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

The NDR RADIO PHILHARMONIC is the English name for the NDR Radiophilharmonie from Hannover. And NDR stands for Norddeutscher Rundfunk, which translates to North German Broadcasting. So  that's  the words taken care of, what was the music like....

Theatre Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

An autistic teenage girl investigates a murder...

Gig review: Basht. at Rough Trade

It's hard to find an out-of-town band with so much love for Nottingham as Irish post-punk scenesters Basht. This year alone they have played in our city twice, and plan to go for a hattrick in late October with an appearance at Rescue Rooms. With this admiration, it's obvious why we were so keen to catch their show at Rough Trade as it celebrated the release of one of the best albums of 2026...

Gig review: Madra Salach at Rescue Rooms, with Tanzana

Madra Salach's first visit to our city was unmissable and never to be forgotten: a melting pot of passion, folk tradition and zeitgeist-defeating songwriting. With Tanzana setting a high bar in support, the collective memory of Rescue Rooms may never be the same...

Hoppy Birthday: Neon Raptor Brewery turns ten

Sneinton Market’s Neon Raptor turned ten years old this year. To celebrate they’re also opening another bar just over the road from their current taproom and brewery on Gedling Street. We caught up with Directors and Co-owners Josh Mellor and Tom Ainsley to reflect on the last decade and the changes they’ve seen both in Notts and in the beer industry over that time…

Journalist and Filmmaker James Maycock on Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

James Maycock is a London-based British documentary film director, producer and print journalist. He was the Assistant Producer on the 2003 BBC Film Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, working closely with and supporting the director Don Letts. He’s coming to the Malt Cross this month to discuss that film and more…

Digging through the archives: 200 issues of LeftLion

200 issues of LeftLion is a lot, to say the least. Back when co-founders, Jared Wilson, Al Gilby, and Tim Bates founded the mag in their 20s, both Notts and the world at large was very different, and lots of changes, and odd, unexpected parts of Nottingham culture, past and present, have been immortalised in our print mag. Here, we have a timeline for you – an alternate history of Nottingham culture, and some of the most intriguing things we’ve had land on our desks and in our inboxes, lots of which you might not expect… 

Gig review: Lake Malice at Rescue Rooms

Supported by Eville and Chaosbay, Lake Malice arrived in Nottingham for one of the most emotionally charged nights of their current run. The show at Rescue Rooms marked the second-to-last date of the tour, adding an extra sense of significance to the evening. That feeling was heightened by the fact that vocalist Alice Guala was battling illness but continued to perform, downing honey in between each song...

Inside Mayhem Film Festival: Celebrating Independent Genre Cinema in Nottingham

Mayhem Film Festival co-directors Steven Sheil, Meli Gueneau and Chris Cooke discuss the festival’s 21-year journey, its role in championing independent and international filmmakers, and why Nottingham’s genre film community continues to thrive.

Dabbling in the Dark Arts: we catch up with organisers of the Dark Arts Market

It’s officially the spooky season, but for Fiona Holmes and Elyssa Fleming, the eldritch, strange and eerie is more than just an aesthetic that ends with Halloween. They talk to LeftLion about how they created The Dark Arts Market, a place where all ‘alt’ artists and creatives, at all stages of their creative career, can feel seen and supported. 

What Large Cyber Incidents Show About Everyday Digital Security

Large cyber incidents can feel distant until the exposed information sounds familiar: passport numbers, financial details, identity records, contact information and login credentials belonging to ordinary people. When this type of information is accessed or leaked, the consequences can move far beyond the organization where the incident first happened.

Gig review: Antony Szmierek at The Level

“Had a panic attack in a park last year in Nottingham - and that wasn't great really” reveals Mancunian spoken-word poet Antony Szmierek, on his brilliant second album, Decoding Birdsong. Given this, you would forgive the former teacher for wanting to avoid our city for a little while. However rather than running away from his demons, Antony returned this past week to fully exorcise them. Here’s what went down at his euphoric, cathartic and instantly legendary show at The Level…

We chat to Ibibio Sound Machine's Eno Williams ahead of the band's Rescue Rooms show

Ibibio Sound Machine are a leading act within African and Electronic music. They have had multiple appearances on Later... with Jools Holland and countless plays across the BBC. They bring a showstopping performance to every stage they grace and have echoed the walls of Wembley Stadium. LeftLion sat down with frontwoman Eno Williams to discuss their latest release, Chopping Mountain, and their ongoing tour, reflecting on making music now compared to their 2014 debut, as well as that moment Coldplay asked the band to open for them in the UK’s biggest stadium...

Mansfield Town Film Festival Celebrates Independent Film at 2026 Awards

The 2026 Mansfield Town Film Festival celebrated independent cinema and diverse voices, recognising filmmakers across a range of categories. With award-winning films, inspiring stories from local and international creatives, and its BIFA-qualifying status, MTFF continues to champion emerging talent and establish Mansfield as a growing hub for independent filmmaking.

20 Years of Hockley Hustle

This month, Nottingham city’s biggest independent arts and music festival, the brilliant Hockley Hustle, is celebrating twenty years of bringing sound and colour to our streets. Showcasing an eye-watering array of genres and talent, the festival is more than just a good time – it’s raised over £250K for 27 local charities, as well as providing stages for thousands of artists from Nottingham and beyond. 

This year, the Hustle is back on Sunday 25 October, bringing 500 acts to fifty stages. You’ll be able to catch the carnival, chill to some acoustic sounds, dance at the silent disco, enjoy punk, soul, Hip-Hop, and more.

To celebrate, here’s what the Hustle’s massive team of promoters, mainstay artists, and central organisers remember most fondly about the last twenty years of music and mayhem…

Festival review: Beeston Oxjam 2026

Gig review: Man/Woman/Chainsaw at Rescue Rooms

Let’s start with a little history lesson. Around the late 2010s, a scene began to emerge based out of the south of London. This was a scene full of experimental and boundary-pushing artists, all based around The Windmill in Brixton. Many young bands cut their teeth at this venue, eventually blowing up into juggernauts of the underground. One of these bands is, incidentally, Man/Woman/Chainsaw. Formed in 2019 by Billy Ward and Vera Leppänen, they have expanded into a sextet of some of the finest musicians in the British Isles. Now, they are taking their critically acclaimed debut album Cannonball on the road - and they stopped at Rescue Rooms to show just how much they can do...

Art Works: Natalie Coe on her new Notts Broad Marsh mural

For this month’s Art Works, Natalie Coe (aka Talia) tells us about her new public mural which features as part of the Broad Marsh redevelopment, in collaboration with Art Fest… 

Competition: Win A Pair of Tickets to watch Suede and the Manic Street Preachers at Motorpoint Arena

Two of the UK's biggest indie rock bands are playing a double-header at the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday 11 November. We have a pair of tickets to give away, all you have to do is enter our competition below...