The Alarm 2.0 Biographies
EDDIE MACDONALD
In the late 1970s, Eddie Macdonald and Mike Peters began making music together in their hometown of Rhyl, North Wales. Their first bands—the punk-driven Toilets and later Seventeen—were raw but full of promise. By 1981, they had evolved into The Alarm, moving to London with acoustic guitars and big ambitions. With Eddie on bass and co-writing duties, the band forged a rousing mix of folk, punk, and political conviction. Their breakthrough hit Sixty Eight Guns in 1983 brought them to national attention, and soon they were touring internationally with the likes of U2 and Bob Dylan.
Eddie became known as the group’s steady hand—dedicated, grounded, and quietly essential. During the recording of their Strength album in 1985, he famously worked through the night before heading straight to his own wedding. But as the decade wore on, internal tensions and industry pressures took their toll. In 1991, The Alarm split following Mike Peters’ shock on-stage announcement, leaving Eddie to step away from the spotlight.
He turned to photography, channeling his creativity into images rather than songs. Yet music was never far away. In 1997, he reunited with Peters for a surprise performance at The Gathering, proving the chemistry was still alive. Though he briefly rejoined Mike Peters in the early 2000s, Eddie preferred to keep his distance from the industry treadmill.
By the mid-2010s, however, he began writing again. This time, the songs reflected not youthful urgency but experience and perspective. They became the foundation of Smalltown Glory, his first solo-led project. In 2025, the band released their debut EP, The Tenement Commandments Vol. 1, marking Eddie’s return to the stage as a singer, songwriter, and frontman. Older, wiser, but as passionate as ever, he found himself once again connecting with audiences, this time on his own terms.
JAMES STEVENSON
In the blistering heat of London’s late-’70s punk explosion, guitarist James Stevenson found himself at the center of the storm. In 1977, while his peers were still in classrooms, he joined Chelsea, trading school halls for smoke-filled clubs. The band wasn’t just loud they were vital, and Stevenson’s sharp, urgent lines fit perfectly with the era’s defiant energy.
By 1980, he was recruited by Generation X, fronted by Billy Idol, just as they released “Dancing with Myself.” His punk credentials intact, Stevenson was venturing into more melodic ground. Though brief, the stint put him in the orbit of rising stars. Soon after, Kim Wilde, fresh from the success of “Kids in America,” brought him into her band. He played on her first two albums and appeared in iconic MTV videos, giving him global exposure.
Restless, he co-founded Hot Club with Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock before joining Gene Loves Jezebel in 1985. Their brooding, gothic sound became a perfect canvas for his piercing leads and layered arrangements. For four decades, Stevenson anchored their albums—including Discover, The House Of Dolls, Kiss Of Life and Heavenly Bodies—while also producing and arranging behind the scenes.
By the 1990s, he was an in-demand session player, recording with Tricky, Scott Walker, and Jimmy Nail, with his work also appearing in film and television. In 1998, Mike Peters of The Alarm recruited Stevenson, sparking a defining partnership. Together they revitalized the band with albums like In the Poppyfields, Under Attack, and Equals. The 2004 hit “45 RPM” even cracked the UK Top 30, reigniting interest in the group.
Stevenson never left his punk roots behind. He rejoined Chelsea in the mid-2000s, recording Faster, Cheaper and Better Looking and Mission Impossible. In 2011 he co-formed The International Swingers with Matlock, Clem Burke, and Gary Twinn, releasing a swaggering album in 2015.
In 2014, Stevenson finally stepped out solo with Everything’s Getting Closer to Being Over. His follow-up, The Other Side of the World (2021), written during lockdown and inspired by his brother’s battle with Pick’s disease, revealed his most personal songwriting yet. A lifelong Bowie fan, he also tours with Holy Holy, performing Bowie’s music alongside Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey.
In his review of Gene Loves Jezebel’s most recent album, Love Death Sorrow, for Goldmine Magazine, Dave Thompson wrote "guitarist Stevenson is simply blazing. Indeed, anyone who thought his recent (2021) solo album The Other Side of the World was the cat’s pajamas has just been introduced to its dressing gown. In terms of (re-)establishing Stevenson’s credentials as the hottest guitarist to emerge from the new wave (he was first sighted in Chelsea, in the first wave of punk), Stevenson is playing some of the most grandiosely incisive guitar of his life right now.”
As of 2025, James Stevenson remains as active as ever—touring with The Alarm, Chelsea, and Gene Loves Jezebel, producing younger artists, and still chasing that first high from London’s clubs of 1978. Few guitarists have moved so fluidly through punk, pop, goth, and rock—or done it with as much consistency and class.
MATT PEACH
Stepping into the lead vocals for two shows is Matt Peach, a rising star and lifelong fan of The Alarm’s legacy.
Having collaborated and performed live with members of the band on various solo singles and charitable projects he has gone onto forge his own successful career as the lead guitarist for the transatlantic Kelsy Karter and The Heroines.
Mike Peters was, in many respects, not just Matt’s musical hero, but also a mentor, both in music and beyond and Matt hopes to bring his love and respect for his hero to the stage. For Matt, being invited to celebrate the music of The Alarm, alongside the very musicians who have both helped co-write and perform this music is a great honour.
“Every musician has “their band”, the reason they became a musician to begin with. For me it has always been The Alarm. It was the first gig I went to and when I left the room I can still remember the crazy, fresh, burning desire to be in a band... Mike was the reason I picked up a guitar. I hope that through these shows, I can pay tribute, celebrate and give thanks by performing this music to the people whose lives have, like mine, been shaped by it.”
STEVE "SMILEY' BARNARD
Steve Barnard was born on January 10, 1968, in London, a city alive with punk and new wave. Drawn to drums from an early age, he earned the nickname “Smiley” for his ever-present grin and infectious energy on stage.
By 1997, Smiley joined Robbie Williams during the Life Thru a Lens era, performing on videos, TV, and tours. Yet his heart remained in punk and rock, leading him in 1999 to Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros—a lifelong dream. He toured globally, recording and performing music that was raw, political, and soulful.
In the 2000s, Smiley expanded his talents as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. He played with Archive and formed his own bands, one*iota and later King Louis, while balancing session work and live gigs.
In 2010, he connected with Mike Peters through Los Mondo Bongo, eventually joining The Alarm as their full-time drummer. He became integral to the band’s albums (Equals, Sigma, Forwards) and charity work, including hikes across the Grand Canyon and Sahara Desert.
Smiley also ran Sunshine Corner Studios, producing artists and releasing solo records under Smiley’s Friends with collaborators from The Jam, Spandau Ballet, and more. In 2020, he published his memoir Clang! Smiley Drops a Few, sharing decades of music stories with warmth and humor.
Recently, he’s joined Holy Holy, David Bowie’s supergroup, and played for the Boomtown Rats, touring worldwide while still writing and recording. Over four decades in music, Steve “Smiley” Barnard has become a respected, versatile musician—reliable, creative, and always smiling.
