February 15th 1988 – Leicester De Montfort Hall
I couldn’t get enough of The Alarm and Mike Peters singing in these days. I won’t be surprised by the time I end going to gigs if these guys are one of my most watched bands over the years.
The Alarm had now done 3 great albums, the already iconic album, “Declaration” (1984), a fantastically strong follow-up in “Strength” (1985)
and Eye of the Hurricane (1987). All had brilliant tracks on and shone as musical masterpieces in their own right.
Something I love about bands, is seeing them in small venues and following through their growth stages to a point where you can say “they’ve made it”. The Alarm were there for me at my lowest ebb, their music resonated with me and the joy and pain of their songs really struck a chord and served as a release from reality……that might sound dramatic, but people talk of depression and how hard things can be.
For me, between 1984 and 1988 particularly, I was finding things really tough. I hadn’t do well in “O” Levels, I did worse in A Levels, I didn’t want to DO “A” levels but couldn’t find a job at the time. I went on the dole for around 5 months, found a job in a camera shop in 1985, it was ok, but I wasn’t “finding myself” and through all of this, music was my saviour….and The Alarm were growing up with me….it was special.
I would meet Mike Peters a couple of times (he doesn’t know me) and realise he was a normal bloke like the rest of us and what resonated as much as the music, was that he was honest, hard working and got by with what he had as best he could……I learnt from that.
So to see The Alarm “make it” at the biggest venue in Leicester, The De Montfort Hall, was very special.
To open with Knife Edge just showed the exuberance of the band.
Memories come flooding back, The bitter pain of disappointment, Of once of having love but now I only feel loss……
Knife Edge – The Alarm
The strength of their songs and lyrics was stunning and led to great concerts, dancing and pogo-ing, sing-a-longs, cheering and clapping. You always felt an essential part at an Alarm gig…..and very sweaty at the end of it.
There was no let up as they moved onto “Strength” and “Howling Wind” and another fave of mine, “Deeside”.
Then on to a couple of the tracks from the newest album, “Eye of the Hurricane” before ploughing through the hits……a stonking concert!
Set List
- Knife Edge
- Strength
- Howling Wind
- Deeside
- Newtown Jericho
- Permanence in Change
- Absolute Reality
- Blaze of Glory
- The Deceiver
- One Step Closer to Home
- Shelter
- Rain in the Summertime
- Rescue Me
- Spirit of ’76
- Elders & Folklore
- Encore: Sixty Eight Guns, Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke, We Are the Light
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