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US ugly pop trio Skating Polly are fast building a strong following this side of the Atlantic, built on their wildly energetic and vibrant live shows. Their last tour in 2025 garnered critical acclaim, so naturally we headed down to The Bodega to see what all the fuss was about…

Theatre Review: Thick & Tight: Natural Behaviour at Lakeside Arts

Two moths, a pantomime horse, a lesbian seagull and the dust in Quentin Crisp's bedroom walk into a theatre. It sounds like the start of a joke, and to be fair, sometimes it is. But Thick & Tight's Natural Behaviour is also one of the more quietly radical things to land at Lakeside this year...

Theatre Review: Tell Me Where It Hurts at Nottingham Playhouse

A fiercely honest, darkly funny exploration of women's health, confronting the devastating consequences of living with a condition that, for too long, has gone unheard...

Nottsword answers #201 November 2026

This month's crossword was themed around some of the people we have intervie4wed in LeftLion over 200 issues. Did you get the answers right?

Gig Review: Brandon Flowers at Rock City

It’s not too often we get a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest songwriters of this generation come to town. As part of his THRASHER world tour, the charming frontman of 00s indie icons The Killers, Brandon Flowers, stopped by Rock City for a special and incredibly intimate show, playing a bunch of his new country songs and a couple of career classics too. A night to remember for those in attendance, here’s what went down when this arena-sized artist played in such a humble setting, right in the heart of Nottingham…

Gig Review: Lime Garden at Rescue Rooms

Arriving to Nottingham off the back of their brilliant sophomore album Maybe Not Tonight, all-female indie quartet from Brighton, Lime Garden, are quickly becoming everyone’s favourite new UK band. Riding a wave momentum and promising a Saturday night party, we headed along to their sold-out Rescue Rooms show to catch them in action…

Gig review: Courtney Barnett at Rock City

Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett was back at Rock City last week, treating her fans to another captivating performance with songs from her back catalogue and new album, Creature of Habit, with support from Body Type...

Beyond the senses: author Kerry Ward discusses her new publication This Book Will Make You Psychic

The concept of having psychic powers beyond our physical senses is one we often associate with movies – a rare talent reserved for a special few – but can these abilities be learned? This Book Will Make You Psychic is a new guide by local author and professional tarot reader Kerry Ward, created for anyone interested in tapping into their psychic abilities. We sat down with Kerry to have a chat about mindfulness, intuition, coincidence, and what lies beyond our physical senses…

Pick Six: JT Soar's Phil Booth

Sat 17 Oct 2026

Ahead of JT Soar Fest #3 at The Old Cold Store on Saturday 31 October - Sunday 1 November, for this month’s Pick Six we turned to Phil Booth of DIY music venue and recording studio JT Soar.

Pedal to the Metal: envisioning how Notts could be transformed via sustainable transport

Fri 16 Oct 2026

What could Nottingham look like if people, not cars, came first? This is a question posed by cycling groups throughout the city, including Critical Mass, Pedals and Ridewise, who demonstrate that cycling isn’t just a healthy, green and economical way to get about, but activism on wheels. Speaking to riders, campaigners and charity workers along the way, Finnuala Brett uncovers a city-wide movement bigger than any single ride.

How Pipeline Organics are turning Castle Rock's brewery waste into electricity

There's a brewery in Nottingham quietly turning its dirty water into electricity. Not with some Frankenstein-style contraption bolted to the side of the building, but with a 3D-printed box about the size of a shipping container, sat in the yard, doing the job normal water treatment can't: cleaning up the gunky, high-strength wastewater that beer and cider production leaves behind and generating usable power from it while it's at it. That's the pitch behind Pipeline Organics, a Nottingham-founded startup whose bio-electrochemical fuel cells are already being trialled by Castle Rock Brewery. We sat down with founder Andrew Raslan to find out more…

Gig review: Fat Dog at Rough Trade Nottingham

Fat Dog are no strangers to Nottingham's bigger venues. But how would their trade mark chaotic energy translate to the more intimate setting of Rough Trade's upstairs room? While the moshing was more restricted, we discovered endless dancing, plenty of energy and a room full of people who had come for the same reason: to feel alive through the power of music...

In photos: Jamie T at The Level

Singer-songwriter and producer Jamie T brought his signature blend of rock, ska and hip hop influenced music to a stripped back (and gorgeously lit) The Level. Behold these beautiful images captured by our photographer Zach...

Classical Concert Review: NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra with Stanislav Kochanovsky at the Royal Concert Hall