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Preview: Inside Papillons' Radical Approach to Openness at Lakeside Arts

Papillons, coming soon to Lakeside Arts, is a collaboration between music makers Manchester Collective and the dance-theatre company Thick & Tight. Leftlion interviews the artists for an insight into what is billed as 'a performance like no other'...

Boo the bad guy: the wacky cinematic world of local promoter Will Bailey

Will Bailey is a Nottingham film and events promoter, producing just about anything you could imagine (and a few things which only he could imagine), from Stars In Their Eyes all-dayers to so-bad-it’s-good movies screened at the Notts Bad Movie Club. His latest venture – Boo the Bad Guy – is a new multi-activity celebration of cult cinema, taking place in multiple venues which, more often than not, aren’t cinemas. He tells us more about it, while also reminiscing on past moments of movie magic he’s brought to Notts… 

Family Fest

Ninja Sex Party

Gig review: Kneecap album launch at Rescue Rooms

Ahead of the release of their third album Fenian, Irish rap trio Kneecap brought a double bill show to Rescue Rooms this week to give Notts a taste of what they’ve got in store this year…

Bulwell Academy Student Wins University of Cambridge Prize

Diego A. Fernandes, a Year 10 student at The Bulwell Academy, Nottingham, has been announced as the winner of the University of Cambridge/First Story creative writing competition...

Soapbox races and heavy metal documentaries: Here's what's on this week 4-10 May

This week in Notts! Enjoy Nottingham's first ever soapbox race, or relive Iron Maiden's career, brit pop and trip hop. Here's our top picks...

Conscious Pilot + Big Girls Blouse

Kepler

Soul Battalion - A Night of Soul and Motown Classics

Fell Out Boy & Black Charade | Revolve Fest

Catfishing the Bottlemen

Groovebox In The Park 2026

Theatre Review: Small Island at Nottingham Playhouse

A play that focuses on the harsh realities of postwar Britain for the Windrush generation and examines the consequences of empire...

Gig review: The Scratch at Rescue Rooms

Irish spirit was in abundance at Rescue Rooms as folk-metal band The Scratch celebrated new music and a new beginning in style...

Gig review: Book of Churches at Nottingham Contemporary

Felix Mackenzie-Barrow's new project Book of Churches has won hearts and minds across the nation, but he'll always find an appreciative home audience here in Nottingham. His recent performance at the Contemporary proved to be a magical experience...

Gig review: Creeper at Rescue Rooms

Having blown us away with their dramatic performance at Rock City in 2023 before then supporting Ice Nine Kills at Motorpoint Arena last December, each show from Southampton goth-rockers Creeper in our city feels like a monumental event. So, as they brought their Sangui-Tour to Rescue Rooms in April, where they performed songs exclusively from their albums Sanguivore I & II in intimate venues across the UK, we had to go along to experience their live show once again…

14 great music festivals in and around Nottingham for 2026

You can feel it starting... The evenings are lighter and the first warm weekends spark everybody into optimism, and suddenly someone shares a line-up in a group chat and writes, ‘We have to go!’

Across Nottinghamshire and the wider east midlands, 2026 is shaping up to be another packed one. Big-name headliners, grassroots weekends, city takeovers and quieter escapes all sit side-by-side. If you want to start planning your festival season soon, here are some suggestions. 

Blackgold

Smash Into Pieces

Love the 90s Fest

Professor Elemental + Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer + Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq.

Truth or legend: the case of the Wellow Maypole

Our resident investigator of Nottingham's weird history, Matthew Blaney, delves into the story of the Wellow Maypole...

LeftLion Magazine Issue #195 May 2026

Featuring Green Hustle, Notts festivals, ALT BLK ERA, Breakin' Convention festival, Red Sea FC, cinema events by Will Bailey, and plenty more... 

Goatnight79