Legendary Lindisfarne impress sold out crowd at Sunderland's Fire Station

Lindisfarne have a well-deserved reputation as an outstanding live act.

Their seventies Christmas shows are legendary for the very good reason that they were incredible.

But, going along to see the band at the Fire Station proved to be so much more than an exercise in nostalgia.

Their exceptionally rich repertoire is still relevant now in 2026, not least their finest masterpiece, ‘Winter Song,’ a heart-rending tender tale which brings the plight of the marginalised in society to the fore.

Even if Bob Dylan had written this it would rate as one of his most powerful works. The writer was not Dylan but the wonderful Alan Hull.

Sadly, it is now over 30 years since Hull passed away, but close your eyes and listen and you would not believe it as Alan’s son-in-law Dave Hull-Denholm sounds exactly like him.

Jointly fronting the band with the superb Hull-Denholm is Lindisfarne founder member Rod Clements on slide guitar, mandolin and vocals. A great song-writer himself, Clements wrote Lindisfarne’s first hit, ‘Meet Me On the Corner’ which got to number five.

Now 78, Clements has had a lifetime in the business and converses with his audiences with genuine charm and modesty.

I once went to see him play solo at the old Salem pub in Hendon. I was one of only five in the audience but he still played and put on a brilliant display of blues.

Although he doesn’t have the range to sing his own composition, ‘Train in G Major’ in ‘G’ Rod brought his own blues number to life as part of a show that included quiet wistful songs as well as show-stopping singalongs of Lindisfarne’s big hits.

They could perform their ‘number three’ Lady Eleanor’ as early as the fifth song in an almost two hour set because the band were safe in the knowledge that there were so many more gems still to come.

With Steve Cunningham providing often understated but invariably superb bass, Paul Smith ticking things over on drums and Lindisfarne stalwart Steve Daggett on keys, harp, guitar and vocals the show built to a crescendo, climaxing with ‘Run for Home’ and ‘Clear White Light.’

Everyone in a sold out audience seemed to know every word and for a while each and every person was transported back to when Lindisfarne were winning gold and platinum discs. Magnificent!