Belle & Sebastian at Chelsea Hospital

Chelsea Hospital is not best known for its gigs. Chelsea Flower Show has been a more regular event, but there is money in live music and everywhere big enough wants a cut. So this was my first visit here for a gig (as opposed to the Flower Show).

I think it is fair to say that the gigs they put on are not cutting edge and are aimed at the older (and more affluent gig goer. I went with my mate Tom and his brother, and even though Tom is at the younger end of the spectrum, as a junior solicitor he hits the affluent button. But as we don't generally go to see older bands, who fitted the bill? Belle & Sebastian. Fun Scottish band who have been knocking out nonthreatening music with an intellectual bent for 20 odd years now, and have a cult, but middle-class following.

But first the venue. Bit of a walk to get there, but it is a beautiful building, with spacious grounds.

 Wer missd the opening act but caught a bit of the main support - a rather wistful duo. Not bad.

 Then we had a little double act from two Chelsea Pensioners explaining about the place and seeking donations. They were very good and went down rather better than the support act.

So then onto the main act. If you have never seen Belle & Sebastian live, I would urge you to correct this gap in your bucket list. Difficult to quite sum up what they have. Glaswegian band from the same era as Orange Juice and Aztec Camera. Glaswegian brings up (in my mind at least) something aggressive and shouty. But like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, that is far from the case. They are almost fey. Intellectual and gentle with jaunty tunes. 

Frontman Stuart Murdoch has a great line in patter, possibly second only to Guy Garvey for charm, warmth and rapport with the audience. Guitarist Steve Jackson acts as his straight man in onstage banter. They give the strong impression that they actually enjoy what they do, without gushing.

Their many albums produce a big catalogue to choose from, so you don't know what you are going to get. Stuart hasn't got the strongest of voices, and female vocalist Sarah Martin is even weaker, but somehow that just adds to their charm.

Stuart Murdoch

Sarah Martin

Stevie Jackson

Now a particular feature of B&S gigs consists of inviting members of the audience to come up on stage and dance to some of their more jaunty songs. Some bands try and invite some of the more attractive audience members (usually female) up in a highly controlled manner. Not B&S. This is not a talent show. Audience members do not come up to show off their extraordinary prowess in the field of modern dance. This is more "dad at a wedding" stuff, with truly geeky types featuring. But frankly, I can think of few more genuinely joyous feel good sights (and sounds) than this lot dancing along to "Boy with the Arab Strap", probably their best known number. Its just wonderful. And ultimately, what more is there to entertaining than making your audience feel good? A winning formula.

Top geek from the dancing audience this night was the chap in the red jumper on the left above. He looked (and danced) as I imagine a Christian Union chemist student who survived years of bullying at a comprehensive school would.

18, Baywatch and Shugborough

Up to Cheshire this weekend ostensibly for my friends' son's 18th birthday. Unfortunately his 18th falls in the middle of his A -Levels so this was a little celebration just before his actual birthday. And an opportunity to hand over some cash to pay for his holiday shortly thereafter.

 Top present was a roll of fivers with the message "stripper money" inscribed outside them.

His holiday is to help crew a tall ship for a week (well each to his own) so his sister built a birthday cake that was a textbook with a ship on it. You wouldn't see that on Bake Off.

As well as with family, he also went off to the cinema with some mates. So his Dad and I did the same, since he needed a lift to the cinema complex. No, obviously we were not going to sit in the same film and watch them, so we had to find another one, with the unappetising choice between Baywatch and The Mummy. We plumped for Baywatch as the trailer suggested it was a bit of a tongue in cheek spoof. Alas, not enough of a spoof.

I think the film was created as follows. Firstly a writer was employed to write a goodie v baddies script set on a beach that would appeal to the under 12s. The sort of plot that Flipper or Skippy might use but without the wildlife. The script was then handed over to someone else to eek it out with knob and tit gags, and a few knowing references to the old Baywatch TV series. The result is a film too crude for kids and too childish for adults.

And it had another problem - a bit of miscasting against the script. It stars Zac Efron as a young Olympic Swimmer who is dismissed throughout the film as a pretty boy, or as "One Direction". Which would have been ideal for young Zac Efron. But the actual Zac Efron is nearly 30 with the physique of a body builder. Fine young man and you can see why they want to get his shirt off, but no boyband member now. It was a bit like watching a film where Judi Dench is constantly being called a sexy young model. The words don't match the appearance.

On Sunday, given Kit had returned to his exam swatting and my train home was out of Stafford, I persuaded Dave to drive us the Shugborough, a recently acquired National Trust Property only 20 minutes from Stafford Station,. We had indeed done the same trip before for the same reason. But it was nice to return to see what they had been doing to the place. Pretty major restoration project is the answer. The upstairs is now closed after they discovered that the balustrades had "little or no structural integrity". Anyway, we had a pleasant wander round, between showers.

Restoration of the Walled Garden had come along since our previous visit.

Tower of the Winds, based on the Athenian version I had visited only  a few weeks earlier. Under a rather stormier sky.

The mansion from a distance

A sedan chair from the early 19th century.

 
 Fortunately w spent most of a heavy shower in th mansion, and came out to a brief spell of sunshine. Nice for a walk and a few photos.

A particularly picturesque "designer" ruin.

 The Ansons clearly loved their chinoiserie. A cute tea house appears by an equally pretty oriental  bridge.