The Alarm played the delayed 40th Anniversary British Tour with very special guest Dave Sharp, kicking off with two sold-out live shows in their hometown of Rhyl on the 11th / 12th March 2022. Fans were be able to see and hear the full power of The Alarm as they celebrated 40 years since their self-produced debut single “Unsafe Building” and the band’s iconic red poppy logo first appeared. “This is the Year of the Red Poppy”, states Mike Peters. “40 years ago, the original symbol appeared on the sleeve of our second single “Marching On” and has been with us in one shape or another ever since – so I have commissioned a giant Red Poppy flag that will be displayed inside each venue we play on the tour for fans to sign with their name. It is my hope that this Red Poppy flag (which has become the symbol of our community), will collect the names and spirit of all those people who have lived and loved special moments with The Alarm’s music, and fly until it is blown away by the wind at The Alarm Sanctuary in North Wales.” – Mike Peters – 2022

(All pictures can be enlarged by right clicking to open in a new window)


(Photos by Julie Wells. Stuart Ling)

Welsh rock legends The Alarm were back on the road in the UK this March & April, finally getting to celebrate 40 years making music, and lead singer & songwriter Mike Peters cannot wait; “The Alarm is all revved up and ready to go,” says Mike, speaking from Washington DC on the opening night of his first US show in over two years. “All through the lockdowns we have worked hard and kept ourselves primed for the return of rock’n’roll. “I never once gave up hope that The Alarm’s music would sound again so, to stay focused, we held weekly internet broadcasts that allowed us to commune and share music with our fans around the world,” continues Mike. “We also invited small groups of people to visit our local village in North Wales where we performed intimate, Covid safe concerts in our Chapel Studios or went out live from the recording studio via the internet. I wanted to make sure that when this moment arrived, we could hit the ground running and be better than ever before”


11th March 2022 – The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales
Show originally due to occur May 2021, January 2022 delayed due to Covid restrictions
Mike Peters performing solo over 2 sets
The set was streaming live on The Alarm Central Platform for the benefit of those unable to attend
Set 1 – 2022 to 2010
Two Rivers, Brighter Than The Sun, Time, Heroine, Tomorrow, Coming Backwards, Beautiful, Hellfire, Neutral, Cenotaph, Peace Now, A Breed Apart, Free Rock and Roll, Direct Action, Loaded, Badge of Honour, Plastic Carrier Bags, Situation Under Control, One Guitar, Alarm Calling, Kill To Get What You Want [Die For What You Believe In], Three Sevens Clash, Love Hope Strength
Set 2 – 2009 to 2000
Superchannel, My Town, This Is The Way We Are, It”s Alright It’s Okay, In The Poppy Fields, Coming Home, True Life, The Innocent Party, You’re Only Young and Innocent Once, The Drunk and The Disorderly, Be Still, Peace Agreement, Edward Henry Street, Mercenary Skank, The Normal Rules Do Not Apply, New Home New Life, The Unexplained, When Everything Was Perfect, All Seeing, Swansong, Close, 45 R.P.M.



(Photos by Mark Heybourne, Mel De Castro Pugh, Gina Irlam)

12th March 2022 – The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales
Show originally due to occur May 2021, January 2022 delayed due to Covid restrictions
Mike Peters performing solo over 2 sets
The set was streaming live on The Alarm Central Platform for the benefit of those unable to attend
Set 1 – 1999 to 1992
House of Commons, Rise, High On The Hill, My Calling, Transcendental, Shine On, Feel Free, Gone Elvis, Regeneration, All IS Forgiven, What Happened to The Love We Made, Broken Silence (with a chorus of Run To You), No Better Than This, Back Into The System, Poetic Justice, Train A Comin’, Spiritual, The Message, A New Chapter, Into the 21st Century, Breathe
Set 2 – 1991 to 1981
Moments In Time, Rockin’ In The Free World, Raw, The Wind Blows Away My Words, Happy Xmas (War is Over), The Road, Sold Me Down The River, No Frontiers, Hardland, How The Mighty Fall, Love Don’t Come Easy, Rivers To Cross, A new South Wales, Eye OF The Hurricane, Rain In The Summertime, Newtown Jericho, Permanence In Change, Presence Of Love, One Step Closer To Home, Shelter, Rescue Me, Strength, Knife Edge, Father To Son, Deeside, Dawn Chorus, The Day The Ravens Left The Tower, Majority, Spirit of 76, Walk Forever By My Side, Absolute Reality, The Chant Has Just Begun, Declaration, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?, The Deceiver, Third Light, Howling Wind, We Are The Light, Sixty Eight Guns, Blaze of Glory, The Stand, Marching On, Up For Murder, Unsafe Building



(Photos by Roy Ward, Mick Peek, Kevin Huw-Davies, Ellis Meredith-Owen, Mel De Castro Pugh)

13th March 2022 – the Royal Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, Wales
To celebrate the first gig by The Alarm on 5th June 1981 at the venue Mike Peters performed a short acoustic outside the pub to celebrate the event. The songs were performed outside as the pub was currently closed seeking a new landlord
Four songs were performed acoustically ; Shout To The Devil, Pavilion Steps, Sixty Eight Guns (original version), Unsafe Building

(Photos by Brian Cumpsty, Neil French, Gina Irlam, Mel De Castro Pugh)

17th March 2022 – The Waterfront, Norwich, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
Dave Sharp set included: Hard Travellin’, Last Smilin’ Villain From The South, Big Road Blue, One Step Closer To Home
The Alarm Set List : Protect and Survive, Absolute Reality, 45 R.P.M., Fail, Rain In The Summertime, Superchannel, Safe From Harm, Two Rivers, Breathe, 21st Century, In The Poppy Fields, The Stand, Deeside, Beautiful, The Deceiver, Majority, Third Light, Shout To The Devil, For Freedom, Marching On, Close, Unsafe Building, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?, Knife Edge, Walk Forever By My Side, My Town, Sixty Eight Guns, Spirit of ’76, Rescue Me, Blaze of Glory, In The Poppy Fields (reprise). Sold Me Down The River, Warriors

Fan comments :
They played from 9 to 11 but the venue has an 11pm curfew so they could possibly choose to go on for longer in other places. They were relentless, though, so many songs and they just kept powering on. Absolutely amazing! – Susi Barber
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
First gig in two years was awesome! Cracking set and the crowd were in good voice (don’t think I will have any voice left tomorrow) – Zenda Madge

(Set list from Dean Smith, pictures by Dean Smith and Susi Barber)

18th March 2022 – The O2 Academy, Bristol, England
Show postponed due to The Alarm being stranded on the motorway due a police incident and not being able to travel forward. Date to be rescheduled
The Alarm is on The M4 motorway – It is with regret that due to circumstances beyond our control, tonight’s concert at Bristol Academy will not be going ahead as planned. This afternoon The Alarm Tour Bus has been stationary on the M4, for several hours. There has been a major police-led incident between junctions 15 & 16 on the M4 in Wiltshire and traffic is at a complete standstill – Facebook status posted on the afternoon of 18th March

(Photo by Andy Labrow originally posted to the official The Alarm Facebook)

19th March 2022 – The 02 Institute, Birmingham, England
Reschedule date originally due to take place on 27th March 2020 then 19th December 2020 being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance


(Photos by Martin McCarthy, Lee Phillips, The Alarm)

20th March 2022 – Asylum, Hull University Union, Hull, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
The Alarm Set List : Protect and Survive, Absolute Reality, 45 R.P.M., Fail, Rain In The Summertime, Superchannel, Safe From Harm, Two Rivers, 2 x Acoustic tracks, In The Poppy Fields, The Stand, Deeside, Beautiful, The Deceiver, Majority, Third Light, Shout To The Devil, For Freedom, Marching On, Close, Unsafe Building, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?, Knife Edge, Walk Forever By My Side, My Town, Sixty Eight Guns, Spirit of ’76, Rescue Me, Blaze of Glory, In The Poppy Fields (reprise). Breathe, Psalm, Warriors


(Photos by David Bate, The Alarm)

25th March 2022 – Electric Ballroom, Camden, London NW1, England
Reschedule date originally due to take place on 28th March 2020 then 4th December 2020 being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
Fan comments
The last live music I saw was The Alarm in Llandudno just over two years ago just before the pandemic struck. It has been an extremely long wait, but finally last night I saw The Alarm (it had to be them really) this time at The Electric Ballroom in London. The one down side to the venue was the early start time, due to it turning into a nightclub afterwards. Something that happens to a lot of music venues these days. This meant even with finishing work early there wasn’t a massive amount of time to catch up with friends. Original guitarist in The Alarm, Dave Sharp, provided the support. The man is a genius on the guitar, and watching him perform was an absolute masterclass. He played a really strong set with perhaps not surprisingly the best reaction coming for the two Alarm tracks he performed, One Step Closer To Home and Tell Me. The latter was a firm favourite in The Alarm’s set back in 1983/84 and not played by Dave in many years. It was epic! Before the pandemic I was seeing and enjoying The Alarm as much as I have ever done. On tour in the UK and also on a couple of occasions in New York. The band has featured heavily in my fundraising books. I think you can see from the smile on my face just how much I was looking forward to the gig and they didn’t disappoint. It was a wonderful set celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary. A brave decision to start and end the show with songs from last year’s WAR album, soon to be re-released as Omega. Mike Peters has taken the decision to put in as many tracks into the set as possible and this has meant shortening some tracks and segmenting tracks together. I thought this worked really well as did having James Stevenson back on guitar and doing without a live bass, and it meant seeing some real gems from the Declaration period including What Kind of Hell and For Freedom. All the big hits were smashed out and the London crowd on a Friday were really up for it. A quite brilliant evening! I’ve waited over two years to see this and it was well worth the wait. I see them again in two weeks this time in Oxford, so not quite so long to wait and if I manage to get up to Leeds next weekend I’ll be seeing then yet again! Quite simply the band that changed my life… Tim Darvell – rivers2cross.com/






(Photos by Neil Huntingdon, Heather Cragg, Jason Bradley, Tim Darvell, David Ke, Al Harley, Lorraine Sartin, Paul Huggett, Pete Cole, Karen Tomlin, Steve Simkins, Neil French, Martin Kyte)

26th March 2022 – Arts Club, Liverpool, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance


(Photos by Alec Williams, The Alarm)

27th March 2022 – Engine Room, Southampton, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
Set list : Protect and Survive, Absolute Reality, 45 R.P.M., Fail, Rain In The Summertime, Superchannel, Safe From Harm, Two Rivers, 2 x Solo Acoustic tracks, In The Poppy Fields, The Stand, Deeside, Beautiful, The Deceiver, Majority, Third Light, Shout To The Devil, For Freedom, Marching On, Close, Unsafe Building, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?, Knife Edge, Walk Forever By My Side, My Town, Sixty Eight Guns, Spirit of ’76, Rescue Me, Blaze of Glory, In The Poppy Fields (reprise). Breathe, Psalm, Warriors
Fan Comments
Sharpie kicked it off with a mesmerising set, as usual, with a great version of Tell Me and One Step Closer. After such a long hiatus of full on live music, The full band “The Alarm” burst back into our lives and our hearts and reignited our flames with back to back music that kept up singing, dancing and waving bottles around until our arms ached and our voices were hoarse – Sharry Betsy Boulton,



(Photos by Sharry Betsy Boulton, Plum Morton, Clive Billingham, The Alarm)
Fan Comments
Sharpie kicked it off with a mesmerising set, as usual, with a great version of Tell Me and One Step Closer. After such a long hiatus of full on live music, The full band “The Alarm” burst back into our lives and our hearts and reignited our flames with back to back music that kept up singing, dancing and waving bottles around until our arms ached and our voices were hoarse – Sharry Betsy Boulton,

31st March 2022 – Wylam Brewery, Newcastle, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
Dave Sharp set includes God Save Somebody

(Photos by Simon Wall, Geoff Little, Darren Dobson)
Fan comments :
Superb night up in Newcastle last night, the set list was great and included songs from the WAR album which sounded terrific live , Fail was the stand out song for me and is gonna be a fans favourite for years to come. The energy Mike had last night was superhuman, the band was on fire . Also I would urge anyone going to the gigs to get in early to watch Dave Sharp, Dave was magnificent last night and his set included some old classics like Tell me, I also had the bonus of finally meeting and talking to Dave for the very first time . We will be heading for Manchester and Northampton next week – Darren Dobson

1st April 2022 – Metropolitan University, Leeds, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance



(Photos by Roy Ward. Tim Darvell, Keith Dawson – Set List by David Bate)

2nd April 2022 – The Garage, Glasgow, Scotland
Rescheduled date originally due to take place on 21st March 2020 then 12th December 2020 being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance
Review by Karen Edmond for The Scottish Music Network website
A mild night in Glasgow as the buzzing Sauchiehall Street filled with weekend shoppers were making their way home, the queue began forming outside the Garage venue to see The Alarm, only 100 yards away from where they opened for U2 on the War tour at Tiffany’s in 1983. Tonight, it’s different, as the band play the venue to mark their 40^th Anniversary tour. Early start at the venue, with the doors opening as founder member Dave Sharp takes to the stage to treat the fans to songs from his 2 solo albums Hard Travellin and Downtown America. He played a short but mixed set including great versions of Last Smillin Villain, Downtown America and a beautiful version of Hard Travellin. Dave chats to the Glasgow audience about how special it is to be back on the road and back in Glasgow, as it is a special place. He delighted the audience with old Alarm favourite from him One Step Closer to Home with no encouragement needed as the Glasgow crowd sang along word for word. You could see he was enjoying the set and as he changed guitar, he performed a song last heard in the Barrowland Ballroom from him, the excellent Tell Me from the Declaration album. As Dave said his goodbyes the Glasgow crowd were buzzing after a great opening support from Dave Sharp
As the lights went down and strobe affect lighting up the stage it was time for The Alarm,  as the band appeared from the side of the stage they were greeted to an amazing welcome from the Glasgow audience. As the band played the opening chords to Protect and Survive, Mike Peters greeted his following at all sides of the stage. The band featuring Smiley, James Stevenson and Jules Jones settled in their positions to what is set to be an amazing night of music from The Alarm. The opening tracks from the band really set the venue alight with Absolute Reality and the excellent 45 rpm, the atmosphere in the venue was electric, this was going to be a special night, the band on top form, the opening chords of fan favourite Rain in the Summertime had the crowd in full voice, before delivering a powerful cover of Massive Attack song Safe From Harm. New songs from the latest albums mixed well within the set including the powerful Two Rivers. The band left the stage, leaving Mike with his acoustic guitar in hand to perform a The Chant and What Kind of Hell before a brilliant version of In the Poppy Fields. As the band returned, they performed fans favourites including Deeside, The Stand, The Deceiver and Marching On
It was time for the band to bring out the big guns now with songs going back nearly 40 years still sounding as passionate as they did back in the day, working through an amazing back catalogue, performing For Freedom, Unsafe Building, Knife Edge, Spirit of 68 and the brilliant Spirit of 76, Mike had the Glasgow audience in his hands. The band on a different level tonight performing each song with the same passion as it was written and delivering the power that had the fans wanting more and more. Playing a new song My Town, Glasgow’s fair city was Mike’s, as he stole the hearts of the fans with a storming performance. As the set was coming to a close, they played Rescue Me before the echoing Blaze of Glory that had the fans hands held high as they honoured their heroes, even as the song came to an end and the band left the stage, the audience knew there was time for one more song
The band returned to delight of the crowd,  opening with the excellent Breathe that had the Glasgow audience sing the song word for word back to the Mike. You could see he was delighted and enjoying every minute of the show, performing the excellent Psalm from the bands Sigma album, before closing the set with Warriors from the War Album
Leaving the stage, having treated their fans to a 32-song set list, covering the four decades of the band, It truly was a night of emotion for the fans as the band played the songs with pride and passion. This was a 40^th Anniversary show that will be remembered for a long time to come. If you get a chance to see the band on the road during their 40^th Anniversary year, go see it, you won’t be disappointed. The band did in deed leave the stage in a Blaze of Glory and will be Marching On for a long time yet
For a gallery of photographs of Dave Sharp click to view on The Scottish Music Network website
For a gallery of photographs of The Alarm click to view on The Scottish Music Network website


(Photos by Nancy Wilson)

3rd April 2022 – Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

6th April 2022 – Assembly Rooms, Leamington Spa, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance


(Photos by Steve Simkins)

7th April 2022 – Phoenix Theatre, Exeter, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance


Photos by Jason Bradley, The Alarm)

8th April 2022 – The Foundry, Sheffield, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

9th April 2022 – 02 Academy, Oxford, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

13th April 2022 – Concorde 2, Brighton, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

14th April 2022 – The Junction, Cambridge, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

15th April 2022 – 02 Ritz, Manchester, England
Rescheduled date originally due to take place on 20th March 2020 then 5th November 2020 being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

16th April 2022 – The Roadmender, Northampton, England
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

17th April 2022 – 02 Academy, Bristol, England
Rescheduled date originally due to take place on 27th March 2022 which was postponed due to the band not able to travel to Bristol
The Alarm – Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Jules Jones-Peters
Support from Dave Sharp solo acoustic performance

(Page updated 18/04/2022)