Originally published by The Birmingham Mail. July 2004.

Some years ago The Alarm were a band you either loved or loathed. The public mostly loved them, whereas certain areas of the establishment didn’t. Now, 20 years after their first album and almost completely new line up, The Alarm are back with music and lyrics that are just as potent as their early songs.

The new material matches up perfectly on stage with old favourites like Knife Edge and Marching On. The set opened with Coming Home from the new album In the Poppy Fields and onto Absolute Reality before heading back to the new record for Right Back Where I started From and the stunning Unexplained.

An acoustic version of Father To Son, sang in honour of certain events at home, followed before new dad Mike Peters and the band took the packed Academy 2 back to the classic album Declaration.

This section was played so well by the three new members of the band it was hard to imagine they had not recorded it.

The evening ended in strange but comically wonderfully fashion. Versions of All The Young Dudes and Jean Genie provided a side-ways salute to the glam rock era before the band signed off with their own perfect send off, Blaze of Glory.

Ian D. Hall.