Lindisfarne are an English folk rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1968 (originally called Brethren). The original line-up comprised Alan Hull (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ray Jackson (vocals, mandolin, harmonica), Simon Cowe (guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards), Rod Clements (bass guitar, violin) and Ray Laidlaw (drums).

They are best known for the albums Nicely Out of Tune (1970), Fog on the Tyne (1971) (which became the biggest selling UK album in 1972), Dingly Dell (1972) and Back and Fourth (1978), and for the success of songs such as "Meet Me on the Corner", "Lady Eleanor", "Run for Home", "Fog on the Tyne" and "We Can Swing Together".

History

Early days

The group began as The Downtown Faction, led by Rod Clements, then changed their name to Brethren. In 1968, they were joined by Alan Hull and became Lindisfarne, after the small island, Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland.

Dingly Dell and change of line-up

In 1972, they recorded their third album, Dingly Dell, but the band were unhappy with the initial production and remixed it themselves. It was released in September 1972 and entered the Top 10 in the first week, receiving lukewarm reviews. The ecologically themed single "All Fall Down" was a UK Singles Chart No. 34 hit and the second single "Court in the Act" failed completely.

Internal tensions surfaced during a disappointing tour of Australia in early 1973. Hull initially considered leaving the band, but was persuaded to reconsider. It was agreed that he and Jackson would keep the group name while Cowe, Clements and Laidlaw left to form their own outfit Jack the Lad. They were replaced by Tommy Duffy (bass guitar), Kenny Craddock (keyboards), Charlie Harcourt (guitar) and Paul Nichols (drums). The new line-up lacked the appeal of the original and with Hull also pursuing a solo career, the band's next two albums Roll on Ruby and Happy Daze and the subsequent singles failed to chart and they disbanded in 1975. Nichols subsequently joined the hard rock supergroup Widowmaker.

Mercury Records period

The original line-up of Alan Hull, Ray Jackson, Ray Laidlaw, Rod Clements and Simon Cowe reformed in 1976 to perform a one-off gig but due to demand for tickets two other concerts were quickly added in Newcastle City Hall before they returned to their other projects. The Newcastle City Hall reunion was so acclaimed that the band repeated it a year later which also were recorded for the double live album 'Magic in the Air' and decided to get back together on a permanent basis in early 1978, Jack the Lad having disbanded after none of their singles or albums on two different labels made the charts. They continued to perform at Newcastle City Hall every Christmas for many years, a total of 132 shows at the venue overall. They gained a new record deal with Mercury Records and returned to the charts in 1978 with the UK chart top 10 hit "Run For Home", an autobiographical song about the rigours of touring and relief at returning home. The song also gave them a hit in various countries, and was their first top 40 US singles chart hit with Atco Records, reaching No. 33. The album Back and Fourth moved into the Top 30 of the UK Albums Chart; however, subsequent singles taken from the album which included "Juke Box Gypsy" and "Warm Feeling" failed to sustain their newly found success. The Australian tour of early 1979 was cancelled after their show in Wellington, New Zealand, when the promoter vanished with their fee and air tickets home. The next album The News (1979) and the singles from it were commercial failures, and the band lost their record deal. Clements, Hull-Denholm, and Mitchell continued to tour under the name Lindisfarne Acoustic until May 2004 (the trio having played under this name occasionally since 2002), whilst Clements, Hull-Denholm and Thomson formed The Ghosts of Electricity. The Alan Hull Award for young musicians in the North East was set up a year later in response to the success of the concert.

On 19 July 2012, following a public campaign led by Lindisfarne's former manager from the 1970s, Barry McKay, an Alan Hull memorial plaque was unveiled on the front of Newcastle City Hall, at a ceremony attended by hundreds of fans and filmed by Sky TV and Tyne Tees Television.

The Lindisfarne Story touring band

In mid 2012, Ray Laidlaw, Billy Mitchell and The Billy Mitchell Band toured 'The Lindisfarne Story', consisting of the band's music and stories from Lindisfarne's history. This was followed by a concert at Newcastle City Hall in June 2013.

In February 2013, in support of Newcastle City Hall which was then under threat of closure, Ray Jackson announced he would return to the iconic venue for a Christmas show for the first time in 23 years. Tickets for Ray Jackson's Lindisfarne Christmas Show sold out in six hours. A second show was added for 22 December 2013, which also sold out.

Ray Jackson's Lindisfarne: 2013–2014

In June 2013, Ray Jackson announced the line-up of what is Ray Jackson's Lindisfarne, comprising himself, Daggett, Harcourt, Hull-Denholm, and Thomson, along with new recruit Paul Thompson (of Roxy Music) on drums. At the same time, a third Newcastle City Hall 2013 Christmas Show was announced, which also sold out. All of the band members hail from the Newcastle area. The remaining members later announced that Rod Clements had rejoined the band in Jackson's place.

On 30 July 2018, Lindisfarne announced the retirement of Charlie Harcourt from the band due to health issues; Rod Clements added that Lindisfarne would continue as a five-piece. Harcourt died on 28 July 2020.

In 2021, Paul Thompson retired from the band and was replaced by Paul Smith on drums.

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="float:width:375px; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #e2e2e2; width:99%;"

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1968<br /><small>(Brethren)</small>

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1968–1973

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1973–1975

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1975–1976

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
  • Rod Clements – bass guitar, violin, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
  • Rod Clements – bass guitar, violin, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Kenny Craddock – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
  • Tommy Duffy – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Charlie Harcourt – guitar
  • Paul Nichols – drums

| valign="top" |

Disbanded

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1976

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1976–1978

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1978–1984

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1984–1990

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – bass guitar, violin, backing vocals
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums

| valign="top" |

Disbanded

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – bass guitar, violin, guitar, backing vocals
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums

| valign="top" |

  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – bass guitar, violin, guitar, backing vocals
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Marty Craggs – saxophone, flute, vocals

;Touring personnel

  • Steve Daggett – keyboards

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1990–1994

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1994

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1994–1995

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 1995–2000

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar
  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica, backing vocals, additional bass
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Marty Craggs – tenor & alto saxes, accordion, tin whistle, vocals
  • Steve Cunningham – bass guitar, recording engineer, producer

| valign="top" |

  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar, backing vocals
  • Simon Cowe – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Marty Craggs – tenor & alto saxes, accordion, tin whistle, vocals
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar, backing vocals

| valign="top" |

  • Alan Hull – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar, violin, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Marty Craggs – tenor & alto saxes, accordion, tin whistle, vocals
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Hull-Denholm – guitar, keyboards, vocals

| valign="top" |

  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar, violin, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Marty Craggs – tenor & alto saxes, accordion, tin whistle, vocals
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Hull-Denholm – guitar, keyboards, vocals
  • Billy Mitchell – vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2000–2003

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2003–2004<br /><small>(Lindisfarne Acoustic)</small>

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2004–2013

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2013–2014

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar, violin, backing vocals
  • Ray Laidlaw – drums
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Hull-Denholm – guitar, keyboards, vocals
  • Billy Mitchell – vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards

| valign="top" |

  • Rod Clements – slide guitar, mandolin, guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Hull-Denholm – guitar, keyboards, vocals
  • Billy Mitchell – vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards

| valign="top" |

Disbanded

| valign="top" |

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Ray Jackson – vocals, mandolin, harmonica
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
  • Charlie Harcourt – guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Thompson – drums
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Tom Leary – violin

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2015

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2015–2018

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2018–2021

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica
  • Charlie Harcourt – guitar
  • Paul Thompson – drums
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar
  • Tom Leary – violin
  • Rod Clements – vocals, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin

| valign="top" |

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica
  • Charlie Harcourt – guitar
  • Paul Thompson – drums
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar
  • Rod Clements – vocals, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin, violin

|

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica
  • Paul Thompson – drums
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar
  • Rod Clements – vocals, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin, violin

|

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica
  • Ian Thomson – bass guitar
  • Rod Clements – vocals, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin, violin
  • Paul Smith – drums

|-

! style="vertical-align:top; background:#e7ebee; width:25%;" | 2025–present

|-

| valign="top" |

  • Dave Hull-Denholm – vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Daggett – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica
  • Rod Clements – vocals, slide guitar, guitar, mandolin, violin
  • Paul Smith – drums

|}

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

  • Nicely Out of Tune (1970)
  • Fog on the Tyne (1971)
  • Dingly Dell (1972)
  • Roll On, Ruby (1973)
  • Happy Daze (1974)
  • Back and Fourth (1978)
  • The News (1979)
  • Sleepless Nights (1982)
  • Dance Your Life Away (1986)
  • Amigos (1989)
  • Elvis Lives on the Moon (1993)
  • Here Comes the Neighbourhood (1998)
  • Promenade (2002)

Live albums

  • Lindisfarne Live (1973) - recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1971
  • Magic In The Air (1978) - recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1977
  • Lindisfarntastic (1983) - recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1983
  • Lindisfarntastic 2 (1984) - recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1983
  • Live (1993) - recorded at Nottingham in 1990
  • Another Fine Mess (1995) - recorded at Newcastle City Hall on 2 July 1995
  • Untapped And Acoustic (1997) - recorded at Marden High School on 12 December 1996
  • The Cropredy Concert (1997) - recorded at The Cropredy Festival
  • Lindisfarne Live At The Cambridge Folk Festival (1999) - recorded at The Cambridge Folk Festival in 1982 and 1986
  • The River Sessions (2004) - recorded at the Apollo, Glasgow, in 1982 (CD 2 is Alan Hull solo radio performances from 1976 and 1978.)
  • Real Live Lindisfarne (2018)

References

Biographies

  • Hill, Ian Dave, Fog on the Tyne: The Official History of Lindisfarne (Northdown Publishing, 1998),
  • Van der Kiste, John, We Can Swing Together: The Story of Lindisfarne (Fonthill Media, 2017),
  • Official site
  • Official website of the Lindisfarne live band
  • Ray Jackson
  • Rod Clements
  • Billy Mitchell
  • Marty Craggs
  • The Lindisfarne Story
  • Lindisfarne Photographs