The Lindisfarne Story
Celebrate
the legendary Geordie group in words & music.
'From
Whitley Bay to 'frisco Bay'
PROLOGUE by Ray Laidlaw
“I was a member of Lindisfarne from its conception and loved nearly every
minute of it. Billy Mitchell and I first met and made music together in our
mid-teens when he was guest vocalist for future Lindisfarne members Simon Cowe,
Rod Clements and I in our group, Downtown Faction.
We asked Billy to
join Downtown Faction in 1968 but he wanted to concentrate on his own band, we
kept looking and asked Ray Jackson who agreed and became part of our group just
before we changed the name to Brethren. Shortly afterwards Alan Hull completed
the line-up and Brethren became Lindisfarne. Billy watched our success from the sidelines
and we approached him again in 1972 when Alan Hull was considering quiting
touring with Lindisfarne and concentrating on songwriting. That plan didn't materialise and the
original group split in two, creating Lindisfarne Mk 2 and Jack the Lad whose members were Rod
Clements, Simon Cowe, Billy Mitchell and me.
In the 1980's Billy
played in the Lindisfarne offshoot Pacamax with Alan, Rod and I and then
following Alan's tragic death in 1995, he joined Rod Clements and I in the Mk 3
version of Lindisfarne which toured for eight years during which we made two
studio albums. Billy and I have been bosom buddies since 1966 so he's had the
inside track on Lindisfarne from it's formative days till the the Mk 3 retired
in 2003.
We tell the
Lindisfarne Story through words, music and a fantastic selection of archive
songs and pictures, it's a product of fifty years of friendship and musical
collaboration that tells the tale of a bunch of Geordie lads who followed their
dream and shared a lot of laughs, a few tears, and a barrow load of fantastic
music”. (Ray Laidlaw)
Lindisfarne was Tyneside's best-loved band for over thirty years and The Lindisfarne
Story is a celebration of the group's music and achievements. The show is
devised, written and performed by drummer/founder member Ray Laidlaw, and Billy
Mitchell, front man for the final eight years of the group. Ray and Billy
perform acoustic versions of Lindisfarne's classic songs and tell the inside
story of the group's rise to fame, from Whitley Bay to San Francisco Bay, from
Rothbury to Glastonbury. They describe the group's early days on Tyneside in
the 1960's hustling for gigs and their rise to fame in the early seventies. The
show is illustrated with personal archive photographs and video and describes
their worldwide tours, festival successes and TV appearances, their triumphant
return home and their unique relationship with Newcastle City Hall, venue for over 130 Lindisfarne performances. Lady Eleanor, Meet Me On The
Corner, Fog on the Tyne, Run for Home, all of these songs have a story behind them. Enjoy
hearing them again in an intimate venue and discover what was the inspiration
behind their composition. You'll hear how the classic songs developed and how
Bob Dylan's producer helped Lindisfarne to focus their musical ideas and burst through the glam and manufactured
sounds around them to become one of the major British groups of the seventies.
In 2014 the appeal
of Lindisfarne is as strong as ever, EMI recently released a 40th anniversary
limited edition vinyl version of the certified platinum 'Fog On The Tyne' album.
Newcastle City Council unveiled a blue plaque on Newcastle City Hall honouring the life and work of the late Alan
Hull, the band's much-missed songwriter and singer and in December 2013, "Ray
Jackson’s Lindisfarne" performed several concerts around the North East.
As one of 20
‘notable and inspiring’ names from Tyneside chosen by the public, Lindisfarne have had their name cast in bronze for a
Hollywood-style ‘Hall of Fame’, commemorating their contribution to the North
East. The band’s name is immortalised alongsideSir Bobby Robson, Sting,
Kathryn Tickell, Alan Shearer and ‘Auf Weidersehen, Pet’ writers, Dick
Clement and Ian La Frenais along Gateshead Newcastle Quayside.
The Lindisfarne
Story has captured
the imagination of the fans and media:
'Just a line to thank
you all for a fantastic night’s entertainment in Whitley Bay Saturday past. We were a group of 8 and each
and every one of us had a fabulous night. After many years front of house in
large venues worldwide I doubt I have enjoyed myself more.' (John Tweddle)
'The Lindisfarne Story at the Gala Theatre in Durham last night was fantastic...thank you !' (Mary Douglas)
'Don't miss it!' Sam Wonfor, Newcastle Journal
On The Web
The Tour:
2014
4 September: Berwick Maltings, Eastern
Ln, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland
TD15 1AJ 01289 330999 www.maltingsberwick.co.uk/ 7.30pm £18.50
6 September: Darlington Civic Theatre Parkgate Darlington DL1 1RR
Tel: 01325 486 555 www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk/ 7.30pm £16.50+ £18.50
7 September: Keswick
- Theatre By The Lake,Lakeside, Lake
Rd, Keswick, Cumbria CA125DJ www.theatrebythelake.com
017687 74411 7.30pm
£18.50 £15
10 September: Buxton Pavilion : St
John's Rd, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6BE
01298 23114 www.paviliongardens.co.uk/
7.30pm
£19.50 + Discounts
11 September: Banbury The Mill, Spiceball
Park,
Spiceball Park Rd,
Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 5QE 01295 279002 8pm £19.oo
12 September: Ilkley Kings Hall 4 Station
Rd, Ilkley
LS29 8HB
01943 436224 www.bradford-
theatres.co.uk/kings-hall 7.30pm
£21+T/F
14 September: Harlow Playhouse, Playhouse
Square, Town Centre, Harlow CM20 1LS 01279
431945 www.playhouseharlow.com 7.30pm £19.50
