Stars pay tribute to MacColl

Comedienne Tracey Ullman sang on stage for the first time in almost 20 years at the event in London on Monday night.

She joined a host of entertainers at the Royal Festival Hall to mark the life of MacColl, which was cut short in December 2000 when she was killed in a speedboat accident off the coast of Mexico.

Singer Roddy Frame, comedian Phil Jupitus, songwriter Evan Dando and vocalist Johnny Marr were among the line-up

Ullman had a number two hit with MacColl's song They Don't Know About Love in 1983, four years after MacColl's original version sank without trace.

On stage, before performing it again, Ullman joked: "All I added to it was a short pink lurex skirt. Thank you Kirsty for giving me that song."

Gray jets in

The track was a launch pad for Ullman's hugely successful career in the US.

Other guest performers included chart star David Gray who flew in from Boston to sing Walking Down Madison accompanied by Marr, who performed on the original.

Former Lemonheads star Dando performed the Lou Reed hit Perfect Day which he recorded as a single with MacColl in 1995.

The concert was part of a season called The Song's The Thing, celebrating the work of well known songwriters and sponsored by the Performing Rights Society.

MacColl, the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl, is best known for her 1987 Christmas hit with The Pogues, Fairytale of New York, and the hit single There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis.

Her other hits include a cover of Billy Bragg's song A New England, and a version of The Kinks' track Days.

Her last album, Tropical Brainstorm, was a tribute to Cuban music, which had influenced her throughout the 1990s.