Meet The Fans - Meet Us!

We thought it would be good to answer the same questions that we have been asking you in our Meet The Fans features. These are our answers Rob & Joff!

Joff

Rob

Name Joff
Name Rob

Age Joff - 44
Age Rob - 43

Occupation - Joff -Fraud Officer
Occupation - Rob - Retail Manager

Where Are You From? Joff - Portsmouth
Where Are You From? Rob - Herts

How did you get into The Alarm? Joff - I saw them supporting The Police at Wembley on the Police Sychronisity tour. They were amazing, I went to Woolworth the next day to buy my first Alarm record "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?" 7"

Rob - Fairly recently actually. I was always aware of The Alarm but mainly only through tracks like 68 Guns. Joff got me a ticket for the London gig on the "Sound And The Fury" tour last year but then bidded on the "One Night Only" auction for the Cambridge show and won! I ended up going to that show too and was blown away, it was a touch surreal seeing one of your friends on stage but a fantastic night!

What is your favourite song by The Alarm? Joff - "The Rock" and their cover of "One Guitar".

Rob - I am terrible at narrowing down choices, in fact I love lists but I will try and be good and go for "The Drunk And The Disorderly".

What is your favourite album by The Alarm? Joff - "Change" (Original) and "Under Attack" (New)

Rob - Of the early albums it's a toss up between "Declaration" and "Strength" but the later stuff probably "Under Attack" as well.

What is your best Alarm memory? Joff - Becoming a member of the band and performing "Love Hope And Strength" with them at Cambridge last year.

Rob - For me it was the same gig, meeting the band backstage and being impressed with how friendly and genuine they were. Then seeing my best friend on stage and how he really gave it the big one was priceless! It was also nice meeting Andy (Merch / Photography) and Katrina (LHS) at this show.

First Alarm gig? Joff - Supporting The Police in 1983

Rob - Cambridge 2011 on the "Sound And The Fury" tour.

What was the first record you ever bought? Joff - "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie

Rob - "Destroyer" by Kiss

What other bands or artists do you like? Joff - Gary Numan, The Cure, Echo And The Bunnymen, Marc Almond, Archive, Marillion, Killing Joke, David Bowie, T.Rex, Depeche Mode,The Cramps and The Waterboys.

Rob - The list is endless...Marillion, Gazpacho, Amplifier, Gary Numan, Frank Zappa, Porcupine Tree, Grateful Dead but I'm a big classic rock fan who also is equally at home listening to Dead Kennedys or Miles Davis!

What is your favourite film? Joff - "Friday 13th", "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Pulp Fiction".

Rob - "Blazing Saddles"

What is your favourite TV show? Joff - "The Big Bang Theory", "Modern Family" and "Sherlock".

Rob - Current TV definitely "The Big Bang Theory" but I love the classic BBC comedies such as "Porridge" and "Dad's Army".

What is your favourite book? Joff- "Prayer For The Unborn" by Steve Malins

Rob - It's hard to give you just one book, I love Michael Connolly especially the Bosch books. John Grisham I enjoy. "Prestige" by Christopher Priest (if you have seen the film but not read the book trust me you need to read it!). I have read loads of Stephen King but not a lot of his recent books. For me "The Stand" and "It" are probably my favourites.

Any last words? Joff - Free Rock N Roll!

Rob - Thanks for your support, I hope that you will continue enjoying the site.

Meet The Fans - Nigel Adams

Nigel Adams (and friends!)

Name - Nigel Adams

Age 45

Occupation - Self Employed Gardener

Where are you from? Gateshead

How did you get into The Alarm? I went to see Stiff Little Fingers and they were the support act.

What is your favourite song by The Alarm? "Knife Edge"

What is your favourite album by The Alarm? "Declaration"

What is your best Alarm memory? Meeting the band at a gig in Middlesbrough in 1985.

First Alarm gig? The Stiff Little Fingers gig mentioned above.

What was the first record you ever bought? (Wasn't answered....maybe it's a guilty pleasure or a deep dark secret!)

What other bands or artists do you like? The Jam, Madness.

What is your favourite film? Swordfish

What is your favourite TV show? Mrs Browns Boys

What is your favourite book? The Beano Annual!

Any last words? Free Rock And Roll!

Would you like to be featured on Meet The Fans? Simply send in your answers to the above questions to inthepoppyfields@gmail.com Don't forget to include a photo!

Meet The Fans - Maryrose Romero

Name - Maryrose Romero

Maryrose Romero

Age - 42

Occupation - Online Trader

Where Are You From? - Manila, Philippines

How did you get into The Alarm? It started when I was a teen, we listen and dance to your music in an afternoon party.

What is your favourite song by The Alarm? "Absolute Reality", "Rescue Me" and "Rain In The Summertime".

What is your favourite album by The Alarm? "Eye Of The Hurricane"

What is your best Alarm memory? Oh, too sad to say I haven't seen them in the flesh...

First Alarm gig? See previous answer

What was the first record you ever bought? "Eye Of The Hurricane" by The Alarm and "Across The Kitchen Table" by Pale Fountains

What other bands or artists do you like? Colourfields, The Cure, The Smiths, Pale Fountains, Wild Swans, Echo And The Bunnymen, New Order, Joy Division, Gene Loves Jezebel, Lotus Eaters, Jimmy Jimmy, Seona Dancing...and many many more!

What is your favourite film? "Schindlers List", "Pretty In Pink", "Full Metal Jacket", "Reality Bites" and many more.

What is your favourite TV show? Oprah

What is your favourite book? "Schindlers List"

Any last words? First of all thank you so much for this opportunity....secondly...one wish I have is to see The Alarm in the flesh....I hope you guys can visit the philippines one day...can you pls sign my record? hehe...big hug

Would you like to be featured on Meet The Fans? Simply send in your answers to the above questions to inthepoppyfields@gmail.com Don't forget to include a photo!

Meet The Fans - Sara Diana Williams

Sara Diana Williams (Photo Pending!)

Name - Sara Diana Williams, otherwise known as Sara Diana or SDW

Age - Not Saying! LOL

Occupation - Carer, but previously a dog groomer with my own business.

Where are you from? Wrexham, North Wales

How did you get into The Alarm? My boyfriend at the time was into The Jam, U2 and The Alarm, his bedroom was covered with Alarm stuff. I listened to the albums and thought they were ok but then we ended up going to a gig in Liverpool and they totally blew me away! Mike owned the stage, I felt like the fans connected with him, he was special.

What is your favourite song by The Alarm? I am a big fan of the older albums and can give you a list as long as my arm of songs I love but I would say my fave song is "Without A Fight" because it sums up my life and how I live it, and jointly "Fight Back" because that song gives me the strength to tackle my treatment and tests.

What is your favourite album by The Alarm? Can't say really because I love them all for their different qualities, the album I didn't like though was "Raw".

What is your best Alarm memory? Wow!, Where do I begin? I have so many of them and they are all priceless. When I was going on maternity leave with my second son Harry, my colleagues/friends and I went to Central Station to see Mike play. At half time my friend sort of pushed me towards the merch stand and unbeknown to me pointed me out to Jules. She then ushered me towards Mike and we met...that meant the world to me. Also, when the Queen came to Wrexham, I got my mum to babysit the boys and headed down there...not to see the Queen or any of the other celebs...it was to see Mike perform for the local radio! I felt a right idiot cos I was the only one standing there but Mark Reynolds grabbed me and got me to stand with Mike and Jules for a photo!

First Alarm gig? I can't remember the exact date except it was Liverpool, Royal Court and would have been around 1984 or 85.

What was the first record you ever bought? My brothers and I clubbed our pocket money together and bought the "Funky Gibbon" by The Goodies.

What other bands or artists do you like? The only band who have moved me like The Alarm did are Killing For Company, now Victoria Station. All the guys in the band really connect with their fans and their performance is always heart felt. Other than that...The Damned, Ramones, The Fall, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Spear Of Destiny, Stranglers, Pogues, Wedding Present, Pigeon Detectives, Vaccines, The Strokes.

What is your favourite film? I have a few..."My Dog Skip", "Greyfriars Bobby" (are you getting the link there? lol) and "Dirty Dancing".

What is your favourite TV show? Casualty

What is your favourite book? Again, I have a few..."My Dog Skip", ""Greyfriars Bobby", "Black Beauty", "War Horse".

Any last words? Mike and his music has always been something I have connected with. His music struck a chord with me back in the day when I was a misunderstood goth punk and it still does now as a middle aged housewife and mum. His music inspires me and injects me with the strength to tackle anything life throws at me. As a person Mike is amazing and inspirational and definitely my mentor.

Would you like to be featured on Meet The Fans? Simply send in your answers to the above questions to inthepoppyfields@gmail.com Don't forget to include a photo!

Meet The Fans - Doug Watson

Name - Doug Watson

Doug Watson

Age 49

Occupation - Retail

Where are you from? I live outside of  Glasgow in a place called Morningside, Wishaw

How did you get into The Alarm? I Stumbled onto them one night when I went to see a certain up and coming Irish band called U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London.

What is your favourite song by The Alarm? It's a hard question to answer and I'll be a bit cheeky by naming a couple! With the original line up I'd probably say it's a toss up between "Howling Wind" and "One Step Closer To Home" (with "Howling Wind" just grabbing the top spot by an inch or two.) With the line up that has been on the go since 2000 I love "Few And Far Between" from "Under Attack" and I'm quite partial to "Higher Call"  and "Milk And Opportunity" both on the "Direct Action" album, but the one song that was part of the Bond series, that I wish they would officially release, because it is a brilliant song is "In The Beauty Of My Surroundings".

What is your favourite album by The Alarm? "Declaration" (Original Line Up) and "Direct Action" (Current)

What is your best Alarm memory? Probably seeing them live for the first time back in 81 with U2 or it would be easy to say the night I became a member of The Alarm for One Night Only (25th May 2011) in Glasgow.

First Alarm gig? As mentioned above, the U2 show.

What was the first record you ever bought? First was Big Brother & The Holding Company (Featuring Janis Joplin) "Cheap Thrills" album way back in 1972 (nine years old). First single would have been a Slade, "Coz I Luv You" in 1971.

What other bands or artists do you like? I have a very wide range of musical tastes and so it's always hard to say who I like that best. I'll go with Bruce Springsteen, Otis Redding, Slade, The Clash, The Godfathers and Aztec Camera (and I could name a lot more than that!)

What is your favourite film? I don't really go to the movies much these days but I'd say one of my fave films is a French movie titled "Diva".

What is your favourite TV show? At this present moment it's "Fringe".

What is your favourite book? "The Bible" and probably "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac.

Any last words? As in what do I want on my gravestone?...Being a fan of The Alarm has enriched my life in so many ways, the main one being that I've been able to build some great relationships with people from different countries and various walks of life. We may have differing likes and dislikes but the one bond that has held us together is the music of The Alarm. I count many, if not all, of those relationships to be very special. It's a great community to be a part of.

Would you like to be featured on Meet The Fans? Simply send in your answers to the above questions to inthepoppyfields@gmail.com Don't forget to include a photo!