Lindisfarne are back! Run for Home
Spring tour 1978 Redcar Coatham Bowl 3rd June 1978 
The Newcastle City Hall Lindisfarne reunion Christmas concerts of 1976 and 1977 were so successful that the band decided to get back together on a permanent basis in early 1978. They were soon back in the UK charts with a top 10 hit “Run For Home”, which was taken from the new album Back and Fourth. The band then went on tour across the UK in spring 1978. I caught the tour when they appeared at Redcar Coatham Bowl, which came towards the end of the run of concerts. The gig was sold out, as was the rest of the tour. It seemed everyone wanted to see the reformed Lindisfarne. I went with Marie; we didn’t have tickets, but we managed to buy a couple from a guy outside. The place was packed and it was a great gig; just like old times with some serious crowd singalong. 
I can picture everyone now, standing on the tables at the end of the gig, screaming for more, and them singing along as one to the encore, which was of course “Run For Home”. The lads were well and truly back, and with renewed passion and energy. I saw them again a few months later at the Reading Festival, where they shared the bill with a curious mix of old rockers and new punks. Lindisfarne played the Saturday afternoon on a bill headlined by Status Quo. The Jam and Sham 69 headlined the night before and Patti Smith was top of the bill on the Sunday (see what I mean about the strange mix of acts that year). Oh and it was very very muddy…..
The last page of the Spring Tour ’78 tour programme featured a cute poem by Alan’s daughter, Berenice Hull, aged 9: FISH
“I pity the poor minnow, (A very small fish indeed), Sometimes bigger fish eat it, Purely out of greed”
20 Sep
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by Sally on May 16, 2021 at 5:16 pm
According to Record Mirror (10th June issue), Lindisfarne were down to headline an Anti-Nazi League concert at Wembley Conference Centre on Sunday 11th June 1978. Other acts would include Michael Palin & Terry Jones, Larry Adler and Bill Oddie. If you can supply any information about this I would be very grateful. Thank you.
Posted by vintagerock on May 16, 2021 at 6:41 pm
Hi Sally I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that concert. I wish I’d been to it. I would love to have seen Larry Adler! Does anybody else know anything about it? Did anyone go? Happy days Peter
Posted by Sally on May 27, 2021 at 11:24 am
Hi, I’ve now had some great info from Michael Palin’s agent and found a mention in Miriam Karlin’s autobiography. Lindisfarne were unable to appear; likewise Oddie and (must have been billed elsewhere) Alexis Korner. But Larry Adler and a folk singer, Alex Glasgow, played, and Palin & Jones’s comedy went down well with a crowd of 1500 – not a bad number, considering ELO were in Wembley (Empire Pool) the same day. This would explain why the event was poorly recorded in the media. There were political sketches by Johnny Speight and Ray Galton, acted by Miriam Karlin and Stella Tanner, amongst others. I haven’t found any reviews or photos of this Anti-Nazi League benefit. As well as the famous April 1978 rally I’ve seen a poster for a second one on 24th September in Hyde Park, marching to Brixton. After 1978 these musical events seem to have moved under the banner of Rock Against Racism.
Posted by vintagerock on May 27, 2021 at 11:43 am
Hi Sally many thanks for the information happy days Peter