Member Article

What’s on this weekend: 6th- 8th January

This week’s top pick

Keith Pattison: No Redemption, 1984 Easington Colliery Miner’s Strike. University Gallery, Northumbria University. All weekend. Free Admission.

Photographer Keith Pattison went to Easington Colliery in August 1984, and remained there until March 1985, documenting along the way the strife of a community. Pattison frames a narrative sequence of images from the optimism of August through to the deepening pessimism of winter, to the final vote to return to work. In 2010, Keith revisited Easington with David Peace, author of the ‘Red Riding Quartet,’ and interviewed three of the people who had been caught up in the strike. The resulting exhibition, ‘No Redemption’ features moving images of weeping women pleading with police, and desperate miners scrabbling for sea coal. The interviews convey the sense of lasting bitterness, and tell a desperate story.

Cinema

The Iron Lady - Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Friday January 6, 8.45pm. Tickets: £8; £6.95 concessions.

Meryl Streep gives an eerily accurate performance as Margret Thatcher in Phyllidia Lloyd’s portrait of one of the 20th Century’s most influential and despised women. It’s been described as a daring move to use Baroness Thatcher’s dementia as a tool to depict flashbacks across her life. The Guardian calls Streep’s performance a ‘knockout’.

Music

Archie Brown & The Young Bucks - The Tyne, Newcastle. Sunday January 8, 8pm. Free Admission.

This Newcastle outfit date back to the 70s and include members, Archie Brown, Pat Rafferty, Geoff Lincoln, Neil Ramshaw and Phil Screaton. They play mainly original numbers, with a few old favourites along the lines of Jackie Wilson and Steve Earl. Expect a foot-tapping good time.

Family

Saltwell Park - Gateshead. Visitors centre and cafe open between 10am-5pm.

Why not enjoy a new years stroll through Saltwell Park, the hidden gem, nestling in the urban heart of Gateshead. Ornamental and woodland gardens make a great day out for all the family, with boating lake, play areas and an animal house. Stop for a coffee in the Saltwell Towers café, overlooking the gardens.

Activities

Cultural Quayside - Newcastle. Any day between 10am-4pm, starting at The Pitcher and Piano. Tickets £16 per team.

Explore concealed streets, admire eclectic architecture and stop by tucked away taverns. HiddenCity is a mobile game that transforms a city into a trail of clues. You are challenged to look around for answers and is a great way to discover, or re-discover your city. Play the game competitively, or as a more laid-back social activity. There is a break halfway through for refreshments.

Comedy

The Friday Show - The Stand Comedy Club, Newcastle. Friday January 6, 7.30pm. Tickets: £10

The perfect way to round the week off, with The Stand’s Friday Show. This week Jason Cook, award-winning geordie comedian; Steffen Peddie, who began his career in the ‘near the knuckle club’ along with Ross Noble; and surreal comedian Andy Fury, take to the stage.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .