The Alarm’s Politics

Regarding Craig Lee’s Nov. 16 review of the Alarm, “Little Cause for Alarm at Wiltern”:

The Alarm does not have a song called “Give Me Love.” I believe Lee is referring to “Strength.” And if he believes this song comes off as “poor man’s U2,” perhaps that is because the Alarm, along with Big Country and Simple Minds, shares the same musical origin as U2--a socially conscious music brought on by a dissatisfaction with the politics of their countries.

Mike Peters probably doesn’t “really think he can help resolve his homeland’s cultural identity crisis” by singing a song in Welsh on a Los Angeles stage, but he certainly made a lot of young Americans aware of that cultural identity crisis.

LEIGH BENNETT

Studio City