30 years on from the Alarm’s original ‘Spirit Of ‘86’ concert – and 30 years since he first played Greenbelt – the band’s frontman Mike Peters still has so much to live for. After twenty years living with cancer his songs of love hope and strength have taken on greater meaning and the optimism in his words and songs ring ever true. “If a man can’t change the world these days, I still believe a man can change his own destiny”.
Still gigging relentlessly, Mike is currently supporting the Stranglers on the ‘Spirit Of ’86 in 2016’ tour reprising songs from The Alarm’s ‘Declaration’ and ‘Strength’ albums in a uniquely contemporary style, featuring performance, stories and images to honour the legacy the band left on the decade it helped define. And, of course, the compelling documentary movie ‘Man In The Camo Jacket’, which charts the rise of The Alarm alongside Mike’s inspiring cancer survival story has recently been released too.
Mike Peters is cofounder of Love Hope Strength Foundation and a two times cancer survivor, fast-emerging as one of the most visible advocates for those living with and beating cancer around the world. By turning rock concerts into lifesaving events Love Hope Strength’s ‘Get On the List’ programme has worked alongside more than 10,000 international recording artists (inc. Robert Plant, Frank Turner and Drop Kick Murphys), who now support the charity by allowing bone marrow drives at their concerts, resulting in 120,000 new registrations and finding over 2000 potentially lifesaving bone marrow donors.
At a recent UK concert filmed for the BBC, Mike Peters was surprised on camera by all four members of U2 who sang The Alarm’s Blaze Of Glory’ with Bono going so far as to describe Mike Peters as a “piece of work” himself. After fighting another bout of cancer at the end of 2015, Mike in remission and back on the road, refusing to stop touring – and this summer he returns to Greenbelt, a festival he played with The Alarm and solo way back in the 1980s. We’ll keep a welcome …