April 1- 7, 2004

music

Cause for Alarm?

The Alarm
March 24, Hard Rock Cafe

Decades ago, The Alarm was like a pop version of The Clash with wistful hits such as “Rain in the Summertime” and the rabble-rousing “68 Guns” and “Spirit of ’76.” Their recent appearance at Hard Rock Cafe, the underground station stop on the revival tours of ’80s nostalgia bands, proved they could still put on a heart-thumping show, the riveting drumbeat generally being the backbone of punk music. Lead singer/harmonicist/guitarist Mike Peters commanded the stage with his energetic guitar riffs and gravelly voice. All the while he whored himself with earnest dedications to those audience members who paid beaucoup bucks for live, personalized CDs if Peters would shout out their name. He clearly thought the wankers were those who wrote them off for their age, and he proudly recounted the story of the band’s U.K. hit “45 RPM” under the pseudonym The Poppy Fields. The Alarm is thrilled to be making a comeback and it shows on stage. They even sold out their La Scala show in London. They didn’t exactly sell out Hard Rock, but the CD sellers were clearly taken aback when they had to reach into the next box of Alarm CDs for Peters to sign and sell to the paunchy punkers.

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