Listen to Mike Peters talking about his time as a choirboy!

The Alarm was formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1978 and were originally called Seventeen. Seventeen were a mod/punk band, and after a tour with The Stray Cats in 1980, the band split.

They played their last gig together under the new name of Alarm Alarm, but this would also be the last time this name was used. Lead singer Peters (at the advice of legendary DJ John Peel, according to some stories) decided to change the name in 1981, supposedly because too many bands during the early 1980s had redundant names, such as The The and Duran Duran.

Peters and Twist had originally been in local punk band The Toilets, Sharp in Chuck Burial & The Embalmed and Macdonald in Amsterdam. All bands were short-lived.

The band soon reformed under the new name of The Alarm, aiming to create songs using a new electro-punk sound. A new 'western military' image also began to materialise, inspired by the Stray Cats and Kirk Brandon's Theatre Of Hate.

The Alarm played their first ever gig at The Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, North Wales on 10 June 1981, opening with "Shout to the Devil", which would later appear on the Declaration LP.