Big hair '80s band The Alarm pulled a fast one on the British music scene and got away with it.
In a statement that illustrated the notion that old rockers don't die or fade away, The Alarm played its new songs while a teen pseudo-band, "The Poppyfields," lip-synced along in a video. The combination was a hit.
"We got four young guys to be in the video. The whole music industry fell for it," said singer Mike Peters. At 45, Peters is the only remaining original band member, with newcomers Craig Adams on bass, James Stevenson on guitar and Steve Grantley on drums. Peters was making a statement that musicians could be 40-something and still rock, with a new song appearing at No. 28 on the charts.
"We just wanted to point out that not all new music needs to be put on by new bands," Peters said.
THE ALARM IS bringing its new-old show to Jaxx for the second time with a compilation of music called "In the Poppyfields." In 2000, the band's first Jaxx performance was a nostalgic release of a CD set, showcasing music from its first 10 years. This time around, the band is out to prove a point.
"A lot of great bands made their best music four or five albums down the road," said Peters.
Chris Wohlsen was 13 when The Alarm was in its heyday. Now she's promoting the Welsh band from her New York office.
"They bring in both the old songs and newer songs. To debut at No. 28 after all that time is amazing," Wohlsen said.
The band's 1983 hit was "68 Guns," an anti-war song with an opening line that might describe their age situation today:
"And now they're trying to take my life away, forever young I cannot stay."
The hit song is still part of their play list.
"A good song is a good song, '68 Guns' still stands up today," Peters said. "We've always been about moving on."
Now the song list includes "Down the Road" and "45 RPM," which Wohlsen describes as progressive. Peters is 45 years old, and "45 RPM" was the song that got them on the charts this time around. Dan Rather got wind of their feat and put them in the limelight by airing the story on national news.
Just as the Sex Pistols and The Clash made music industry waves in their time, The Alarm wants to do the same thing with the anti over-the-hill message. After watching "American Idol" on television, teens today think the road to stardom is easy, Peters said.
"We have the responsibility to put out the longevity of rock 'n’ roll message. We want to pass it on to young people," Peters said.