on the tour. There was no real fee – our fee was negotiable. There was definitely haggling over the fees, especially as we were managed by the same guy. We took what we got. But we would’ve played for nothing because to play with Dylan was such a great honour for us.”

THE FIRST NIGHT…

“The first night of the tour was in California, in the Concord Pavilion not too far from San Francisco, on Tuesday, June 7 1988. Neil Young came onstage. I can’t remember what he played, maybe ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ or ‘All Along The Watchtower’. I’d never seen Bob Dylan before, but the reason I played the acoustic guitar and the harmonica in The Alarm was because of Dylan. To be on tour with him was beyond fantasy for me. I was so awed to be at the gig, and I had a backstage pass, but just to make sure I experienced it in the way I wanted to do as a Bob Dylan fanatic, I bought tickets too and I sat in the front row and watched the gig. It was brilliant to be there. I remember being quite awed going onstage for the first time because we’d never really played to an audience that was that sort of analytical. They weren’t going to be standing up and pogoing up and down like they’d done when we played with U2 and Simple Minds and Big Country. Our reaction had always been very physical. This was the first tour we’d played where the audience were sitting down throughout the show. It changed us as a band. We started bringing out more of the folk element, which took us on to the Change album. I like do think he was coming on and we’d shaken the audience up a bit, appealed to their baser instincts.”

MAKING FRIENDS WITH DYLAN…

“We put an acoustic section in the set, and he started coming out to the side of the stage to watch us. I think he was digging it. He was enjoying the contrasts. I think he liked having these young bands. He started to become a bit intrigued by us. He probably thought we were like young pups with lots of enthusiasm. I got to know him. He liked to converse about the culture of Wales and to talk about poets he was aware of from Wales, the obvious one being Dylan Thomas. Because our tour was being run by the same people running Bob’s, we were all booked into the same hotel. It was quite a funky tour. It wasn’t what you’d imagine. He didn’t like staying in fancy hotels. He’s got an aversion to air conditioning. He prefers to stay in hotels where he can open the windows. There’s those classic 60s pictures of him diving into swimming pools – well, he was definitely in the swimming phase. We were often staying in those 1970s American motels that had the swimming pool outside and the little reception and the sort of rooms his vehicle could be driven up to so we could walk up to his room and no one would see him. We’d be swimming in the pool and the next minute he’d come out and dive in and do a few lengths and that’s where some of our conversations took place, just in the pool. He’s quite a secretive person and doesn’t really open up, but he’s a very pleasant man when you do have the time of day with him and when his guard is down a little bit. He became more relaxed with us. He was great, a really nice guy. He didn’t do soundchecks at that time. If he came in while we were playing, he’d come up on the side of the desk and have a look.”

DYLAN’S SECRECY…

“There was this guy Victor Malmudes who was just Bob’s mate. We never were quite sure what he did. One day Bob didn’t come down for his usual swim. Victor said, ‘He’s got a bit of a cold.’ The next day we were by the pool and Bob comes down for a swim and Nigel Twist [Alarm drummer] said, ‘How are you feeling today, Bob?’ He goes, ‘What do you mean?’ Twist said, ‘Victor said you had a cold.’ Bob said, ‘Did he?’ and that was it. He carried on swimming. That evening Victor was sent home off the tour for giving away personal information. He was banished for three days, and then he came back.”

ON THE ROAD…

“All sorts of people were coming to the shows. Jack Nicholson came to the Greek Theatre in LA. President Carter turned up at the gig in Atlanta. He was sat in the front of the gig. Behind him were all the executive people of Atlanta, and they all brought their dinner to the show. We [Alarm and Dylan camps] all got on fantastically well on the tour. It was a summer tour, most of the shows were outdoors and we were having barbeques and playing soccer in the field behind the stage, and I think Bob Dylan just enjoyed the carnival atmosphere we brought to proceedings. We did treat it as a holiday. It rubbed off on the crew and the people around him.”

SINGING ONSTAGE WITH DYLAN…

“One night Elliott comes into the dressing room before our show in Santa Barbara and said, ‘Bob wants you to come up onstage and play guitar on “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”.’ GE Smith, who was playing guitar for him on that tour, said to me, ‘Bob won’t introduce you, but you’ll hear the chords and that’s your cue to come onstage.’ I was stood at the side of the stage terrified. I heard the opening chords, walked out and then a couple of seconds later the drums have kicked in and there I am onstage. In the second verse Dylan calls me forward and asks me to take the second verse, pushing me forward – ‘Get on the microphone, start singing.’ Then he came on the microphone beside me and there I am cheek to cheek with Bob Dylan. It was pretty amazing duetting the song with him. It was a great climax to the show. The next night in San Diego, which was the last night for us, he said how much he’d really enjoyed having us and he said, ‘I really enjoyed singing with you last night. Why don’t you do “Heaven’s Door” with me tonight?’ GE said it was the same deal. I was stood in the wings waiting to come on and I thought, ‘This is something else – it’s in a minor key.’ And then he sang the first line and he’d totally rewritten the song, and it was in D minor. The first night I’d played it, it was the classic G, D, A minor, G, D, C. Now we’re playing D Minor, F and C, some really weird version that was almost unrecognisable. I think he likes to challenge everybody that he meets, to see whether you can stay with him or collapse under the pressure.”

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The Alarm in Edinburgh, Sat Nov 25th

To all those attending this Saturday's Alarm show at the Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, please take note of the following information.

Have a great sellout show!

TV SMITH : 7.25pm-8.05
The Alarm:8.15pm-10.00pm
End/Strict curfew:10.00pm



MPO Team

Alarm Information Service

Tel:     011 44 (0)1745 571571

Fax:    011 44 (0)1745 571577

Email mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk

www.thealarm.com 

MIKE PETERS on BBC Radio 5 today at 3pm on Simon Mayo show discussing the new Jo Strummer biography, Redemption Song.

Cancer declared war – I refused to surrender:Times Online
Peters the rock:IC Wales
Star Peters tells of cancer struggle:IC Wales

(Alarm fan, Doug Sparkes sent MPO the following email…)

Just a quick note to make sure you're aware of the Alarm name check in the the Ray Wylie Hubbard song Snake Farm.
He was in session on the Bob Harris show last night. Just in case you're not aware the lyrics to fourth verse are

Well Ramona likes the Shiner Rock Beer
And the band from England That's called The Alarm
She said she cried when they broke up
She still plays their records at the Snake Farm


Interestingly last night in the session version he sang 'the band from Wales that's called the Alarm'

I think it's the title track from his new album, you can hear it on line until next Thursday through the Bob Harris page on the BBC web site (click on listen again button)

Message from Alarm fan, Tom…

I stumbled upon a great little piece of podcasting on iTunes. On the newly posted Rhinocast music podcast on iTunes, there is an episode (#38) about our favorite band, The Alarm. It is done by Bob Lefsetz and based on that letter he wrote a few months back about The Alarm.

You can download the Rhinocast here:
http://www.rhino.com/RZine/rhinocasts/podcastkeeper.lasso?shownum=38

Mike and the boys take the stage at 9.40pm for a one hour performance.
The concert is free and takes place in front of the Museum and City Hall Lawn.
Other artists appearing over the weekend include Catatonia's Cerys Matthews.

"It's been a long time since I saw a band or artist for the first time and was utterly blown away. But that happened on Sunday.

I walked out of that tent yesterday after Mike Peters' set, feeling like I'd just been hit by a truck. Absolutely brilliant. I don't know what else to say
except that I had tears running down my face during Spirit of 76, and I'd never heard to song before. Oh and just to clarify - I was stone cold sober too!

At the end of the set, while we applauded wildly, my friend said, "Well, that knocks Ian McNabb into a cocked hat! Twice!" and she was right.
Thank you for knocking my socks off. I haven't been moved like that at a gig for a long time. "

Clair x -South Cheshire (New Alarm Fan).

The Alarm is being featured and prominently displayed on Wal-Mart.com/music with a Free Download of "Without A fight"

You can go see the page and download the free track at http://www.walmart.com/music

Check out this great interview with Mike Peters over at Babble And Beat

Click to read an IC Wales News Story about Mike Peters beating cancer…

The very popular Christian Rock band Audio Adrenaline has chosen The Alarm's "Blaze Of Glory" as one of two "new" songs on their final album, a best-of collection named "Adios".

You can hear a short bit of the song at the band's website, http://www.audioa.com/default.aspx.
To hear the song, you must click on the down arrow on the audio player in the upper left-hand corner of the site, and find track #12 "Blaze Of Glory"

For those people interested in such things, "Blaze Of Glory" was one of a very few Alarm songs that were written as a collaboration between Mike Peters, Eddie MacDonald and Dave Sharp. "The Stand" and "The Chant" examples other songs written this way.

"Live with Regis & Kelly" - the big syndicated US morning breakfast chat show - usually airs 9-10AM in most US markets - has a summer feature called "Rescue Me" makeovers. And when they introduce the segment, they air 5 seconds of the chorus of a copycat version (with another vocalist) of The Alarm's "Rescue Me."
http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/regisandkelly/ - look in the upper right hand corner

Mike Peters on Talk Sport in the morning

Mike Peters will be interviewed tomorrow morning (Tuesday) on TALK SPORT ON AIR at 8.15am WITH ALAN BRAZIL

2006 is the 25th Anniversary of the release of The Alarm's first single, the
double A-side Up For Murder / Unsafe Building.

To mark this event, Dave Sharp, presents a unique souvenir piece which would
enhance the home of any Alarm fan.

Unsafe Building/Up For Murder was The Alarm's first independent single,
released on their own 'White Cross' record label. It was recorded at Pluto
Studios, Manchester before the band moved to London in the early 1980's.

Many of the 1000 copies were distributed to record companies and the press,
bringing the band to the attention of John Peel and was reviewed in Zig-Zag
magazine by Mick Mercer, gaining the band some much needed profile at the
outset of their career.

The rest of the singles were sold at The Alarm's early gigs at venues around
England, Scotland and Wales. These days, copies of the original single are
much sought after collectors items, the 'holy grail' for Alarm fans, and
exchange hands for hundreds of pounds. Even bootleg copies that appeared
after the band gained international popularity after 1983 fetch more than
most Alarm singles.

The sleeve for the single was specially designed by a close friend of the
band, Simon Shaw, who was an undergraduate art student at the St Martins
College of Art. Simon originated an illustration loosely based on Picasso's
'The Gurneka' which included impressions of the four band members. Both the
disc itself and sleeve were assembled at the band's legendary Emu Road flat
in Battersea, London by the band members themselves.

>From the original print run of the Unsafe Building/Up For Murder record
sleeves, there was an over-run of sleeves. Packed away & forgotten for many
years, Dave Sharp has recently unearthed the left over sleeves and designed
around them what has been described by some fans as "the classiest piece of
Alarm memorabilia ever".
----------------------------------------------------------
----
The original Unsafe Building / Up For Murder single cover is presented
professionally mounted in behind glass in a stylish & high quality black ash
frame.

Mounted with the cover are the lyrics to Up For Murder, hand written and
autographed by Dave Sharp himself, making each piece unique.
Each presentation frame in this limited edition issue is individually
numbered.
----------------------------------------------------------
----
The Unsafe Building / Up For Murder 25th Anniversary Presentation Frame is
available to order at a cost of £48 plus £10 to cover postage, packing &
insurance (to UK addresses).

Due to the weight and fragile nature of each glass framed piece,
unfortunately secure shipping to addresses outside of the United Kingdom is
extremely expensive. Dave appreciates that fans from overseas will not wish
to miss out on the opportunity to own this unique piece. If you are outside
the UK, please contact store@davesharp.org to register your interest,
obtain a personnel delivery quote and/or discuss alternative delivery
options (e.g. frame held for personnel collection at a future date).

To order your own copy of this very special item visit Http://www.davesharp.org.Payment can be made by credit/debit card, Paypal or cheque/postal order.

DEAD MEN WALKING
OCTOBER 2006

Wednesday 4 Liverpool Carling Academy 0870 771 2000

Thursday 5 Bristol Fleece and Firkin 0117 9299 088

Friday 6 Edmonton Millfield Arts Centre 020 88076680

Saturday 7 London Islington Academy 0870 771 2000

Sunday 8 Norwich Waterfront 01603 508050

Monday 9 Hereford Courtyard 0870 11 22 330


Wednesday 11 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 02392863911


Thursday 12 Wolverhampton Robin2 01902 401 211

Friday 13 Accrington Town Hall 01254 380 293

Saturday 14 Manchester Academy III 0161 832 1111

Sunday 15 Nuneaton Crew Queens Hall 02476 347 402

Tuesday 17 Leeds City Varieties Music Hall 0113 2430808

Wednesday 18 Glasgow King Tutts Wah Wah Hut 0870 1690 100

Thursday 19 Warrington Parr Hall 01925 442 345

Friday 20 Darwen Library Theatre 01254 706 006

Saturday 21 Whitehaven Civic Centre 01946852821

Sunday 22 Croydon The Ashcroft Theatre 0208 688 9291

Tuesday 24 Cardiff St Davids Hall 029 2087 8444

Weds 25 Worksop The Circle 01909 474458

Noon ET
Mike Peters and the newly revived Alarm stop by XM 44 Fred in New York City for a very special Surface Noise, with host Bill Kates. Hear fresh, exclusive acoustic versions of the best of The Alarm, brand new Alarm music from their most recent album Under Attack, and some deep Fred favorites hand picked by the band just for Fred on 44.

Fred XM 44

Alarmcast 4 Now Available
You can see it here http://www.thealarm.com

Alarmcast Special Request For The Wickerman Festival

If you are thinking of going to the Wickerman Festival in Scotland this weekend could you take a video camera along with you and shoot the Alarm MMVI set. If you can, could you then send the tapes into MPO, P.O. Box 709, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL18 9YR as soon as possible after the show.

We are going to try and put together a film of the concert from a fans point of view and if we can get as many video tapes from your perspective we thought it might make a very interesting view of the band and we could show it next week on www.thealarm.com

If you can get along and film the set it would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

MPO Team

P.S. We haven't cleared this with the festival yet but I'm sure it will be O.K. just don't be too obvious... you know what I mean!!!!



Mike Peters Answers Alarmcast Queations

Mike has answers a bunch of questions from the Alarmcast Bulletin Board. You can read them here: http://thealarm.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3541091691/m/6691069791

Hello Everybody,

In the history of rock and roll disasters, this one isn't the worst, but on a scale of one to ten it's pretty high up there. Today we have been forced to withdraw the 'Raindown' single from general release. Please do not attempt to buy 'Raindown' by The Alarm MMVI at the iTunes store.

Somewhere along the line, there has been an almighty cock up at iTunes and anyone who purchases the single actually gets delivered the Placebo track 'Infra-red' by mistake. Ironically, the Placebo track contains the lyric "Someone call the ambulance, there's going to be an accident", Apt or what!!!!

Obviously, this is not good and we can only offer our sincere apologies to everyone affected by this. We are currently trying to get to the bottom of the problem and EMI have informed us that this may take "weeks rather than days" to resolve. We are therefore advising all Alarm fans not to visit the iTunes music store with the intention of buying 'Raindown' at this point in time.

Alarm bells first started ringing as early as 7.00 a.m. BST yesterday when Alarm fan Keith Clark alerted us to the problem in the first place. At first we thought this would be a problem that could and should be resolvable within minutes. You can imagine our surprise when we found out otherwise. Keith did contact iTunes directly only to receive a generic reply with the offer of a credit to buy any other song by any other artist in the iTunes store.

As you will have already seen on www.thealarm.com Mike has been hosting the Alarmcast week in support of the single and we are pleased to announce that the Alarmcast broadcasts will be going ahead as usual. Mike Peters is currently in discussion with EMI about the possibility of making a version of 'Raindown' available as a free download from www.thealarm.com.

Mike and the crew have been working on Alarmcast all day (following on from his eventful trip to London last night to appear on the Tom Robinson show!). The webcast may run slightly behind schedule this evening due to the chaotic events of the day so please bear with Mike and the team.

Once again, sincere apologies to anyone affected by all of this and we hope that you all stay tuned to www.thealarm.com for further developments. Looking at the amount of hits to the webcast last night, it seems that you are all as excited as we are about the digital future at www.thealarm.com

Yours sincerely,

MPO Team

While you are waiting for the Alarmcast, there is more to listen to today!

Mike Peters has a very busy Raindown schedule. Not only does his first Raindown webcast air today but Mike is also live on air in London this evening on BBC Radio 6's Tom Robinson's Evening.

The producers of the show have informed us that Mike will be performing live:

On air 8 - 8.30pm this evening

Here is a link to the show for the website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/tom_robinson/

Happy listening and enjoy the webcast - a taste of things to come!


Best wishes,


MPO Team

Alarm Information Service


Tel: 011 44 (0)1745 571571

Fax: 011 44 (0)1745 571577

Email mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk

www.thealarm.com

PO Box 709, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL19 9YR, Wales, UK

UNDER ATTACK is the VH1Classic News Flash segment today!! They inform the US market they can buy the new release as a domestic and save from expensive imports. They talk about the great show at the Bowery this week, and the fact Mike is beating his "10 year" fight with leukemia. Also, they mention 'average Joe's in the Midwest will probably see The Alarm this year as a 'massive US tour' will soon be announced.

A review ofd The Alarm @ Manchester Academy, 24.06.06 is now up here:

http://www.link2wales.co.uk/gig06/alarm.htm

Hello Everyone,

This is the letter I have been wanting? to write to you all since I was diagnosed with Leukaemia (CLL) last December 8th 2005. After an incredible six months, I am now in a position to share with you the news that I am in complete remission.

As some of you may already be aware, I was able to release this news publicly? during the Manchester Academy concert. The reaction to the news was and has been overwhelming. Obviously, I wanted to post this news on the website a.s.a.p. but held back for a few days because of other 'siginificant' news that I will share with you later in this letter!!!

I did have a good idea that remission was coming while I was in the USA for the Joey Ramone Lymphoma Research Benefit Concert last month, but was unable to go public because I was waiting on the results of a bone marrow biopsy to be confirmed by the All Wales Lymphoma Board. This confirmation came through last week.

In the words of my Haemotologist Dr. Edwards, I had the "worst blood diagnosis he had ever seen", when he first looked at me in December with a white blood count of over 500,000. Now, he says I have "the best blood result he has ever achieved in a cancer patient", with a very normal white blood count of 7.5.!!!

I have to put this amazing recovery down to the skill of Dr. Edwards and his prescription of exactly the right drug / chemotherapy regime for me as an individual and the complete love and support of my wife Jules, who designed and supervised an amazing change of diet for me that has also played a huge part in my recovery. I was also encouraged and inspired by the thoughts and affection of fans from all over the globe who kept in almost daily contact via emails with messages of support, goodwill, advice and hope.

Of course, I am hoping that this will be the end of Leukaemia for me and my family but although I am now in remission, I cannot say that I have been cured. The history of this disease says that it will come back. Only last week in the days leading up to the Manchester show, I was in hospital having a Stem Cell Harvest as a safeguard for the future just in case the disease returns and I build up a resistance to the Rituximab / Cyclophosphomide drugs that have worked so well for me this time. Over the next few months my brother and sister will be having their blood typed just in case I need to have a Stem Cell Transplant from a donor and who knows, at some point in the future I may need to look for a donor from outside of my immediate family......

From now on, I will be working to maintain my remission for as long as possible, hopefully forever. To do that, I am going to have to protect my health as a first priority and although there will be more shows and new music I am going to have to be selective about the work I undertake. I think I have shown throughout the last six months how important my music is to me and I believe it has also played a significant part in my recovery. The 'Saturday Gigs' gave me a focus while I was undergoing chemotherapy and each of them was memorable for a variety of reasons. As a result we are all set to continue the theme and in the coming days more shows for the remainder of the year will be announced via www.thealarm.com?? ?

When I wrote that initial letter to you all back in December I honestly did not know how things would turn out. Of course I was hopeful / positive that things would turn out well in the end, but not even I could have dreamt up a better 'happy ending' than this. Last night, Jules and I had it confirmed that we are expecting a new baby to arrive in January 2007.

On Wednesday July 12th, don't miss out on joining The Alarm at Virgin Records Union Square at 1pm for an intimate acoustic performance

Visit The Alarm's page and watch the video for "Raindown". Share it with your friends, and get the word out!

The Alarm on YouTube.com

News From Uber Alarm Fan Lily:

Based on the #1Position of Superchannel on Reddragon365.com the guys over there are running a contest through through Amazon.com to give away 5 copies of Under Attack.

They will also be featuring the Alarm for the month of July on the station.
Please see details on link below.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=41133562&blogID=139835351&MyToken=0fcacd75-5bba-41d6-a476-2d01d121934b

Cardiff Big Weekend


Information: 029 2087 2087
Two days and three nights of rock, pop and entertainment to round off the Cardiff Festival. Featuring The Alarm, Cerys Matthews, The Automatic, Katrina and the Waves, Kubb, Paul Young, Stereo MCs and more.
City Hall Lawn, Cathays Park, Cardiff
dates: Friday 4th August - Sunday 6th August
times: Fri 7-11pm; Sat-Sun 1-11pm • cost: Free

This year the Big Weekend has strong Welsh Connections starting on Friday with The Alarm headlining along with Katrina Leskanich (formerly of Katrina and The Waves) and The Selecter. On Saturday Kubb headline with local NME favourites The Automatic alongside The Infadels and Crimea. Sunday features an eclectic musical mix with TexMex band Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young, driving Transylvanian rhythms from Mukka and the whole weekend will be topped off in style by the fabulous Cerys Matthews.

This week, Mike Peters is joined in the studio by Dead Men Walking to continue work on a brand new album. Next Saturday, a one off special concert will culminate a week of recording. Expect a full UK tour later this year!

Featuring Mike Peters, Slim Jim Phantom, Kirk Brandon, and Captain Sensible
"A One Off Special"
SATURDAY 8TH JULY 2006
THE MARRS BAR
2 Pierpoint Street,
Worcester, WR1 1TA
01905 613336 - www.marrsbar.co.uk
Doors 8pm
£13adv - £15 door
www.deadmenwalking.co.uk
www.myspace.com/deadmenwalkinguk




MPO Team

Alarm Information Service


Tel: 011 44 (0)1745 571571

Fax: 011 44 (0)1745 571577

Email mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk

www.thealarm.com

PO Box 709, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL19 9YR, Wales, UK

Thanks for another good night - manchester - i saw you in brum aswell. I brought my son and his friend this time it was their first ever gig they loved it .They are both 12. Glad to hear the good news i must admite i had a tear in my eye when you told us the news. B fraser


Had to e-mail to say how fantastic it was in Manchester last night...and hearing the great news from the man himself!!! I filled up when Mike said he was in remision and I am sure I was not alone.
There was an unbelievable buzz last night and it was created immediately by the energy coming from the band and especially Mike...it really was like old times,as Dave S rightly said.
I could almost have been back at The International on Plymouth Grove! The Acadamy was absolutely packed and not just people out for a Saturday night but true Alarm fans...fantastic!
My only reservation is that Mike looked about 20 years younger than me and i'm 40!!!! Thanks for a top night...one of the best Alarm gigs ever.
See you soon Tim


Hey all,FANTASTIC gig last night,loved every minute of it and so did all the friends i took,more fans for The Alarm family!!!Great crowd and i can just about speak today,you cant put a price on nights like those!! Hope maybe theres a Leeds gig for the next group of Saturday gigs or somewhere close by then i can bring some more friends as for me will be there wherever it is!! Mike looked great and its great news that the illness is in full remission -Mick

The Gig was BLOODY AWESOME, there was definately something buzzing in the crowd you could feel it as soon as we arrived. The Band were brilliant and the New album just sounds better and better every time I here it live and there was a great blend of old and new on the song list. Great to see Sharpy as well. Quite simply once again thankyou all in the MPO for making a great night, in years to come when people say "how do you know that gig in Manchester on the 24/06/06 was so good?" I can reply " I know because I was there" D. Spragg

Hi all at MPO Just a quick note about the Saturday show. Not sure how many times I have seen original alarm, MP solo, new alarm over the years.............probably 70 plus by a rough count. Saturday was honestly one of the best. Took four friends along, three who had never seen the alarm before. All thought the show was awesome and were struck by the energy that MP put in to the show. Nice to see Mr Sharp looking so healthy as well which was a bonus.


Dear all, Thanks for sorting the ticket out, as usual a fantastic night, well worth the road trip, Brilliant News from Mike, to see him so well compared to February in Cardiff, is just amazing,
He is a truly inspirational and courageous human being.... This Band just gets better and better, a brilliant Gig, definitely the best of the tour....Roll on the next set of dates, I'm already excited about Cardiff and Chepstow.....Thanks Again Simon


Hi I,ve been an Alarm fan since "Declaration" but had never seen them live.That was until Saturday night at the Manchester Academy ,WOW! was it worth the wait ,what a gig. What I'm asking is how can I get hold of a t-shirt for the current tour ? We were in a bit of a rush on the night so didn't get chance to buy one on the way out. many thanks K Webster


Just wanted to say what absolutely fabulous news it was to hear Mike say on Saturday he was in remission.
It’s staggering and honestly incredibly inspirational for us ‘mere mortals’ the way he has fought this fight. As you could hear on Saturday the raw from the fans was awesome in response. As for the gig itself…well where to start. The best ever …. Really I think it was that good – The Lomax in 2000 was damn pretty good – I recall Mike saying how fans thought at the time it was the best since the ‘old days’ but hey Saturday was just incredible. I think as time passes Saturdays gig will go down in peoples minds as THE Alarm gig ‘hey and I was there!’ Please pass on my sincere thanks to Mike (and the band!) – I hope he gets to read this. Best Regards, Steve.


We went to your manchester gig on saturday, thank you for a fantastic night.one of the best weve had in years.glad everything has turn out well for you. good luck for the future you really deserve it.any chance of a signed photograph it alright if you cant, but if you can it for angie. once again thank you and good luck


I went to the Manchester gig with my dad. I've been bugging him for ages to let me come and I finally went and it was the best concert i've ever been to. I was sitting on the stage at the front and I got a plectrum, a card that Mike through during Where Were You Hiding and I actually got to touch him. I'm now bugging my dad to take me again!!!
Leah - Chesterfield


MPO Team

Alarm Information Service


Tel: 011 44 (0)1745 571571

Fax: 011 44 (0)1745 571577

Email mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk

www.thealarm.com

PO Box 709, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL19 9YR, Wales, UK

To support the July 17th release of the "Raindown" single on iTunes, and just in time for the American Independence Day on July 4th, www.thealarm.com brings you the latest in our series of interactive games based on the work of The Alarm. This newest entry is named “Raindown Fireworks Show”. It’s an “interactive toy” designed to be played, enjoyed and emailed the friends so that they can see the fireworks, and also hear the new song by The Alarm.

Why “Raindown” and why “Fireworks”. Well, I have had this fireworks simulation kicking around for about 2 years, but I wanted something really solid to attach it to. In the past I was sure the “Fireworks” would be accompanied by “Spirt Of ‘76” or “Blaze Of Glory”. However, since the point of these types of “viral” internet activities is to get new people to hear/see new stuff, I thought I should find a new song to attach to it. Curiously, the only new song that had anything even remotely to do with fireworks was “Raindown”, and that was only if you thought of the “showers of sparks” raining down on you. I know, it’s a stretch, but it’s the best I’ve got.

So, why not try it now here:
http://www.thealarm.com/games/raindown_fireworks/raindown_fireworks.asp

It’s pretty easy to control. It’s more like a simulation than a game. When you first start, the fireworks are set on automatic. By pressing the [Spacebar] you can bring-up the control panel. This will allows you to change the amount of fireworks, color mix, height, launch fireworks manually (by clicking the weird little arrow buttons under the launch pads ), toggle the automatic fireworks on and off, and toggle the music on and off for better performance.

Also available are desktop versions that can be installed on a PC or Mac. These allow for full-screen display. You can download these here:

PC: PC Version
Mac:Mac Version

There is no installer. It’s just one file. Unzip it and run it from the pace you unzip it.

By the way, I don’t have a Mac, so I have not tested the Mac version yet. If anyone has one and can test it, please tell me how it works. Feel free to send any other comments, and especially suggestions of ways to use this program in the future, or other ideas for fun internet games and activities that are based on the music of The Alarm.

Have fun,

Steve Fulton
Web Master, http://www.thealarm.com
Email stevefulton@adelphia.net

The Western Mail from 23rd June.
(From "Singled Out" as the best of the 3 singles reviewed & given 3 stars)
"Taken from The Alarm's excellent new album Under Attack, Raindown is driven by spiky and very current sounding electric guitar riffs that give way to Mike Peters' impassioned voice and a chorus that's both anthemic and rich in harmony."

Where do our values come from? Are they taught or caught? Do the values and beliefs we have at seven carry through to adulthood? Phil George talks to people from all walks of Welsh life about how they developed their values, whether they have changed, and how they have influenced the way they live their life.


In the last series, Phil George spoke to a range of people in Welsh life, including, Leo Abse, MP for Pontypool; Matthew Rhys, actor and Robert Croft, cricketer.

To listen to Mike Peters' interview live, key in http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/radiowales and tune in accordingly. If you miss it live and want to hear it after its last repeat then? go to the same web page and log on to the box at the bottom which says listen again and select it by the programme title Value Judgements.? The dates of Mike Peters' live transmission are as follows

Friday 30th June 9.30pm
Sunday 2nd July 12.30pm (lunchtime)
Monday 3rd July 6.30pm.

Everyone knows what a gig is like, right.

A few crowd pleasers at the beginning (you know, a couple of hits that made the charts). An acoustic bit in the middle where the drummer can stick his hands in liquid nitrogen to cool down for a bit (and for the guitarist to readjust his mullet). Then throw in a couple of new ones that no-one is bothered about, and gives them time to nip off to the bar as well. Probably costs £20 (and the rest) and you go home thinking it was a pretty good night out.

Well, that might be the case on planet earth, but tonight, the Academy 2 in Manchester is transported to another galaxy, because this gig broke all the rules of gigging.

£15. A result in itself.

Missed the first support act. Not a surprise (sorry first support act), but we were in the Las O’Gowrie downing a pint of their finest.

We make the venue in time for The Salford Jets who in my eyes were a good booking, I used to be a fan in the early eighties, and they played all the songs I remember, Gina, Looking at The Squares, Who You Looking At. Don’t think there were too many Jets fans in tonight, but Alarm fans being a decent sort, gave them a favourable reception. Good on ya Sweeney.

As the stage was reset for The Alarm, the fans started pouring in from the various bars in the university and a hint of expectation rippled throughout the venue. This was good turnout, the best Manchester turnout for many a year. As soon as the lights dimmed the tension racked up two or three notches and didn’t loosen for the next two hours.

The set opened with Superchannel and Absolute Reality. I’m tempted to say new and old sat side by side comfortably, but it was even more seamless than that. There is a seam of talent running through the Alarm 2006 which the band mine with gusto and the resulting outpouring of rock ‘n’ roll leaves me thinking they could have done 2 hours of Postman Pat’s greatest hits and still gone down a storm.

Mike then dropped a big bomb by announcing he was in remission from his Leukaemia which had we been seated would have prompted a standing ovation. As it was, it was one of the few times Mike couldn’t get a word in. It would be real easy to make some cheesy sentimental mush out of that fact and milk it till you can’t punch the air any longer, but in the case of MP you just know that the fans are part of his treatment (yeah, OK it is a bit mushy) and tonight was another dose of Alarmotherapy. Enough of the mush.

The band careered relentlessly through…

Superchannel
Absolute Reality
Without A Fight
Where were you hiding...
Somethings Gotta Give
Right Back...
I Never Left
Raindown
Coming Home
Its Alright-Its Ok
Rain in the Summertime
This is the Way We Are
Deeside
Be Still
Sold Me Down The River
Cease And Desist
Drunk And Disorderly
My Town
Rescue Me
45 RPM
68 Guns
Unsafe Building
Spirit of '76
Marching On
Blaze of Glory


As if it couldn’t get any better (and like we didn’t know that Sharpy was going to pop into a local Alarm gig), Dave Sharp joined the band for Marching and Blaze.

Nice moment. But it says something about The Alarm today that although the Nostalgia was like a Mars Bar after 5 minutes in the oven, ‘soft and warm’, he didn’t actually bring anything to the gig other than that (he should have been the support act).

Anyway, what was I saying about what you expect gigs to be like.

Stuff the convention, none of the safe stuff tonight.

The band didn’t let up for a moment. All credit to the Manchester crowd, there wasn’t a song they didn’t know every word of. New or old, each song was greeted with equal gusto.

The band tore up the gig rulebook and jammed 140 minutes with pure adrenalin filled, full on, no prisoners, nail it to the floor, jam it in yer ear, relentless, raw, 100% authentic Rock ‘n Roll.

If you haven’t been to an Alarm gig, you haven’t been to a proper gig.

Beer. The Alarm. What could possibly make a better night? Ah yes, a kebab on the way home!

Andy Labrow.

For all of you attending this Saturday's show in Manchester, be warned it's going to be a packed out house!
Here is the schedule:
Doors:7.30pm
Support 1 (Acoustic): Darren Poyzer: 7.50 - 8.10pm
Support 2 Salford Jets: 8.15pm - 8.45pm
The Alarm MMVI: 9.00pm
Curfew: 11pm

Have a great show!

MPO Team
Alarm Information Service
Tel: 011 44 (0)1745 571571
Fax: 011 44 (0)1745 571577
Email mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk
www.thealarm.com
PO Box 709, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, LL19 9YR, Wales, UK

Podcast

Superchannel was featured on this week's The Trip Wire podcast. Visit the link to give it a listen. It comes at the very end of the show.

College Radio

We also received the following reports from College Radio playing tracks from "Under Attack"

Click on the link below and read journalist Mick Mercer's breathtakingly detailed and honest reviews of the history of Mike Peters and The Alarm:
Makes fantastic reading...

http://www.mickmercer.com/themick.html

Alarm songs from Under Attack beginning to pop up on various US radio stations... please email MPO (mpo@alarmpo.demon.co.uk with your listenings...

KROQ, Lo\s Angeles
4 New Songs From "Under Attack" were played on the Rodney On To Roq show, on June 11. The 4 songs were:

It's All Right, It's OK
Be Still
Cease And Decist
Something's Got To Give

X103 Indianapolis
Alarm songs to be played the week of 6/18

(Posted by: "Jay Montgomery")

Check out Dave Dugan on X103 if you are in Indianapolis, Sunday morning nine to noon (eastern). Or listen on the web at X103.com if you're not. Last week he said that he would be featuring the new Alarm album this week (6-18). It is a good show for fans of music other than Slipknot and Disturbed (which is what the station plays the rest of the time). Check out the X103.com web site and follow the DJ links to Dave Dugan and/or Hangover Cafe to see some of his past playlists. Or e-mail ddugan@wrzx.com and get your Alarm requests in - he actually plays them.

From Rolling Stone Online (June 14th, 2006)

The Alarm End Fifteen-Year Hiatus

Ending a fifteen-year hiatus, U.K. post-punks the ALARM drop their new album stateside on June 13th and perform a one-off gig on July 12th at New York's Bowery Ballroom. The band hopes to embark on a full U.S. tour in support of Under Attack -- which refers in part to frontman MIKE PETERS' decade-long battle with leukemia -- after his final chemo session this month.

Vidocity has a really great video of Mike Peters and the band playing live on Q104 FM. You can check it out here:
http://vidocity.com/player.asp?ID=270

Uptown Magazine
The Alarm has been around for more than two decades. Second, on this alb these guys serve up an enjoyable, slab of uplifting rock ’n’ roll that could be compared to the work of many great artists…(B+)
more…

Youth Ink
“Under Attack,” their newest release, is yet another achievement for the veteran rock band. It’s beautifully presented and as fresh and lively as their first. Each of the band’s past albums have been phenomenal hits. “Under Attack” is no exception!... (5 Stars)
more…


Babble And Beat
The Alarm's new album, 'Under Attack' will be released in the U.S. on June 13th. Hallelujah! Their new single, 'Be Still' is just one small example, of countless examples, that this band still "has-it"! You can listen to the full song on their website. In case you need a refresher course, we've listed some of the best-known Alarm songs:
'Sixty Eight Guns', 'Rain In The Summertime', Spirit Of '76', 'Sold Me Down The River, 'Blaze Of Glory', 'Strength', and 'The Stand'-Stacy's personal favorite.

Lincoln Today
As usual, the album swells with national pride while tracks like Without a Fight and Few and Far Between are made even more poignant by Peters' current battle with cancer. Great stuff….
more...

Well, reports from USA fans trying to find the new Alarm album "Under Attack" at stores across the USA have been spotty on day 1 of the release. You can read all of the first day reports here: http://thealarm.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2411014361/m/1471038981 (add your own if you would like), however, the gist of them all is as follows:

1. The album seems to be "in the system" of Tower, Best Buy, and Barnes And Noble, but is not in every store.
2. Big retailers like Target, Wal-Mark, etc. do not have it (not surprising at all).
3. Prices range from $13.99-$19.99
4. Most stores have less than 5 copies.

Some tips for finding the album:

1. Search for the album under "The Alarm", "Alarm MMVI" and "The Alarm MMVI"
2. Ask someone at the store. Many people (including myself) had to ask someone who founf the album in box that had not yet been shelved.
3. It might be easier to ask for the album by the title "Under Attack" than the band name.

The album itself sounds awesome. As well as the 13 original videos (one for each song), the DVD included in every CD is very good. It contains "Superchannel SE", which is a really great new video for "Superchannel". It's one of the best Alarm-rlated videos in at least 16 years. It also contains a short documentary about the creation of the videos.

The new album by The Alarm MMV, "Under Attack", will be released today in the USA.
We'd like to know where you found it, and how you liked it.
Please visit the forums and tell us all about it!

http://thealarm.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2411014361/m/1471038981

To read the Music Connection Artist Profile of The Alarm, go here:
http://www.musicconnection.com/currentissue/artistprofile1/artistprofile1.lcgi

To read an excellent review of the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, go here:
http://www.popmatters.com/music/concerts/r/ramone-joey-bday-060519.shtml

The Alarm MMVI release Under Attack in the USA this Tuesday 13th of June 2006 on Eleven Thirty Records.?

Prior to Tuesday's release, THE ALARM'S "SUPERCHANNEL" had it's USA debut ON THE NYC AIRWAVE AT 9:00 PM. Those who tuned in to Q104.3 (NYC) this Sunday at 9:00 PM to heard "Superchannel", the first single from The Alarm's "Under Attack" CD, when it was featured on the immensely popular, Jonathan Clarke's "Out of the Box" Radio Show. Listeners also got a chance to win tickets to The Alarm's triumphant return to NYC, for their July 12th Concert at The legendary Bowery Ballroom.

The "Under Attack" CD/DVD on Eleven Thirty Records will be in stores on Tuesday, June 13th.

'Superchannel' was also feature in Little Steven's Underground Garage this weekend.

The USA version of 'Under Attack' will be released in a double CD / DVD format and feature thirteen brand new tracks as well as a full colour 12 page booklet with?complete lyrics. The DVD contains videos for all thirteen tracks and also features an exclusive to the USA on location documentary with the band including?footage of the making of the videos. The DVD also features a special edition video edit of 'Superchannel'.