Equals is the brand new album from The Alarm and it is all set for worldwide release on June 29th 2018 via The Twenty First Century Recording Company and distributed by InGrooves.
The album release day itself, will feature many special events that will soon be revealed as the build up to June 29th escalates.
The first such event to be announced, is a ‘live’ in store acoustic concert appearance at HMV Cardiff, Wales with Mike Peters performing live at 17:30 GMT. To further celebrate the momentous occasion, Mike Peters will be signing albums and meeting with all fans who attend.
To coincide with the release in the UK, HMV will also be issuing a limited ‘collectors’ edition ‘RED VINYL’ version of Equals exclusive to HMV stores throughout the UK. Copies will be available to purchase in person at the instore on the day. For fans in other parts of the country, the HMV Exclsuive ‘Red Vinyl’ version of Equals can be ordered for home delivery and is available to pre-order now.
For Alarm fans in the USA, Newbury Comics is releasing a special limited edition (300 copies), of Equals that featurs a unique signed insert that has been autographed by all of the group. The insert features an unseen colour photograph from the album cover sessions that were conducted by lens-man Andy Labrow at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. USA Alarm fans can pre-order copies that will be distributed Nationwide here.
In anticipation of the new release and the forthcoming North American Tour, tracks from the album such as Two Rivers and Beautiful are already available to watch as videos, and to listen to as Instant Grat singles when pre-ordering or pre-saving at all music streaming services. Beautiful in particular, is beginning to pick up extensive airplay on many US Radio stations across the country.
Spotify has just honoured the band by creating a new ‘This Is The Alarm’ playlist which is reserved only for artists with high numbers of streams and designed to be an entry point to The Alarm’s material for new and re-connecting fans You can listen to the playlist here.
Some excellent press pieces are also starting to appear including a really in-depth feature by Sean Egan in Classic Pop (“We catch up with the remarkable Mike Peters who has battled against the odds to keep The Alarm’s flag flying high”), and an excellent 8 out of 10 review by Neil Hodge for ‘Louder Than War’ (“inspirational optimism…. stirring positivity”).
Equals – Tracklisting
Two Rivers
Beautiful
Coming Backwards (featuring Billy Duffy on lead guitar)
Transtalantic
Crowd Trouble
Peace Now
13 Dead Reindeer
Neutral
Cenotaph
Hellfire [CD only]
Tomorrow
= Preorder your copy of Equals now.
EQUALS is The Alarm’s first mainstream album release since 2010’s Direct Action. It is a barnstorming collection of 11 songs that act as a retrenchment of old values and a poignant reflection of the tough times Mike and his wife Jules have been through in recent years.
Having recovered from lymph cancer in 1996, Mike was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia in 2005 and, after an initial recovery, he suffered a relapse in 2015. To compound an already terrifying situation, Jules, who plays piano and sings backing vocals, was diagnosed with breast cancer just after. All band activity was put on hold as the pair underwent treatment and it is only now, with both in remission, that The Alarm are firing on all cylinders again. The emotional repercussions, though, are all too evident in the spirit of life-affirming optimism in the face of adversity that runs through EQUALS.
“The songs were built out of what I had become,” says Mike. “I learnt a lot about myself and my relationship with Jules, and it’s all there in the music. I didn’t set out to write about what we were going through. All I had were these incredibly strong feelings that I found myself putting into words and writing down onto my phone without even thinking they might form the basis for songs.”
Produced by George Williams (who previously worked on 2005’s Under Attack and on the Blood Red Viral Black Sessions), EQUALS features all new recordings and mixes that were created in 2018 and opens with a torrent of epic rock numbers such as Two Rivers and Beautiful, which see Peters singing about coming to terms with the past before moving to enjoy life to the full. Joined by drummer Smiley and guitarist James Stevenson, this new album encompasses twin harmony guitars, pounding drums and electronic layering, while guest guitarist Billy Duffy (The Cult) helps Peters and Stevenson blend acoustic and electric sounds on Coming Backwards.
Today, with Mike’s health now ‘back on an even keel’ and Jules in remission, The Alarm are looking forward to promoting Equals with characteristic vigour. Peters wouldn’t want it any other way. Not long after his second diagnosis, he founded a charity foundation, Love Hope Strength, and has since registered over 170,000 individuals to the International Bone Marrow Donor Registry. A man who refuses to be beaten, his drive in adversity is truly something special.
“The endgame of any creative period is always to share the results with an audience. The turbulence of the last few years has shaken The Alarm’s world to its core but we have survived the challenges and are now ready for the next steps, which is performing the music live with our fans adding to the experience. Nearly all of the music on ‘Equals’ has been road tested and already part of The Alarm DNA, myself and the band are primed and ready to give everything we have to make this year a life affirming experience for all our fans.”
= Preorder your copy of Equals now.
= Catch The Alarm on Tour in 2018.
= NEW EUROPEAN TOUR
June 13th – AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND Melkweg Tickets
June 14th – Hasselt, BELGIUM Muziekodroom Tickets
June 16th – BERLIN, GERMANY Frannz Club Tickets
June 18th – KöLN, GERMANY Kantine Tickets
June 19th – KIEL, GERMANY Kieler Woche Festival Tickets
June 20th – Dortmund, GERMANY Musiktheater Piano Tickets
= NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
25th July MINNEAPOLIS, MN Dakota Tickets
26th July MILWAUKEE, WI Shank Hall Tickets
27th July CHICAGO, IL Brauer House Live Tickets
28th July DETROIT, MI Magic Bag Tickets
29th July CLEVELAND, OH Music Box Tickets
31st July TORONTO, ON Lee’s Palace Tickets
1st August DERRY, NH Tupelo Music Hall Tickets
2nd August BAYSHORE, NY Boulton Center Tickets
3rd August PAWLING, NY Daryl’s House Tickets
4th August BUFFALO, NY Spirit in the Park Tickets
5th August ASBURY PARK, NJ Wonder Bar Tickets
7th August PHILADELPHIA, PA World Cafe Live Tickets
8th August WASHINGTON, DC City Winery Tickets
9th August RICHMOND, VA Tin Pan Tickets
10th August ATLANTA, GA City Winery Tickets
11th August NASHVILLE, TN City Winery Tickets
12th August BIRMINGHAM, AL Saturn Tickets
14th August CLEARWATER, FL The Capitol Theater Tickets
15th August ST. AUGUSTINE, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Tickets
16th August ORLANDO, FL The Social Tickets
18th August AUSTIN, TX 3TEN Tickets
19th August DALLAS, TX Gas Monkey Tickets
22nd August TUCSON, AZ 191 Toole Tickets
|23rd August SOLANO BEACH, CA Belly Up Tickets
24th August SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA The Coachhouse Tickets
25th August PASADENA, CA The Rose Tickets
26th August AGOURA HILLS, CA The Canyon Club Tickets