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Concert Review: BBC Philharmonic's Bluebeard's Castle

The BBC Philharmonic bring their latest production, Bluebeard's Castle, to the Royal Concert Hall... 

Left Stag: Dave Smith, Sandy Pate and Anglo Scottish Adventures in Ayr

With Burns Night on the horizon on Sunday 25 January, we invited our regular Notts County, Mansfield Town and Nottingham Forest football columnists to muse on the influence of Scotland in the history of their own clubs…

Below, Josh Osoro Pickering - our Mansfield Town specialist - tells a Mansfield-set story of Anglo-Scottish sport... 

Left Magpie: Jimmy Sirrel, Don Masson and the Anglo Scottish Cup

With Burns Night on the horizon on Sunday 25 January, we invited our regular Notts County, Mansfield Town and Nottingham Forest football columnists to muse on the influence of Scotland in the history of their own clubs. 

Below, Julian McDougall - our Notts County specialist - gives his take... 

Riding high: the triumph and tragedy of Tom Simpson

Six thousand feet up a mountain in southern France, surrounded by a pitiless landscape of sun-bleached rocks, stands a stone memorial to a Nottinghamshire man. Professional cyclist Tom Simpson collapsed and died there in 1967, creating a sporting legend still being kept alive by his family back home. As an annual festival in his memory grows into a week of Simpson-mania, Chris Breese pedals off in search of how a skinny miner's son from Bassetlaw created a legacy still being lauded from Lowdham to Leuven.

Life Behind Bars, with Lucy Simons, co-owner at The Abdication

We chat to Lucy Simons, co-owner at The Abdication...

How Jordana Chin founded Lenton healthy eating spot Avocafe

Ten years ago, Jordana Chin was travelling by trike across university campus, delivering home-cooked food to hungry students. Today, the University of Nottingham graduate turned entrepreneur owns a healthy food cafe and community hub in Lenton. Our food co-editor Lucy Campion talks to Jordana about the evolution of Avocafe, and her plans to connect local people with sustainable produce through an ambitious new open food network. 

Gig review: Cast at Rock City

Cast rolled back the years at Rock City with a joyous celebration of their debut album, All Change...

Undercover Artist: Craig Whitemore shares his journey into professional graphic design and illustration

Our January cover artist Craig Whitemore shares more about his journey into professional graphic design and illustration.

In photos: Tom Gensler at The Old Bus Depot

Singer-songwriter (and regular LeftLion music writer) Tom Gensler delivered a successful debut headline show at The Old Bus Depot, supported on stage by Leah Wilcox and, Daisy Peacock. We dropped in to see the show and join many others from the supportive Notts music community...

Pick Six: Adrian Bhagat of Sherwood's vegan emporium The V Spot

To celebrate Veganuary, for this month’s Pick Six we reached out to Adrian Bhagat who looks after Sherwood vegan emporium The V Spot, and runs the successful Sherwood Vegan Market.

Gig review: Dry Cleaning at Metronome

The Windmill in Brixton has churned out more obscure and subversive acts than one can shake a stick at. Black Country, New Road, black midi (R.I.P Matt Keasniewski), and Fat White Family trace their origins to this mini mecca of the DIY scene. While Dry Cleaning did not form straight out of the Windmill, their Brixton roots are well known. The band’s rise from part-time university lecturers to re-inventers of juxtaposing prose with taut, contracting post-punk music has been nothing but praiseworthy. Their show in Nottingham's Metronome would be unmissable...

Album lauches, gripping theatre and top quality comedy: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week Monday 19 - Sunday 25 January

New year, new music. If you’re looking to add some new albums to your playlists, look no further than this weeks’ gig picks. If drama is more your thing, we have you covered with gripping theatre and opera. If you’re simply looking to brighten up the January days, we have a dose of comedy that will do just the trick.

Seeing the wood for the trees: what makes Nottingham a 'green' city?

With the recent success of urban greening projects, like the Green Heart Park, Nottingham is starting 2026 with lots of love for spots of nature in-and-around its city centre. Caradoc Gayer looks at what makes Nottingham a particularly ‘green’ city, and how in 2026 we can continue to ensure that it stays that way.