Author, composer and guitarist, Mike Peters was the founder and driving force behind Welsh band The Alarm for 45 years, from 1981 until his death in 2025. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, on February 25, 1959, Michael Leslie Peters grew up in Rhyl and worked for IBM, before turning to music in 1975. The following year, he formed the punk band The Toilets, which became The Alarm in 1981. In another style, it was one of the emblematic bands of what was then known as "Big Music", born in the post-punk era and contrasting pop synthesizers with full-bodied, epic rock with folk roots. The Alarm quickly made their mark with hits like "68 Guns " and the albums Declaration (1984), Strength (1985) and Eye of the Hurricane (1987). For almost forty-five years, Peters guided The Alarm through twenty studio albums and numerous tours, maintaining a loyal following from the very beginning. In addition, during a long hiatus in the 1990s, Mike Peters embarked on a solo career with the albums Breathe (1994), Feel Free (1996), My Calling (1997) and Rise (1998), later returning to The Alarm. From 2010 to 2013, he joined another historic "Big Music" band, Big Country, after the departure of Tony Butler. Diagnosed with blood cancer in 1995, then leukemia in 2005, Peters continued to fight the disease, founding the Love Hope Strength association, until his death on April 29, 2025, at the age of 66.
