This was one of those last-minute affairs when a mate called me to ask if I wanted to accompany him to Manchester to see a show. When he told who was playing, I didn’t have to think too much about it. I’ve seen The Alarm play on several occasions, and have heard Mike Peter’s newest songs on record and in the flesh. With the ‘new’ band line-up including the drummer from James, bass player from Sisters of Mercy and the massive talents of guitarist James Stevenson (who has played with several notable bands), there are few better live performers around today.

The Life Cafe is a rather surprising venue to find the band. It’s small and is better known for its patronage of acoustic singer/songwriters. It was no surprise to find the place packed with loyal and enthusiastic, largely middle-aged, Alarm fans.

The support band I didn’t know from Adam and when they appeared I was not altogether surprised. The guys probably don’t believe their luck in securing the only support slot for The Alarm on this short tour, and they gave it their all on the night. But I didn’t understand what this over-amplified bunch of lads was trying to achieve, and the end result was a bombardment of noise with rhythms that stretched from North America to South America. A good pub band they may well be, but certainly not an appropriate support slot for the headliners.

The rather gaudy DIY stage décor with a giant red poppy dominating the set was also not what I would have expected from The Alarm. But that’s precisely what we got and the whole thing look gave an impression of cheap, sloppy and complacent. Thankfully, the band delivered big-time.

Mike Peters is a powerful leadman, big on voice, guitar work and stage charisma. But he has one other attribute which places him in the higher echelons of the rock scene. He is a wonderful writer of songs typified by strong melody, meaning, passion and, almost without exception, bursting with an epic vibe.

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The excellent set included recent single chart success 45RPM and other great songs from the latest album, along with anthems from way-back-when. I am not a devotee of old songs but have to admit that several of them had my goose bumps rising, while of course the fans went – now what’s the word I’m looking for? CRAZY! That’s the one… There were also a couple of covers including one excellent James song which Peters announced with some trepidation but performed with aplomb.

But one song sent a huge shiver down my spine and received the biggest acclaim on the night. The Unexplained, both on record and live, is one of the finest rock songs ever written, and is from the new crop of compositions. It’s the soundtrack that America needs for the next anniversary of 9/11 and I’m sure would be played relentlessly on every USA radio station. It would also sell in its millions across the world backed by a strong video and some intelligent promotion.

The Alarm is a better band now than it used to be, and I wonder why it doesn’t try to reach out in some meaningful and effective way beyond its loyal, older worldwide fan base to a new generation of fans. Peters has songs both old and new with a tremendous relevance to today’s turbulent, dangerous and unjust world. I recently covered the excellent Move Festival in Manchester that included classic older bands and thrusting new ones. It was missing one band in its eclectic and wonderful line-up – The Alarm.

With great new songs, a supremely skilled set of musicians and a very special leadman, this band should be flying and filling much larger venues around the world. This remains an unsolved mystery to me, although I have a sneaking suspicion that management may be at least part of the answer.

This was a great show by a band criminally under-exploiting it’s potential to inspire and thrill a younger, and more adventurous global audience.