The Alarm’s Mike Peters (1959-2025): The musician who just happened to be a Christian

Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, has died of cancer aged 66. Derek Walker reflects on the life of the Welsh punk rocker who was a contemporary of U2’s Bono, an avid campaigner and a creative force to the end

Mike Peters, lead singer with The Alarm died this week, aged 66.

He came to fame in the early 1980s as the band’s charismatic frontman, and has more recently been known for his charity work, raising funds for fighting cancer, the disease to which he eventually succumbed.

The Alarm were very much entwined with U2, and Peters could be described as Bono-lite: both were from the Celtic edges of Britain (which very much affected their music); both started in punk; they both led their bands, sharing at times an agent, stages and fans; and they were both motivated by promoting causes and making a positive difference, outside of the bands as well as through the music.