Edited By Barry A. Jeckell. April 05, 2004, 3:35 PM ET
The Alarm Returns 'In The Poppy Fields'
Thirteen years after the band's last studio album, Welsh rock act the Alarm will issue "In the Poppyfields" later this month. The set is due April 19 in the United Kingdom via Snapper Music and a day later in the United States (distributed by Navarre).
The original members of the band split in early 1990s after a decade together, reconvening briefly last year for an episode of the VH1 series "Bands Reunited." These days, 45-year-old founding lead singer Mike Peters is still in front, backed by a group of veteran musicians: guitarist James Stevenson (Generation X, Chelsea), bassist Craig Adams (Mission U.K.) and drummer Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers).
The release of the new 12-track album, produced by Steve Brown (the Cult, Manic Street Preachers), comes on the heels of unexpected success on the U.K. singles chart with "45 RPM."
Realizing the age of the band's members could be a detriment in the youth-oriented music scene and that the group's moniker carried with it the weight of nostalgia, "45 RPM" was sent to radio stations under the name the Poppyfields. Having received positive feedback, the raging upbeat pop punk song was paired with a video of four teenagers in place of Peters and his crew, and the single released under the pseudonym.
"We wanted to make sure that we were judged purely on the strength of the music, and not by our old hairstyles," Peters says.
After the single debuted in the top 30 of the U.K. singles chart, the band admitted to the ruse and received mainstream press coverage at home and in the United States, where even "CBS Evening News" reported on the feat. "We've proved a point to both ourselves and the industry that older artists can still produce chart-worthy music," Peters adds.
In advance of the album's release, the Alarm is in the midst of a U.S. tour that plays Cleveland tonight (April 5). Nine out of the remaining 12 dates will find the group paired with the Psychedelic Furs. Following the tour's April 17 conclusion in Houston, a U.K. run is on tap. For more information, visit the Alarm's official Web site.
Here are the Alarm's U.S. tour dates:
April 5: Cleveland (Pirates Cove)
April 7: Orange, Conn. (Corner Pocket)
April 8: New York (Spirit; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 9: Farmingdale, N.Y. (The Downtown; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 10: Sayreville, N.J. (Starland Ballroom; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 11: Boston (Hard Rock Cafe)
April 12: Asheville, N.C. (The Orange Peel; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 13: Atlanta (Roxy Theatre; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 14: New Orleans (House of Blues; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 15: Austin, Texas (La Zona Rosa; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 16: Dallas (Gypsy Tea Room; w/Psychedelic Furs)
April 17: Houston (Verizon Wireless Theatre; w/Psychedelic Furs)
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