1998 News/Rumors/History Archive

January 9, 1998: ColourSound Rock The Gathering:  ColourSound surprised the audience at night #1 of Mike Peters Gathering 6 with their first live performance EVER. The packed house was electrified by the band’s brilliant rock attack. The 6 song set ended much too quickly leaving the all in attendence gasping for more…

January- February Rise Tour UK 1998

  • January 9 / 10 / 11 “The Gathering” The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno
  • January 17th Bristol Fleece and Firkin
  • January 18th Wolverhampton Varsity
  • January 20th Leeds Duchess Of York
  • January 21st Scunthorpe Lincoln Imp
  • January 22nd Falkirk Martells
  • January 23rd Glasgow King Tuts
  • January 24th Dundee Westport Bars
  • January 25th Dumfries (tbc)
  • January 26th Middlesbrough Cornerhouse
  • January 28th Sheffield Boardwalk
  • January 29th Cheltenham Axiom Centre
  • January 30th Blackburn King George’s Hall
  • January 31st Nottingham Rock City
  • February 1st York Fibbers
  • February 3rd Liverpool Lomax
  • February 5th Leicester Princess Charlotte
  • February 6th Stoke Wheatsheaf
  • February 7th Manchester University Hop & Grape
  • February 8th Cambridge Boatrace
  • February 10th Birmingham Xposures
  • February 11th Norwich Oval
  • February 12th Colchester Arts Centre
  • February 13th Tunbridge Forum
  • February 14th Swansea Patti Pavillions

February 10th: Mike appeared on Live TV (cable) today  for the breakfast show (interview and solo acoustic performance).

Februray 19th: ColourSound Rumors: “Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a new band called ColourSound. Between the four members, this band have racked up close to 50 years experience and sold more than a few records with their old outfits. ColourSound consists of Mike Peters, leader of Welsh rockers The Alarm, Billy Duffy of The Cult, The Mission’s Craig Adams and Johnney Donnelly of The Saw Doctors. They will be making their debut in North America March 19 during the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. After SXSW, the band heads to Hawaii to record a demo with mega-producer Bob Rock”

Feburary 26th: ‘Rise’ album  released in the U.K. and throughout Europe on Eagle Records: Press release: “Produced by Mike Peters, ‘Rise’ contains eleven brand new recordings cut in England during the summer of ’97. The album features Billy Duffy (The Cult) playing guitar on several tracks and also includes the first Mike Peters/Billy Duffy co-write. The album was mixed by John Brough who is best known for his work with Beautiful South and a host of major artists from Skunk Anansie to Paul Weller.”

March 13th: ColourSound Arrive in the USA: ColorSound arrived in Los Angeles today to embark on their first venture stateside. First stop was a San Fernando Valley rehearsal studio where it is rumored Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols sat in on drums for a few songs

March 19th: Coloursound has their Debut American performance at The South By Southwest Music Festival Austin, Texas at The Atomic Cafe

March 24th: Colo urSound impress the musci biz: After ColorSound’s impressive showcase on Thursday (March 17) at Atomic Cafe during South by Southwest in Austin, it seems just a matter of time before the supergroup — which features Mike Peters (the Alarm), Billy Duffy (the Cult), Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy, Mission U.K.), and Johnny Donnelly (Ireland’s Saw Doctors, who are on the Guinness Fleadh dates) — inks a record deal. The house was wall- to- wall with major label A&R folk, including reps from Interscope, Columbia, and Island, as well as label heads, attorneys, and others in the know. Even without a label, the band — which has seven songs to its name at the moment — has attracted noted producer Bob Rock (the Cult, Metallica) to work the knobs on the group’s debut album — at his request. According to a source close to the band, they’re heading to Hawaii this week to record in Rock’s studio for early pre- production. “They’re doing basic tracks, working out the songs,” says the source. The three- month- old ColorSound, which is managed by U.K.-based Ian Wilson, who used to manage the Alarm, is described as “a ’90s version of the Cult but with a better singer. They take the best elements of the Cult and the Alarm with a tighter singer.” Singer Peters and guitarist Duffy are writing the material together. The Austin showcase was only the group’s second show, but a few other dates are lined up, including a Wednesday (March 25) showcase at the Viper Room in Los Angeles and an April 14 show at Mercury Lounge in New York.
March 25th: ColourSound play The Viper Room: News : “Former Cult guitarist Billy Duffy and ex-Alarm leader Mike Peters have teamed with former Sisters Of Mercy guitarist Craig Adams in a new band ColorSound, which will play The Viper Room on March 25 before flying to Hawaii to start an album with producer Bob Rock…”

April 6th Record In Hawaii: ColourSound Record In Hawaii with Bob Rock:  Coloursound got to Hawaii to record  with super-producer Bob Rock. Their first two shows had the industry buzzing, and  spurred some MAJOR label interest.

April 14th: ColourSound show at the Mercury Luonge in NYC is called the “A&R Event Of The Week”: “”The A&R event of the week was the COLORSOUND show at the Mercury Lounge. Colorsound are the new band fronted by former CULT guitarist BILLY DUFFY, and the label weasals were repeatedly out in force to catch this show. The band are allegedly so hot that METALLICA producer BOB ROCK is already twiddling the knobs for their debut album- despite the fact that they’ve only got seven songs…and no record deal! At least not yet.”

April 19th: ColourSound return to the UK: Colorsound finish their first short American tour and return home in the UK. The tour was wildly successful! More than 5 MAJOR record companies were  interested in ColorSound and it became readily apparent that they would become the “next big thing”.  The recording sessions with Bob Rock in Hawaii were also a great success. the band recorded 4 new songs, to bring their song total number up to 18.

May 5th:  Mike Peters recorded a session for Virgin Radio on the Paul Coyte Show.

May 6th: Mike Peters Headlines Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London.  A huge turnout of media and record label staff added to the evening which saw Mike headlining his biggest solo show to date.

May 7th: Mike Peters and his New Electric Band record a show for VH1. It featured an electric rendition of ‘High on the Hill’ and ‘White Noise’, an acoustic version of ’68 Guns’ and an interview with Mike and Paul King.

May 11: ColourSound continues working in Wales: The Colorsound Project continued to develop at a thunderous pace with U.S. A&R men visiting deepest Wales post-Sheperd’s Bush Empire to check the boys out in their natural habitat, demoing and rehearsing new songs.  With  Over 20 songs in the bag, label and interest from all quarters. things looked great for the band.

May 17th, 18th, 21st: VH1 show airs with Mike Peters and Paul King.

May 31st: Mike Peters and his band appear on VH1’s Talk Music.

June 4th:  Mike Peters and his New Electric Band perform an electric version of White Noise on VH1.

June 6th: Mike Peters and Billy Duffy appeared as Special Guests alongside Dodgy drummer, Matthew Priest on Noddy Holder’s Quiz programme, Electric Ladyland. (replayed on the 13th and 20th)

June 13th : Mike Peters appears at the Fleadah festival in  New York
June 20th : Mike Peters appears at the Fleadah festival Chicago
June 28th : Mike Peters appears at the Fleadah festival San Jose. Mike invited Twist on stage to join him in a rendition of ‘We are the Light’.  It was the first time that had shared a stage in 7 years.

July: The Best Of The Alarm And Mike Peters: Record released on EMI records.  Contains 3 Mike Peters songs, and a full set of Alarm classics.

July 21st: Galway Festival:   Mike Peters and Special Guest, Colorsound appear at the Galway Festival in Ireland.

July 16: Dolgellau Festival Warm-Up Show At the Bistro in Rhyl, Wales. . First show with Steve Grantly as drummer for Mike’s band.  It was Mike’s very own idea to play a warm-up show at the Bistro… Speaking to the North Wales press from America, Peters said, “I used to work as a barman at the Bistro, back when I was starting out in local bands. In a funny kind of way, it was times like that, hanging out at the Bistro that helped make The Alarm happen… I thought it would be fun to come back to the roots and play on my own doorstep after being on the road in America for most of the year; to play a few chords at the Bistro instead of pulling a few pints! It also gives Steve, our new drummer a chance to test the water in front of a home crowd.” .

July 17th: Mike Peters and the New Electric Band headlined the Dolgellau Festival in Mid Wales. This special electric Summer performance was filmed by Channel 4 Wales and admission was free.  Mike Peters and the New Electric Band have  played a stunning headline performance at the Big Session Festival in Dolgellau, Wales. Playing a full hour and a half electric set, Peters and the band charmed the audience with a set to die for. The highlights included Breathe, High on the Hill, 21st Century and Burnout Syndrome against a backdrop of the Welsh Mountains together with a classic electric re-working of 68 Guns. An acoustic performance of A New South Wales in Welsh, Hwylio Dros y Mor together with an electric performance of ‘Aer’ put the icing on the cake of what eyewitnesses observed to be one of Mike’s best performances to date.

July 31st: Highlights from Mike Peters and the New Electric Band’s  stunning performance at the Dolgellau Festival  were  televised Friday , July 31st at 7.25pm on Channel 4 Wales

August 26th: ColourSound 4 track EP Released through the MPO: under the sun, alive , heavy rain, fade in – fade out – fade away.  The CD sold-out by October.

August 31st: Mike appears at the Greenbelt Festival in England

September 6th:  US Rise tour kicks off at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle.

September/October ColourSound Residency: Press Release:

“Billy Duffy, Cult guitarist and Alarm singer-songwriter, Mike Peters, have formed a brand new band called ‘COLOURSOUND’. Having already performed 3 infamous shows in the U.S.A. the band have decided to hold a London residency and mini tour of the U.K. prior to recording a full blown debut album later in the year.  ‘Coloursound’ is the vehicle for Mike and Billy’s newly formed songwriting partnership which began after a chance meeting at last years Phoenix Festival footie tournament, and continued with Billy being invited to play guest guitar at the recording sessions of Mike’s recent solo LP ‘Rise’. Having enjoyed working together so much, Mike and Billy relocated to Wales to collaborate on the songs which form the basis of ‘Coloursound’.  Billy Duffy, who says, “This is the first time I’ve picked up a guitar since the Cult without being paid and it feels great”

  • September 20 – Manchester, University
  • September 21 – London, Camden The Barfly
  • September 28 – London, Camden The Barfly
  • September 29 – Leeds Duchess of York
  • October 1 – Aberdeen, The Works
  • October 2 – Glasgow, King Tuts
  • October 5 – London, Camden Barfly

October 3: Snowdonation:   Mike Peters has enlisted  fellow Welsh rockers, and then “Best New Band In The UK” award winners The
Stereophonics for “Snowdonation” a benefit for the National Trust to help buy and save a portion of the Snowdonian Mountain Range in Wales that had been put up for sale by its owner. The show will tok place on Oct. 3 at the International Arena in the village of Llangollen in Wales

October 13th: Rise Relased In The USA:   Rise  released in the US  on Velvel Records. “Transcendental” is the first single.

October 21: Mike is played the ‘Big Room Performance’ on WWCD (Columbus) with 20-30
radio winners in attendance.

October 22: Mike is performing a couple of songs and on-air interview on WOXY (Oxford, Ohio)

November 16-November 23: Mike  played Acoustic Cafe which is syndicated to approx 40 stations
across the U.S.  and played during this week.