Tate Britain and Modern

So my friend Clarissa decided to buy plus one membership of the Tate allowing us to go to both Tate Britain and Tate Modern exhibitions (and their respective members' rooms). Primary exhibition to see at Tate Britain was the Gainsborough exhibition. But it wasn't on. Closer examination of the poster showed tit was indeed opening 20 May, but May 2027, not 2026!

However there was a Whistler retrospective which was very good. I hadn't realised how well travelled the man was

This one was in Brittany

His most famous work by far, Whistler's Mother

His Peacock Room recreated

The vast open hallway in Tate Britain has the most random stuff in it - see below

And just because it was on, and we had membership, we went to the other exhibition by a British artist of whom I had never heard before, Hurvin Anderson. Nor you? I can tell you why. He is rubbish. Described as "intensely colourful work" which is the label you might put on a primary school painter, but for all the blurb on his paintings in the show the blindingly obvious point about his subject matter is that the big blocks of colour are simple and hide his inability to paint stuff. Especially faces. The only paintings we liked are his slightly amorphous flower garden ones

The memebers room up in the dome is nice though

Clarissa had never been to St Dunstans in the East before, so we went there. For once no one taking wedding photos

Then a walk up through the City to a Hong Kong restaurant beyond Brick Lane

To finish up after lunch at Tate Modern. Clarissa wanted a rest after criss-crossing the City so we we stated with the members' room. Nice views across the Thames

Although the terrace doesn't have much space

Now the main exhibition Clarissa wanted to see here was the Fria Kahlo. And would you believe that also isn't on yet - opening next month? So not a great return for her membership.

But what was on was an exhibition of the works of Tracey Emin. Now if I was scathing about Hurvin Anderson's schoolkid daubings, Tracey Emin makes him look like Leonardo Michelangelo and Rembrandt rolled into one. Even more obviously, she has no artistic ability at  all. She either just daubs slogans (she can write legibly in block capitals, although very limited vocabulary - mostly just swear words), draws what are just about, and only just about, recognisable as humans, creates sculptures -  generally very small and looking like they might have been of something but were left too close to a fire and have melted, videos of herself being very inarticulate, or things like the famous unmade bed, which are basically just mounds of rubbish you would chide your idle teenager for having left.  

Honestly it is beyond satirising. But if you were absolutely useless at drawing, painting or sculpting and went to art school, this is probably what you would produce. If you didn't try.

One of the more interesting artworks in the general collection

And then we settled into the members area again to await meeting up with friends for drinks and dinner

 

Last day of Premier League season

The only real interest in the last set of games in the Premier League was who would get relegated. I went with two West Ham friends to see West Ham v Leeds. West Ham needed to win and hope that Spurs would lose to Everton. A tall order and just too much. Hammers won 3-0 in the end, all goals coming in the second half. But Spurs won 1-0 and so survived. At least having won, although the crowd were despondent, some lads even disconsolate, the atmosphere wasn't as poisonous as it would have been if they had sunk to an ignominious defeat. 

They just have to regroup next year in the Championship. At least no VAR. But there will be a lot of player exits one imagines. And more likely the better players go. Probably the manager too. Sadly I won't be able to join my friends for West Ham v Coventry next season. But I will be able to see Spurs v Coventry with my Spurs supporting friends. You win some, you lose some.

 

The Bluetones in Stowmarket

Now the ostensible justification for my visit to this family in Bury St Edmunds was to see the Bluetones do an acoustic set at the John Peel Centre in nearby Stowmarket. I am never one to turn down the opportunity of a gig!

John Peel seems to loom large in Stowmarket. Well it isn't a very big town. There seem to be two parts to the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts, both in historic but redundant buildings. One is this

But this is the music venue, in a converted 19th century corn exchange.

Opening act was a lovely young lady called Chloe Wilson. I am afraid to say I liked her personally far more than her music. Just not my thing, however sweet she seemed.

The Bluetones were in fact just half the Bluetones, Mark and Adam, playing an acoustic set of Bluetones songs from the nineties to date (they have just put out a new album.) There felt something slightly sad about this gig. The audience was pretty much entirely made up of people who would have liked them in the nineties (plus the odd youngster clearly dragged in by their parents). Their success was limited even in their heyday. They have since broken up and then got back together again. They are clearly not making a mint. But the two of them seemed to enjoy the evening. Lots (and lots!) of friendly banter mostly between the two of them. 

They seemed really nice guys. And the middle aged (to be charitable) fan base may not be large but evidently it is very loyal. It all just felt a little too close to Creme Brulee from the League of Gentlemen. (If you know that comedy show you will know what I mean. If not, well...)

They announced that they would be doing two sets of about 45 minutes with an interval and finish about 10:30. They were still going 11:10. The banter got longer and longer, and while enjoyable in the first half just went on too long in the second half. Although the die hard fans singing along seemed perfectly delighted by the whole thing. As a full band I think it would have sounded more interesting. I just don't really like acoustic.