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Theatre Review: ...Earnest?

Slapstick comedy chaos reigns when the lead is a no show, any volunteers?

Five reasons not to miss Bearded Theory this year

A plethora of top quality artists, creative activities and unique educational content… Bearded Theory really does have it all. The festival takes place over the late Bank Holiday weekend in the beautiful setting of Catton Park, under an hour from our Nottingham doorsteps. Here are five reasons you can’t afford to miss the 2025 edition…

Theatre Review: Only Fools and Horses: The Musical

Why do only fools and horses work? Well, perhaps Del Boy and Rodney can answer that as Britain's most beloved market traders ride again... 

We meet Re-Engage, the charity helping combat loneliness in older people through tea parties

No one is immune to loneliness, and in fact, around 10-20,000 older people in Nottinghamshire are affected by loneliness according to the Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older People report (2016). Writer Frances Danylec travelled to Hucknall to meet Re-Engage, a national charity supporting isolated people aged 75 and over to make new connections; solving the social problem in a most delightful way.

Artist Luke Jerram tells us about Gaia: an installation displayed this month at Mansfield Palace Theatre

This month the avid stargazers of Notts can experience a new perspective of life on earth over at Mansfield Palace Theatre. Featuring audio soundscapes and stunning visuals, Gaia is a vast, breathtaking replica of planet Earth by artist Luke Jerram. Aiming to get to the core of this installation, we spoke to Luke about public collaboration, merging science with art and what it takes to create on such a large scale….

Film Review: The Penguin Lessons

The Penguin Lessons is the latest in that oh so recognisable cinema sub-trope, British people doing slightly quirky things in the face of adversity...

Film Review: The Return

We review The Return, a stripped back take on Homer’s classic The Odyssey…

Musicals, exhibits, legendary bass players and groovy deep sea gigs: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 21 - 27 April

From a musical adaptation of British TV classics to giant replicas of Earth, take a look at what's happening in Nottingham this week...

Gig review: Cliffords at The Bodega

A double bill from Ireland - Cliffords and Bold Love - took to The Bodega on Wednesday night. The next two great bands to emerge from the country? We certainly think so…

LeftLion's Latest Listens #20: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this Easter weekend edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews recent releases from Katie Keddie, Joey Collins, Blu Syrup, Lace Thief and Karen Macleod...

Nature, rituals, misconceptions and community: we hear from the organisers of Nottingham Pagan Market

After a long winter it’s easy to see why our ancestors created rituals and festivals to celebrate the coming of spring. With the Pagan festival of Beltane on the horizon, the Nottingham Pagan Market returns to Sneinton Market  later this month with a Beltane special. With live music, independent makers, dance, talks, guerrilla theatre, and more, we spoke to organisers Dee Miller and Esme Knight to find out what to expect and discover why more people are turning to Paganism to find a spiritual connection…

Gig review: The essence of "____" at The Bodega

When Corder, co-founder of local promoters Nottalott, set up his first event in March of last year entitled 'The Essence of Punk', the feedback and support for the event was overwhelmingly positive. It was only honourable that 12 months later he would put on a second - more enigmatically titled - event, not only to mark the anniversary, but to celebrate what the first event achieved: a platform to champion local talent, as well as to support local causes...

Review: Record Store Day 2025

Last weekend, Rough Trade Nottingham hosted the 18th consecutive Record Store Day, with local bands and international acts hitting the stage for a series of exciting live performances from the likes of Bored Marsh, Chloe Rodgers, Sancho Panza, Airport Dad and more...

Interview: The Northern Rascals present Sunny Side at Lakeside Arts

Northern Rascals are bringing their dance drama Sunny Side to Nottingham, a painfully honest account of male mental wellness, or the lack if it.  Founders Anna Holmes and Sam Ford talk to Left Lion about their work championing those outside the mainstream...

Locating Lawrence: April 1925

Lawrence is a man of endless energy, and so being bed-ridden and reliant on others impacts his mood...

Book Review: 'Manfishing' by Peter Pheasant

Callum Minford reviews a journalistic thriller nearly fifty years in the making.

Lost in the Stacks: we visit Nottingham’s secret Library, Bromley House

Every city has their hidden gems, for those who are curious enough to seek them out. Just off the Market Square, Nottingham boasts its very own secret library in a preserved Georgian townhouse. A cornucopia of local history, volumes of fiction and non-fiction, and one of the only walled gardens left in the city, Bromley House Library is a bibliophile’s dream waiting to be explored…

Gig review: Panchiko at Rough Trade Nottingham

Going from an internet mystery that looked like it was never going to be solved to a well-known cult classic band across the UK, there isn’t any other Nottingham outfit that has been on as much of a journey as Panchiko…

By the willows: Refugee Roots and Red Sea FC bring the beautiful game to Attenborough

Refugee Roots a local charity helping refugees build friendships and find a place to call home recently sponsored the Red Sea FC, a team largely made up of refugees whose goal is to ‘bring together sport-loving youth from all over the globe.’ The team made up of members of the refugee and migrant communities that have recently arrived to Nottingham and consider this city their second home entered the development league and proudly wear the kit sponsored by Refugee Roots. 

At the game where the team premiered wearing their new kits, volunteer befriender and language teacher Dr Christopher Towers, a poet, academic and football lover who also has a particular passion for football poetry and written collections such as Hinterlands made sure he wasn’t on the bench for this game and came to experience it all.