30/04/2025
Deeply sad to hear that another of my music heroes has passed – the wonderful MIKE PETERS. I remember hearing David "Kid" Jensen and Janice Long championing The Alarm’s early singles, Marching On and The Stand, and buying Sixty Eight Guns and Declaration soon after. Like Big Country, The Alarm captured me overnight. 1983 and 1984 were Alarm and Big Country years for me. I loved Mike’s politics, his passion, his message of working with communities, and that unmistakable big heart. It's a heavy loss, and one that will be felt far beyond the fans who followed him from those first, urgent records.
The sad news broke officially a few hours ago: Mike had died aged 66, after a long and fiercely fought battle with blood cancer. Diagnosed initially with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1995, and later chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), he often spoke of his illness as "like fighting a war." Last year, just five days before he was due to fly to Chicago to launch a 50-date U.S. tour, Mike was diagnosed with Richter’s syndrome – an aggressive development of CLL – and despite intensive treatment, he died at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
Born in Prestatyn, Denbighshire in 1959, Michael Leslie Peters grew up in Rhyl, living at The Crescent Hotel – later inspiring a track on Edward Henry Street, an album celebrating his formative years. Before music took hold, Mike worked in the computer department at Kwik Save, operating an IBM System/3 mainframe.
His musical debut came on 10 October 1975 fronting Hairy Hippie at his sister's birthday party. True to punk’s infectious energy, after seeing the S*x Pistols play in Chester in 1976, Mike formed The Toilets, later evolving into Seventeen, before settling as The Alarm in 1981. Their first performance, at the Victoria Hotel in Prestatyn, opened with Shout to the Devil.
With Dave Sharp, Eddie MacDonald, and Nigel Twist, The Alarm were quickly recognised for their acoustic-driven, anthemic sound – honed through relentless touring. Their independent debut Unsafe Building caught attention and by 1983, they were supporting U2 on the War tour in America. Bono himself praised their integrity, saying, "When great music is made, there are usually great people behind it, and The Alarm are great people."
Declaration (1984) cemented their reputation, delivering Sixty Eight Guns and Blaze of Glory to an enthusiastic public. By then, Mike’s impassioned delivery and the band's no-nonsense attitude had secured a devoted following in the UK and the US. Further hits like Strength and Rain in the Summertime kept The Alarm firmly in the charts, culminating in over five million albums sold and sixteen UK Top 50 singles.
Beyond music, Mike’s work in cancer care was tireless. Alongside his wife Jules Peters, he co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a pioneering charity encouraging stem cell donations through campaigns like Get On The List. Their ambitious trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in 2007 staged the "world's highest" concert, watched online by three million people.
Mike’s commitment extended far beyond symbolic gestures. His Big Busk campaign in 2017, walking between every cancer ward in north Wales, concluded atop Snowdon, and his advocacy work reached as far as Washington and Westminster.
In 2019, Mike was awarded an MBE for his services to cancer care, a moment captured with characteristic humility, holding his medal with a quiet pride that resonated far deeper than grandiose speeches.
Though The Alarm parted ways in 1991 – Mike memorably announcing his departure on stage at Brixton Academy – he remained prolific. His solo work, including albums like Breathe and Rise, demonstrated his versatility, from acoustic roots to more experimental sounds. Working under different guises, including the Poppy Fields stunt with 45 RPM in 2004, Mike skewered the youth obsession in the music industry with a sharp wit. The song, presented as the work of teenagers from Chester, entered the UK Top 30 and inspired the 2012 film Vinyl, directed by Rhyl native Sara Sugarman.
The turn of the millennium saw Mike reform The Alarm, albeit with line-up changes, and later front Big Country between 2011 and 2013. His time with Big Country produced the album The Journey (2013), a respectable if underappreciated addition to the band's legacy.
Throughout, Mike remained a committed live performer. Events like The Gathering in Llandudno became pilgrimage points for Alarm fans worldwide, testament to his ability to forge enduring connections without pretension.
Health battles inevitably shaped Mike’s later years, but his creative drive remained undiminished. Speaking to PA Media in 2024, he reflected on the overwhelming support from fans: "Phenomenal support and prayers from the fans from all directions," he said. Music, he insisted, kept him alive. “I could stand up on the stage on my own with a small back-up team... I wasn’t being exposed to any viruses or conditions that would impact on my health.”
Even while undergoing chemotherapy, he found ways to perform – slimmed-down solo shows carefully timed between treatments. Mike credited his family – Jules, Dylan, and Evan – and his dog Ziggy, daily five-mile walks, and his Friday night DJ sets at The Red Bar in Dyserth with keeping him mentally and physically strong.
In September 2024, Mike shared an emotional message from The Christie Hospital, announcing complete remission following a clinical trial. He expressed optimism that Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy could offer a “cancer-free life.” Yet by early 2025, Richter’s syndrome had returned. "It was devastating because it all happened in an instant," he said.
Mike was a familiar presence at charity concerts alongside Bruce Springsteen and others, and through his career, he was joined onstage at various points by musicians such as Bono and Neil Young.
His last few years were marked not just by illness, but by an intense gratitude for life itself. Speaking to Guitar World in 2018, he distilled his philosophy with characteristic plainness: “Live right up to the last breath and stay positive about the world, your family and the environment you live in.”
Mike Peters was approachable, fiercely committed, and always true to his roots. Even as The Alarm opened for the likes of Dylan, Queen, and U2, he remained firmly grounded, never seeking grandiosity, always chasing the next song, the next crowd, the next moment that mattered.
