Member Article

What’s on this weekend: March 16-18

This week’s top pick

Belsay in Bloom. Belsay Hall, Northumberland. All weekend, 10.30am-3.45pm.

Belsay’s gardens are in full bloom with fine displays of Rhododendrons, Daffodils, Spring Snowdrops and Crocuses, so why not take a mother’s day trip? Visitors can take a walk through the Quarry Gardens with a “fantasy” of more unusual plant varieties including Magnolias and rare species of Rhododendrons. Head gardener, Jo Harrigan, suggests there is no better way to treat garden loving mums. Onsite tea rooms will also be providing a bite to eat, and with the Castle and Hall, it makes for a full day out.

Cinema

If Not Us, Who? - Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Saturday March 17, 5.40pm. Tickets: £8; £6 conc.

Nominated for a Golden Bear at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, ‘If Not Us, Who?’ follows the relationship between two rebels involved in Germany’s explosive radical movement the Red Army Faction. Terrorist Gudrun Ensslin, and her publisher-husband Bernward Vesper lash out at right-wind authoritarianism and a bourgeois student scene. As Vesper uses the power of the written word, Ensslin joins Andreas Baader’s pro-violence cause.

Art

Torsten Lauschmann - The Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle. Ongoing until May 6.

Part of AV Festival, the Laing is hosting Lauschmann’s critically acclaimed work, which has been described as too slow to be film and too fast to be photography. Working across old and new technologies, he created magical installations referencing pre-cinematic optical entertainment and the power of illusions.

Music

The Four Tops, The Temptations, Tavares and The Crystals - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle. Saturday March 17. 8pm. Tickets: £40.

A bill of legendary Motown artists here, joined ’70s R&B disco Tavares, and seminal ’60s girl band The Crystals. The Four Tops have been going since 1954, since their first hit “Baby I need Your Loving” they have gone on to become household names with a string of unforgettable classics. Likewise, The Temptations have been igniting soul fans since the early 60s.

Food and Drink

Real Ale and Cider Festival - The Cluny, Newcastle. Saturday and Sundary, March 17 -18. Tickets: £3

A St Patrick’s weekend, teaming rare ales and ciders with live music. There will be a selection of brews from DarkStar and Wylam Breweries, among others, and 20 different ciders to sample. Performances from Oonagh Cassidy and Hattie Murdoch on Saturday, and Lesley Roley and Trev Gibb on Sunday.

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