The Alarm
 After playing together for four years in
Rhyl, Wales, first as
a punk band called The Toilets, and then as a Mod group called 17,
the quartet of Peters, Sharp, MacDonald and Twist made a fresh
start as The Alarm after Dexys Midnight
Runners fired them as a support band on a UK tour because they
were not good enough.
Moving to London in 1981 the band immersed itself in live work,
and after playing support slots for The Jam,
U2 and The Beat
(and gaining music press support) they signed to Miles Copeland's
IRS Records.
Their first taste of chart success came in October 1983 when 68
Guns reached Number 17 in the UK, helped by their first Top
of the Pops appearance.
A debut album (Declaration) was released in February
1984, peaking at Number 6 in the UK and demonstrating an anthemic
rock approach which would always remain in the shadow of U2 and Simple
Minds throughout the band's career.
Subsequent albums (many of them paying homage to their native
homeland of Wales) and large scale tours - including two nights
supporting Queen at Wembley Stadium - did
not elevate The Alarm to the level of bona-fide rock legends
(like, for example, U2 - from whom The Alarm drew their
inspiration).
The band played its last gig at the Brixton Academy in London
in June 1991.
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