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Last updated: 03 July 2009
One of the most enduring arena rock bands, The Alarm were one of the 80s' best-selling Welsh acts.
Video: The Alarm performing 68 Guns
The Alarm story begins in 1978, when the group Seventeen was formed in Rhyl, as a rather belated response to punk. The members had come together from various local groups including The Toilets, Quasimodo (featuring Karl Wallinger) and Chuck Burial & The Embalmed. Seventeen played mod-tinged pop, released an indie single called Don't Let Go, and were kicked off a Dexy's support slot after just one show.
The four members had an inkling they were onto something special, and, motivated by a sense of their own musical importance and a deep-felt desire to make their mark, they aimed to become the stuff of legend. In 1981, Seventeen announced their new name, Alarm Alarm, soon after shortened to The Alarm.
Read the full Alarm biography.
Key works
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Declaration (1984)
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Strength (1985)
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In The Poppy Fields (2004)
Read Â鶹Éç Wales Music review
