The Alarm

Formed in Rhyl, in north Wales, The Alarm emerged in 1981 out of the local punk scene, after earlier incarnations of the band under the names The Toilets and Seventeen. Around Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie MacDonald and Nigel Twist, The Alarm developed a tense rock sound positioned between new wave, post‑punk and alternative rock, frequently shifting between acoustic passages and electric surges, with direct choruses and an unapologetically Welsh identity. Relocating to London in the early 1980s, The Alarm quickly made an impact on stage, notably opening for U2 and later for Bob Dylan, and established themselves with the singles “The Stand”, “Blaze of Glory”, “Sixty Eight Guns” and “Spirit of ’76”. Their first period is marked by the albums Declaration (1984), Strength (1985), Eye of the Hurricane (1987), Change (1989) and Raw (1991). After a split, The Alarm reappeared from the late 1990s centered on Mike Peters in various forms, including The Alarm MM++, with a new string of recordings such as In the Poppyfields (2004), Under Attack (2006), Equals (2018), Sigma (2019), War (2021), Omega (2022), Forwards (2023) and Music Television (2024). Mike Peters, for many years the band's central figure, died in 2025.