The Alarm’s Mike Peters returns to public life after a year dominated by pneumonia and a serious leukaemia relapse, with the release of the video to ‘Forwards’, the title track from the band’s forthcoming album, out 2nd June, and a touring schedule, bringing the band to Southsea’s Wedgewood Rooms on June 7th.
“I literally took my guitar into hospital with me,” says Peters. “I was on the ward for such a long time, I started writing these songs in between IV sessions and the first people to hear the music were the very people who were trying to keep me alive.”
In between hospitalisation periods Peters took the band into the recording studio with producer George Williams and, although barely able to speak due to the debilitating effects of chronic illness, Peters was able to focus the sessions on creating the music for ten new life-affirming Alarm songs.
“I’ve been to places only deep suffering can take the human spirit and, in the darkness, I clung onto every piece of light I could find to work my way back to life. This was the energy that drove me to write and record Forwards.”
New album ‘Forwards’ is alive with melody and invention and destined to contend for a top place amongst The Alarm’s extensive discography, one that boasts 17 Top 50 UK singles and over six million album sales worldwide. In fact, the previous three Alarm albums have all featured in the Top 10 of the British Rock Album Chart with Equals (number 2 in 2018), Sigma (number 1 in 2019) and Omega (number 8 in 2022).
“I’ve already taken so much from life that, when I was in hospital stricken with chronic illness, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be spared another opportunity to live,2 says Peters. “Fortunately for me, I was granted more time on earth and the challenge remains, as ever, to make the most of every single second – Forwards.”
Described by Bono of U2 as “The second greatest rock and roll band in the world”, Mike Peters has been the driving force behind The Alarm for more than forty creative years of new music making, and dedication to presenting the band’s classic songs in ways both imaginative and inventive.
To this end, around the spring 2023 release of new album ‘Forwards’, Mike Peters will present The Alarm [Acoustic] UK Tour. This will be a dynamic ‘evening with’ concert tour featuring a unique one-man band electro-acoustic performance style that has previously earned plaudits from fans & critics across the globe via a set list of songs from all eras of The Alarm discography.
The Alarm [Acoustic] UK Tour 2023 live dates as follows:
May 24th Liverpool Epstein Theatre TICKETS HERE
May 25th Bristol St. Georges TICKETS HERE
May 30th Newcastle Cluny Theatre TICKETS HERE
May 31st Tring Court Theatre TICKETS HERE
June 3rd Sale Waterside Arts Centre TICKETS HERE
June 4th Stroud Subscription Rooms TICKETS HERE
June 6th London Islington Union Chapel TICKETS HERE
June 7th Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms TICKETS HERE
June 8th York – The Crescent TICKETS HERE
June 9th Hull – The Welly TICKETS HERE
Last month The Alarm began a series of one-off events, premiering some of the forthcoming new material at the 30th Anniversary Gathering at Venue Cymru Arena in Llandudno, North Wales. This long-running and unique Alarm fan interactive event was completely sold-out, as is a previously-announced special night at Cardiff’s St. David’s Hall on April 15th.
More dates and special one-off shows for later in the year to be announced soon.
- Top image by Jules Peters. Live band image: Stuart Ling.
