Nine Days Until The Gathering

Only 9 days to go before we meet in Prestatyn for The Gathering 18 with Mike Peters & The Alarm. As you can see from the above poster there will be lots of guests throughout the weekend.
The Gathering experience is something quite like no other. Firstly there is the music. That of course is on of the main reasons we go. Friday nights are usually dedicated to a fine acoustic outing by Mike Peters. Last year he played a 25 song set that lasted for well over two hours. Saturday night is Electric Night and for well in excess of three and a half hours The Alarm blasted through a 38 song set that included Alarm classics and many of the fantastic songs that the band have released since the year 2000.
This year The Gathering has moved out of Llandudno and will be at Pontins in Prestatyn. There is more music then we ever could imagine on offer. Add to that a Guitar Workshop with Mike Peters, a Mastermind Quiz, a brave After Show Party that includes The Children of the Revolution and a Punk Karaoke led by A Night of Treason and a Sunday morning stroll on the beach with Mike Peters and his family that will be crowned with Mike performing alongside a Choir. There's almost not enough hours to cram all of this in.
Secondly, The Gathering experience offers a great opportunity to meet fans and friends from all over the world who have been following the band throughout their career. I would not be wrong in saying that this Alarm community is one of the best ever. I cannot even for a moment begin to number the amount of people that I have met as a result of this band. Many of those friendships I count as very precious. These guys and girls come from all walks of life and yet despite the many differences between us there is a great bond that is very difficult to define with words alone.
One of the things that is a little bit different from previous Gatherings is that everybody present will be 'under one roof'. In times past those attending The Gathering would be scattered across different hotels and B & B's and there would always be a scramble to beg and bribe for passes to the After Show Party at The Grand Hotel in Llandudno. This year there will be none of that because everyone is invited.
It is gearing up to one of the best Gatherings ever. Only 9 days to go, I can hardly wait!

Breathe - Mike Peters (2009 Gathering 17)