It�s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the morning I walked downstairs, switched on the TV, and saw the Teletext line �Hull, Founder of Lindisfarne, Dies�. Those stark lines took hours to sink in and left a terrible void. Once the shock had passed it seemed important to at least keep his memory alive. Over the intervening period, a reformed Lindisfarne line-up continued to play his songs. There were also numerous CD re-issues of band and solo material.

However, Alan�s life deserves a proper memorial. He was not only a songwriter but an inspiration. His strong socialist beliefs drove him to support numerous causes, most notably the miners when their livelihoods were threatened. He had touched many peoples lives in many ways. After a decade, it was now time to bring everyone together in a celebration. Months of planning were needed to ensure this would be a fitting tribute. On 5th March the tickets went on sale and were snapped up by fans from all over the world.

On 19th November, 2005 the big day had arrived. It was with great anticipation I boarded the train at Barrow-in-Furness on a dark, icy morning. As I sped along the Tyne Valley towards the Toon, my mind flashed back to similar journeys 20 years ago. We were all coming back home to the City Hall.

The afternoon was spent in the Bridge Hotel. Fans from near and far met up and enjoyed renditions of Alan Hull songs by Simma and other local artists. In the evening we all headed to the spiritual home of Lindisfarne. In exchange for a donation to the Young Musicians Fund to which all the Hull Story proceeds were going, we were given a well-produced glossy programme with fascinating anecdotes from people who knew Alan over the years.

Memories came flooding back as I walked down the auditorium towards Row N. Just after 7.30 p.m. the house lights went down. �Do What I Want� from the 1982 Sleepless Nights album backed an impressive video-montage of Alan on the big screen high above the stage. Onto the stage walked Mike Elliot, the irrepressible compere whose side-splitting humour had ushered in many a City Hall show. The local radio presenter has appeared since in cameo roles in Tyneside based films such as �Billy Elliott� and �Goal!� and, like Alan, is part of the Newcastle fabric.

Mike�s moving introduction was the ideal way to bring on the first musicians, the Kathryn Tickell band, who played a medley of Alan�s hits on fiddle, Northumbrian pipes and accordion. �Clear White Light�, �Fog On The Tyne�, �Lady Eleanor� and �Run For Home� were all given the haunting instrumental treatment. Kathryn�s pipes closed the 1989 Amigos album and in 1997 she set up the Young Musicians Fund, appearing with Lindisfarne on stage that year at the City Hall.

Billy Mitchell walked onto the stage and played his moving solo version of �United States Of Mind� from the classic 1973 Pipedream album. He performed this song at the first post-Alan Lindisfarne gig in March 1996 at South Shields. I knew from that moment that Alan�s legacy was in fine hands.

The Gateshead-founded harmony trio Prelude were next, Irene Hume�s beautiful vocal leading classy renditions of �Dingly Dell� and one of my favourites of Alan�s lesser known songs, �You�re The One� from the Amigos album. It was fascinating to hear these afresh in a totally different setting, demonstrating the strength of Hully�s compositions.

�Malvinas Melody�, banned by the BBC for its anti-war sentiment when it was released as a single, was a highlight of the cruelly overlooked 1982 solo album On The Other Side. The Steve Daggett Band with Michael Bailey on bass, Rachael Rhoades on violin, Phil Armstrong on electric guitar and Stephen Robson on drums played a stunningly emotional version, Steve�s vocal bringing out the full impact of the lyrics.

Long-time friend Terry Morgan (the male star of the Sleepless Nights album cover) reminisced about Alan and then received a mobile phone call. �Do you want to join in ?�, Terry asked, as Alan�s original Fog On The Tyne version of �Peter Brophy Don�t Care� played to a video-montage. Terry wrote this with Alan along with other songs such as �Schizoid Revolution� recorded with Skip Bifferty. The source of the �your nose is in your pipe� lyric can be found on the cover of Pipedream.

The first of the Lindisfarne-down-the-years line ups then hit the stage. Simon Cowe had travelled over from Canada to play at his first City Hall gig for 13 years. Marty Craggs also returned to the fold to lead a fine version of Dingly Dell�s �All Fall Down� complete with penny whistle. Bob Smeaton (of the 1976-1982 Newcastle band White Heat) and Marty Craggs� son Andrew then came on to sing a boisterous duo of �Court In The Act� from the same album.

Ian McCallum, who wrote �We Can Make It� with Alan in 1994 and later penned his own tribute �Song For Alan� performed his own heartfelt version of Nicely Out Of Tune�s �Scarecrow Song�.

It was then time for the man �who knows more about buses then anyone�. He did marvellous impressions of them on the Lindisfarntastic album and has now extended his talents to paint evocative pictures of them for a living. Lindsay Raymond Jackson walked onto the stage to rapturous applause. It had been 15 years since he last set foot on the City Hall stage but it was as if he�d never been away. His silky smooth vocals on �Make Me Want To Stay� from 1978�s Back And Fourth were music to the ear. The song was augmented by the return of Marty�s saxophone.

Jacka then introduced �Evergreen� as a song Alan wrote for his wife Pat, dedicating it to her. Another song from the On The Other Side album, it was first recorded with Jacka vocal for Sleepless Nights but was then left off. This version built to a full band climax with Alan Clark�s Hammond Organ prominent. Actor and comedian Brendan Healy who toured with Lindisfarne in 1991 also visited On The Other Side for a lovely solo keyboard version of �Mystery Play�. It�s about time that 1983 solo album was issued on CD!

We�d already enjoyed an amazing variety of styles in this first half. The closing act The Motorettes with Ray Laidlaw�s sons Jed and Jack (plus on the night Billy Mitchell�s son Scott) showed how the young generation can bring Alan sonically up-to date. A raucous, punky and highly effective �I Hate To See You Cry� from Pipedream ensured the half finished in blazing fashion.

Most people spent half time queueing for drinks and toilets anxious not to miss the start of the second instalment. There was a lot to pack in before curfew and some had to find their way back in the dark!

The Statues And Liberties band fronted by Ian McCallum and including Frankie Gibbon and Paul Smith started off the second half. They turned in spirited performances of �Long Way From Home� and �100 Miles To Liverpool� from Alan�s posthumously released solo album. They then invited actor and singer Jimmy Nail on stage to pay his tribute to Alan as a long-time fan. Jimmy tore into �Money� with Hullesque aggression and then explored his gentle side with a wonderfully moving rendition of �This Heart Of Mine�, wringing every last gasp of emotion out of the verses. A solo trumpet added musical colour to the coda.

TV and DVD Director Geoff Wonfor strode onto stage to introduce his poignant video edit of �Winter Song�. Versions by Alan Hull and by his son-in-law Dave Hull-Denholm two decades later had been perfectly matched to moving effect. Dave�s voice has an uncanny resemblance to Alan�s and the result is truly memorable. With Geoff at the helm, the DVD of The Hull Story should be a belter.

Newcastle writer and Squire playwright Tom Pickard then reminded us of Alan�s Lennonesque way with words, reading from his 1973 poetry collection �The Mocking Horse�, again with that nose and pipe on the cover. Mixing wry observation and humour, this proved a good potted introduction to that facet of Alan�s career.

Turning to mid 1970s Lindisfarne, Jacka returned to front a reformed Mk.II band including Charlie Harcourt, Tommy Duffy and Paul Nichols. John Hedley, a friend of Sting, also played guitar. Although it was sad to recall that Alan and Kenny Craddock were both no longer with us, the performances showed what a fine line-up this was in its own right. Jacka said he would start with �River�, a beautiful Hull ballad originally recorded in the open air on the 1974 album Happy Daze. His vocals and harmonica sent a shiver down the spine, recreating this song perfectly. It�s doubtful whether even Alan sang this song live and Jacka was now proving what a lost gem it is!

Moving back one album to 1973�s recently re-issued Roll On Ruby, Paul Nichols� characterful drumming drove along a swinging �Taking Care Of Business�. From the same era, the solo Pipedream produced the final choice from this line-up, a strong rendition of �Numbers (Travelling Band)� played with the promo single label showing on the big screen. Jacka fronted the band magnificently. As the cheers from the audience showed, they want him back performing on a regular basis!

Next, Colin Thompson from the Lindisfarne web-site message board movingly signed �A Walk In The Sea� in deaf language with Billy Mitchell on guitar and vocals. This song represented Alan�s Radiator and Phantoms era.

It was time for �Lady Eleanor�. The band started playing but unfortunately Jacka (as he joked at the end) missed the bus, walking on stage with his mandolin unplugged! A rush by the roadies ensured that only the introduction was lost and the classic song, with vocals by Billy and Marty, proceeded in fine atmospheric style.

Actor Tim Healy, who�d rushed up north between London stage performances playing Billy Elliott�s Dad, then sang �January Song�. His last rendition was 10 years ago with Alan on the same stage at Lindisfarne�s 25th Anniversary concert. As one who was there in 1995, this was a poignant moment indeed.

We then had the splendid site of Lindisfarne-through-the-decades with Billy Mitchell, Ray Jackson, Marty Craggs and Simon Cowe from left to right at the front of the stage. As before, they were backed back by a wealth of past members including Alan Clark on keyboards plus the dynamic drums and bass of Ray Laidlaw and Steve Cunningham.

Marty ushered the crowd to their feet for what would be an amazing finale. �Fog On The Tyne� was sung with great gusto by band and audience. The �tell it to tomorrow� verse again rang to the distinctive voice of Si Cowe and you could feel you were back at the 1980s Christmas concerts.

Alan himself provided the introduction to �Clear White Light� by video and, as the house lights were turned on the audience, we were captured by the cameras singing and waving the choruses in true City Hall fashion.

As the stage overflowed with the many guests, Jacka was back in charge of the audience in �Run For Home�, standing on the side of the stage leading the hand claps. I�m sure I was not the only one who became very emotional during the singing of this song. Many memories came flooding back. The years had been rolled away. We were celebrating Alan�s life in the most fitting way possible- a party to which everyone is invited.

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And then it was over. The crowd madly cheered for more but we�d gone out on a high. It sounded like plenty of money was thrown into the collecting buckets for the Young Musicians Fund. This was the experience of a lifetime. If you weren�t there, make sure you buy the DVD. I�m sure Geoff Wonfor and Ray Laidlaw will do their utmost to bring as much of the atmosphere as possible to your TV screen.

I�m sorry I haven�t the space (or memory!) to include everyone who played in this report. I must also add Finn McArdle who played percussion throughout the evening. Thanks to all the perfomers- everyone played his or her part magnificently. Ray Laidlaw is to be congratulated for his months of hard work bringing the show together. It was obvious that everyone on stage and in the audience had enjoyed themselves. It was great to meet up again with other fans from around the country (and the globe), too many to mention in this report. It was also good to see Louise Bradshaw and Gary Carverhill who looked after the merchandising throughout the 1990s. In fact, Gary had designed the classy programme.

Sunday afternoon was spent in the Tyne pub among friends- both band members and fans. Simma�s set included impressive acoustic versions of �Dance Your Life Away� (a bluesy duo arrangement), �No Time To Lose� and �January Song� alongside his own material. The Steve Daggett trio were excellent as always, Steve�s songs including his own tribute to Alan, �Mandolin Moon�. Alan Hull and Lindisfarne covers included �All Fall Down�, �Fog On The Tyne�, �Meet Me On The Corner� and �We Can Swing Together�.

As I walked along the Tyne back to Central Station, the floodlit bridges reflecting in the river, I reflected on a very special weekend. Let�s hope we hear more from these very special artists in the near future. There�s so much musical talent that it must be shared with an audience at every opportunity.

We must keep Alan�s beacon burnin�.

            yours....   Derek Walmsley