I looked back in this blog to specifically confirm we were last at the Apex a year ago to see the Oysterband farewell tour, only to be confounded by the startling revelation that it was actually November 2024. Carpe Diem was never more true! On this occasion we were at two consecutive events, so had a two night stay in our preferred city centre Premier Inn (more later) to make it feel a bit more of a break.
Up on the first of two nights was the comedian Simon Evans, who despite being a brilliant raconteur, appears after a cursory straw pool of my very few friends, to be a very acquired taste of limited appeal. So well done to the refined Apex concert goers, where he managed to sell out as well as produce another of those witty, articulate, thought provoking and intelligent sets for which he is so well renowned, if that’s not somewhat of a paradox. In Staring At The Sun, he jokes about his teenage children, jokes about his aging parents – all perceptive and funny, all very well done. Jokes about the absence of Evans’ eyes; and it is true that he has small eyes which, when he squints under the lights are reduced to mere slits. It’s funny and self-deprecating, although in fairness I’ve heard him regale us with this one before. Yet one has a feeling that this is all a prelude to the real business of the show, as indicated by its title, ‘Staring at the Sun’.
He promised a discourse on AI, but don’t take that too literally as his second half includes material including his take on Rush, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Plato. Rosie Jones, Olivia Newton John and more. Describing himself as one of only two or three right wing comedians actually touring the UK, I assume it’s said largely for comic effect. To me, he seems to be a solidly mainstream liberal human being who simply dislikes any comedic discussion outside the conventional pieties described as “fascist” – it must simply annoy those self appointed guardians that he does it with such warmth, style and class! Evans is not just one of our most sartorially stylish stand-ups, he is also clearly one of our most thoughtful, finding the funny side of the modern world, wondering if the things we consider to be progress really are progress. Perhaps we do indeed lose as much as we gain. Balance is everything.
The following day we took the opportunity to visit Moyse’s Hall Museum for the first time (well, it’s only been 30 odd years). Situated in a beautiful medieval building, Moyse’s Hall Museum houses eclectic collections and exhibitions, and hosts events ranging from themed craft workshops for all the family to historical talks and lectures. The landmark 12th Century building’s rich and varied past has included serving as the town’s Bridewell, workhouse, and police station and first opened as a museum in 1899. Today, the museum offers a fascinating view into the past with collections that document the foundation of the early town – from the creation and dissolution of the abbey, to prison paraphernalia and artifacts providing intriguing insights into superstition and witchcraft. Couldn’t help wondering if the clock exhibits were inherited from the Clock Museum that closed aeons ago. Forgot to ask but worth going just for that as the collection includes a Pace Pyramidal Skeleton Clock, very rare and believed to be one of only eight in existence. It’s small but it packs a punch and is well worth the journey (or short walk on this particular occasion).
We also made a return trip the the Cathedral, which was hosting a Suffolk Art Society Autumn Exhibition with a wide range of artists, scenes and topics. Like most well curated exhibitions, it displayed the very fine, the unusual and occasionally bizarre, but it made for a very interesting diversion.
On the night, off we went to see Graham Gouldman and Heart Full Of Songs Tour (again at the Apex and another sellout). This was very much what it says on the tin with all songs written or co-written by the great man. To give you a flavour, we heard songs spanning his massive hit-writing career—including 10cc classics (I’m Not in Love, The Things We Do for Love, Good Morning Judge, Dreadlock Holiday), tracks written for other acts like The Hollies (Bus Stop, Look Through Any Window), Herman’s Hermits (No Milk Today), The Yardbirds (For Your Love, Heart Full of Soul), Wax (Bridge to Your Heart), and solo/film work. All reworked in a semi acoustic setting, it was less surprising how many we knew than it was bewildering how few we knew post 10cc. This particular tour strips the material back to emphasize the sheer melodic architecture and history behind songs written by Gouldman, some of them composed when he was barely a teenager. I would describe it as a very convivial evening in the presence of greatness, albeit in endearingly modest form!
On the last morning, purely by chance, we strolled into St. Mary’s Church, which I was astonished to find was “very, very old” 🫨 and was originally part of the wider and very grand abbey. As the Abbey grew, the church was moved to its present site and served the local population – meanwhile the Abbey exploited its power by extracting heavy rents and taxes and the abbot and the monks enjoyed a privileged life in the abbey’s inner precincts; you will recall those beloved Christian teachings and solid religious tenets that encouraged them to do so.
The Church is full of history, much of it preserved, and in many ways is far more interesting than the Cathedral, which is of course not far away and along the same road. Highlights include but are far from exhaustive….
- Queen Mary’s (child of Henry VII and sister to Henry VIII) tomb and the window gifted by Queen Victoria which tells the story of Mary’s remarkable life (I mean, who even knew that one of the most important of the Tudors was buried in what is in essence a parish church)
- the chilling cadaver tomb of John Baret and the splendid chantry ceiling above
- the unique angel roof carved from English oak over five hundred years ago, which depicts an angelic procession on its hammerbeams.
- the regimental chapel of the Suffolk Regiment, now the Royal Anglian Regiment, and the associated war memorials, standards, colours and cenotaph which recalls the sacrifice of Suffolk people in war.
Oh yes, the Premier Inn – well, in short, the first room had an horrendous musty smell. We endured the first night and then asked to be moved the following night, which they did. Lovely, peaceful sleep ensued but on reflection, we should have moved straight away. Breakfast both days was excellent but hope standards aren’t slipping as this was the first occasion on which we have been disappointed with any aspect of the stay.
Regarding the Skeleton Clock, have found out that it was part of the Gershom Parkington Collection, which was housed in the Manor House on Honey Hill in 1993. In 2007 the Manor House changed from a museum into a private dwelling, and the timepiece collection moved to Moyse’s Hall Museum on the Cornhill in Bury St Edmunds. Makes me think I was probably right and that the Gershom Parkington Collection was indeed the ‘old clock museum’ to which I refer in this post!!