N.E.W.I., Wrexham


23/24 August, 2003

A Road Less Travelled…

It’s unusual, and in my experience unique, for an artist to expose himself and his songs to weekend-long scrutiny by an audience. But this is precisely what happened here in Wrexham last weekend. Mike Peters (The Alarm) performed 132 of his own compositions during no less than eight separate acoustic sessions. Between each performance there were Alarm video shows, and special guest appearances by Californian singer/songwriter Brian Travers, and Scottish singer/songwriter JJ Gilmour from The Silencers. Peters’ final, dynamic performance on Sunday night was in the company of Bruce Watson from Big Country. Alarm fans from around the world attended the sell-out, twelve-hour marathon - some show, some artist!

Saturday 23 August. The Start Of The Beginning…

I sensed a tangible buzz in the N.E.W.I. campus foyer where a live performance stage had been set up. The bar was packed with fans from the USA, Europe, Scandinavia, UK, and I even noticed two Japanese ladies who looked a little dazed and confused. The Alarm shop at the end of the foyer was filled with casual clothing, CDs, Videos and DVDs, and business was brisk.

It became pretty clear to me that any knowledge gaps I had about Mike Peters and The Alarm were about to be filled. On scanning the day’s menu I found a variety of vintage 1980’s live performance footage including landmark shows in London, Hamburg, Munich, Nurburgring and Roskilde. The videos and some of the live performances took place in a lecture theatre adjacent to the foyer, with Peters introducing each show and adding footnotes where necessary. For me, the videos were an eye-opener. I was never an avid Alarm fan because during this period I was engrossed in career progression 10,000 miles away in Australia, but the taped performances in front of enthusiastic, sell-out audiences were inspiring and exciting. I could understand why Peters had collected and protected these memories of past glories.

On the day, Peters gave four heartfelt and skilful performances covering varying periods of his song writing life with The Alarm. Each set had been formulated with mathematical precision and accompanied by sheet music that he seldom appeared to use, accept for song title reference. They were passionate performances by a musician with few peers in today’s disposable, manufactured pop culture. Students at BBC’s Fame Academy were performing live on TV to ’stay in’ that night. Their time would have been better spent watching how it should be done. They should have been in Wrexham at ALARMSTOCK.

Later in the day, I caught a wonderful performance by special guest JJ Gilmour. Performing some melodic and moving songs from his SUNNYSIDE album, he caught the imagination of the audience, and I was so impressed I bought the album!

Sunday 24 August. Pouring Petrol On Fire…

The day opened with a video of the notorious Alarm Brixton Academy performance in 1991 when Mike Peters announced to his fellow musicians, the audience, and the world at large that he was leaving the band. The announcement came towards the end of a show that Peters claimed was the band’s best. After another live session, Peters introduced a video of his return to the Brixton Academy in 1994, as a solo artist supporting the Sawdoctors. His brief introduction and the video were the most moving moments of the weekend; the painful decision to leave the band was etched in his face as he explained his reasons for leaving, and the manner of his shock announcement.

A young Californian singer/songwriter called Brian Travis followed and provided thirty minutes of pleasant folk-pop before Peters returned for his sixth live acoustic session.

Then the best Peters session of the weekend, entitled Pouring Petrol On Fire, when he performed many new Poppy Fields songs. It was during this session at the foyer stage that some of my personal favourites from the Poppy Fields series were played, including The Normal Rules Do Not Apply and the incredible anthem for our times, The Unexplained. Peters explained to the audience that the Poppy Fields series of five albums would shortly be distilled into one new album for general release later in 2003, and that the views of fans would be considered in selecting the songs.

The final acoustic set of the day proved to be the most explosive when Bruce Watson from Scotland’s Big Country joined Peters. With acoustic guitars blazing and Peters giving his all in belting out Alarm and Big Country songs, the crowd visibly enjoyed a major highlight of this twelve-hour extravaganza.

When it was all over, everybody went home with memories of the great event. Wrong! All the sets were recorded and transferred to CD before being copied feverishly in a backroom. Another major innovation of this incredible event meant that punters could also go home with CD recordings of their favourite live sets from the ALARMSTOCK weekend.

I was not a Mike Peters or Alarm fan, but after this weekend of incredible music and performances, I was sold. Peters proved to be a prolific and superb songwriter with a distinctive voice, and great guitar skills. The event proved to be a major success and there’s talk of another one in the not-too-distant future. If you like your music served acoustically, with heavy doses of drama, inspiration and passion, then don’t miss out on the next ALARMSTOCK - whether you’re a fan or not…

MIKE PETERS SET LISTS

Set 1: The Start Of The Beginning And The Point Of No Return

The Crescent, Edward Henry Street, Where Are We Going, Up Downtown, Mercenary Skank, In You I See The World, It’s Going Be A Good Year, House Of Commons, Flesh And Blood, Life Can Be Beautiful Sometimes, On St David’s day, Lucky Numbers, Bank Holiday Weekend, Nothing Lasts Forever, Hear Me Out, It’s Not Unusual.

Set 2: From New Destruction Comes New Creation

Ground Zero, Feel Free, What Happened To The Love We Made, In Circles, You Are To Me, Transcendental, First Light, My Calling, Rip, White Noise, Broken Silence, The Wasting Land, Regeneration, Burnout Syndrome, High On The Hill, Rise.

Set 3: Walking With The Demons And The Devils

Unsafe Building, How The Mighty Fall, Love Don’t Come Easy, The Drunk And The Disorderly, Devolution Working Man Blues, Right Back Where I Started From, In The Beauty Of My Surroundings, Hardland, Change II, A New South Wales, No Frontiers, Permanence In Change, Father To Son, Walk Forever By My Side, Spirit Of ‘76, The Rock And Roll.

Set 4: The New Wave Songs Are Rising

Marching On, Where Were You Hiding?, Absolute Reality, Breathe, Deeside, Third Light, The Stand, Strength, Knife Edge, Close, We Are The Light, 21st Century, One Step Closer To Home, Coming Home, Sixty Eight Guns, Rescue Me, Everyday, Blaze Of Glory.

Set 5: The Dirt And The Glory

Moments In Time, Poetic Justice, The Wind Blows Away My Words, Spiritual, Save All Your Crying ‘Til Later, Swansong, Raw, Lead me Through The Darkness, Levi’s And Bibles, Train A Comin’, The Road, Down The Road, All Is Forgiven, The Message, Back Into The System, A New Chapter.

Set 6: A Road Less Travelled

Change 1, Safe Houses, Reason 41, Rose Beyond The Wall, Lie Of The Land, For Freedom, Time To believe, Elders And Folklore, Unbreak The promise, You’re Only Young And Innocent Once, Second Generation, Thoughts Of A Young Man, Pavilion Steps, What Kind Of Hell, Bells Of Rhymnney, Shine On, Gone Elvis.

Set 7: Pouring Petrol On Fire

Under The Sun, The Innocent party, The Candle That Burns The Brightest Is The First To Go Out, The Life You Seek Does Not Exist, New Home New Life, Alone Together, Raindown, True Life, The Normal Rules Do Not Apply, Alive, Everafter, The Unexplained, In The Poppy Fields, When Everything Was Perfect, Fade In Fade Out Fade Away.

Set 8: Rock And Roll International. The Alarm Versus Big Country

Driving To Damascus, Rain In The Summertime, Never Take Your Place, Sold me Down The River, Long Way Home, How Long And How Much Longer, Peace In Our Time, The Stand, Fragile Thing, 68 Guns (Long Version), In A Big Country, Spirit of ‘76 (Long Version), Chance, Blaze Of Glory, Rockin’ In The Freeworld.