photograph by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 11th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

For the third time this year, Mike Peters returned to a venue and a city that holds his presence very dear to the collective hearts of all who attend his shows. Whether it’s in the form of his band of 30 years standing, The Alarm, his magnificent tenure as the lead singer for Big Country or in his guise as one man and an acoustic guitar, Mike Peters gives a show that resonates with his audience and can make the shiest person sing at the top of their voice as they join in with Mike’s rage against injustice and half-forgotten social issues.

Mike delivered two sets to the hungry and very passionate crowd and was greeted with high levels of applause that made a mockery of some other bands that have visited the city recently and gone away with a lot of criticism and hardly any joy felt within the various venues.

The first half of the night was peppered with Mike in a reflective mood as he played songs such as My Town, Unsafe Building, Strength and the brilliant Spirit of ’76, as he told the audience a few details of his life whilst successfully battling cancer a few years ago, the crowd duly acknowledged the sombre but poignant tales as he smiled, played and reminded everybody that at the end of the day, this is one talent that will go marching on till the time comes.

After a short break in which Mike retained his popular appeal and his effortless way of greeting his fans, Mike stormed through the second half of the show where he played various requests and old favourites including Rain in the Summertime, Going Out in a Blaze of Glory, New South Wales and the chant-laden Where Were You Hiding (When the Storms Broke?)

There was an emotion that Mike tapped into on the night, a certain kind of feeling that was both tangible and very powerful being created by the performer and audience alike. How the man kept a lid on the desire to really tear up the stage is one of those questions that will never be answered and neither should it be ever done so. For some things need no explanation, some emotions are too intense to question, it’s enough to know that the electricity the crowd felt was felt by one of the city’s favourite adopted musicians.

No matter what life throws at the man, it seems, like so many before him, to keep battling, to keep entertaining those he adores and to keep writing songs that mean so much to an awful lot of people. One of the finest social commentators of his age and a pleasure as always to catch him playing top quality songs.