In June 1983, the Alarm embarked on their first tour of the U.S., supporting U2 on the War Tour. Another session with producer Mick Glossop was arranged to produce the single "Blaze of Glory". picked up their recording option on the band, signalling the start of work on an album. Following the success of the sessions that produced "The Stand", I.R.S. The EP was released to coincide with the Alarm's first tour of the U.S. Outside the UK, the song was released as part of a five-track EP titled The Alarm. The song's lyrics were inspired by Stephen King's novel of the same name. The song "The Stand" was recorded in Battersea in April 1983, and was released in the UK as a single. These shows were the first time that Bono joined the Alarm on stage. ![]() Constant gigging in London helped the band build a following, and in December 1982, they played four shows with U2. On stage, they almost always began gigs acoustically, then finished with electric guitars. "Marching On" was released as a single in October 1982, and the band's sound started to become clear. This forced them to make a decision on who was to play which musical instrument, and it was decided that Peters would concentrate on singing, with Sharp on guitar and Macdonald playing bass. The band were eventually offered a deal by I.R.S. At this point, they were playing with three acoustic guitarists. In 1982, the band began to record demos for various record labels, but had little success. To celebrate, The Alarm played with U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom on 22 December 1981. Wilson arranged another show in order to assess the band's quality, was impressed, and soon became their manager. Also at this show was a representative of Wasted Talent, who arranged a meeting between the band and Ian Wilson, U2's agent. This journalist attended the band's next show at Upstairs at Ronnie's in London's West End. The band played a show with The Fall in December 1981, where a journalist from Sounds noticed them. The single was noticed by Mick Mercer, who featured it as his single of the month in his ZigZag magazine. 1,000 copies were pressed that month, featuring "Unsafe Building" on the "electric" side and "Up For Murder" on the "acoustic" side. They moved from North Wales to London in September 1981, and the band recorded a one-off 7" single. The band soon reformed under the new name of The Alarm (with Nigel Buckle changing his surname to 'Twist'), and played their first gig at The Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, North Wales on 6 June 1981, opening with "Shout to the Devil", which later appeared on the album Declaration. They played their last concert under the name of Alarm Alarm in January 1981 at the Half Moon, Herne Hill, London. Seventeen began as a three-piece but were joined by guitarist David Kitchingman (who changed his name to Dave Sharp) and became a power pop mod band that released the single ("Don't Let Go"/"Bank Holiday Weekend") in March 1980 and toured with the Stray Cats later that year. Later the group named themselves Seventeen, with both Mike Peters and Nigel Buckle alongside Eddie MacDonald (who had been Mike Peters' next-door-but-one neighbour in Edward Henry Street, Rhyl). This group also included Karl Wallinger on keyboards. The band ceased to exist in 1978 they renamed themselves Quasimodo and played note-for-note covers of The Who's Live at Leeds with guitarist Dave Sharp. It contained Mike Peters (alias Eddie Bop), Glyn Crossley (alias Steve Shock), Richard "O'Malley" Jones (alias Bo Larks) and Nigel Buckle (alias Des Troy). In 1977, a punk band was formed in Rhyl, Wales, billed as "The Toilets". ![]() ![]() Their 1984 album Declaration, which contained "Sixty Eight Guns", peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart. The Alarm's highest charting single in Britain is 1983's " Sixty Eight Guns", which reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular new wave pop band of the 1980s. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language and culture. The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981.
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