The Alarm's recent cunning entry into the singles charts with 45rpm, under the pseudonym of the Poppy Fields, prompted an extraordinary deluge of international news coverage. A timely reminder, perhaps, that the heart-on-the-sleeve rockers have sold 5m albums in their time, as well as amassing 14 top-50 singles.

These days, only frontman/ songwriter Mike Peters survives from the original line-up, though since he was always the one dispensing the band's message of faith, passion and spiritual uplift, it doesn't make much difference. The Alarm always came across like a baby Clash mixed with a dose of mini-U2, while never having the musical breadth or ability to change the shape of either.

Today, Peters still hurls himself into his performance like a street-corner preacher, his voice rasping like a sandblasting machine, though his habit of clapping the audience between songs has more than a hint of Butlins showband about it. It's pointless describing any of the songs as "anthemic", because they're all anthemic, huge stomping clapalongs that get the faithful flinging their arms in the air. The notable exception was Peters' acoustic performance of Bells of Rhymney, which had a convincingly ancient modal feel to it.

They opened with Coming Home, a typical specimen, and worked their way through all the ones you can find on their Standards compilation - Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke, 68 Guns, Blaze of Glory, The Stand and Spirit of 76. At the beginning of Marching On, Peters, bassist Craig Adams and guitarist James Stephenson gathered centre stage and held their guitars vertically aloft, like crusaders on a quest for True Rock. As for 45rpm, same as it ever was, really - naive, preachy, painfully sincere, but still fired up like punk only just happened.

· At the King George's Hall, Blackburn, tonight. Box office: 01254 582582. Then touring.