Big Country, The Alarm

Big Country and The Alarm share the stage in Manchester on 30 November 2026 at O2 Ritz Manchester. Formed in Dunfermline in 1981 around Stuart Adamson with Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki, Big Country emerged from the UK post-punk and new wave scene before carving a sound of their own. Their twin guitars ring and drone in ways that nod to Scottish folk and bagpipe phrasing, set within taut, melodic rock. The Crossing and Steeltown set the pace in the mid-80s, followed by The Seer and Peace in Our Time, then a shift toward more direct songwriting on No Place Like Home, Why the Long Face and Driving to Damascus. Back on stage since 2007 around Bruce Watson, the band keeps that balance of drive, melody and roots, with The Journey marking their studio return in 2013.

From Rhyl in North Wales, The Alarm also formed in 1981, shaping a style between new wave, post-punk and alternative rock, moving from acoustic tension to electric lift. Built around Mike Peters with Dave Sharp, Eddie MacDonald and Nigel Twist, the group broke through with The Stand, Blaze of Glory, Sixty Eight Guns and Spirit of ’76, and a first run of albums from Declaration and Strength to Eye of the Hurricane, Change and Raw. Reborn at the turn of the 2000s, The Alarm has continued to record, from In the Poppyfields and Under Attack to Equals, Sigma, War, Omega, Forwards and Music Television, a catalogue that feeds a live set spanning eras.