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Theatre review: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Nottingham's Theatre Royal

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to Nottingham's Theatre Royal this week, bringing dazzling theatrics, humour and heart...

Gig review: The Lovely Eggs at Metronome

We sent one of our writers to reunite with lo-fi psych-rock duo The Lovely Eggs as they visited Nottingham's Metronome - on Halloween night - as part of a UK tour. He came away impressed, entertained and thoroughly reassured about the future of rock...

Gig review: As December Falls at Rock City

Rock City has long been home to some of the most legendary acts in music history — from Green Day to Nirvana — and countless artists have spoken fondly about their experiences playing its iconic stage. As November opened, it was time for another powerhouse to join that legacy: As December Falls...

Gig review: Gogol Bordello at Rock City

When you go to see a show, it's usually all about the headliner - right? The support(s) are there to warm up the crowd. Maybe they’re similar, or friends of the main act, but the night is centred around the headliner. That’s how it usually goes. But it doesn’t have to, and Gogol Bordello (and the people at their label Casa Gogol) have curated an excellent night highlighting the history of global punk music, celebrating the genre in full, with three differing and fantastic takes that reflect three different worlds, all uniting. Nottingham's Rock City hosted the show...

Theatre review: Slava's Snow Show at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

Confetti, inflatables and clowns at the Royal Concert Hall? Slava's Snow Show must be in town...

Gig review: The Amazons at Rock City

In an explosive performance, The Amazons balanced rage and radiance in a Rock City set that felt less like a gig and more like a reckoning...

Gig review: Veduna at The Grove

The Grove - now into its second year on the Nottingham live music circuit - welcomed local four-piece folk band Veduna  as they made their well-anticipated debut. The night proved to be a memorable way for them to enter the scene, as they supported the incredible Hutch who are currently on their UK tour...

Theatre Review: Eureka Day at Nottingham Playhouse

Sam Harvey reviews Eureka Day at the Nottingham Playhouse - a satirical take on parenting in the modern US.

Music review: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra came to the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall last week led by its musical director Vasily Petrenko...

Gig review: Grandma's House at The Bodega

It’s up for debate when exactly Grandma’s House last played in Nottingham. With a little help from the crowd, it’s narrowed down to sometime in 2021 that they last occupied The Bodega stage. The intervening four years have seen the group iterate and further define their sound, moving the needle from post-punk to what feels tonight more like garage-rock, leading to a barnstorming gig that's a throwback to the early-00s, as fun as it is fierce...

Review: Hockley Hustle 2025

There are community festivals and then there is Hockley Hustle. Continuing to be in a league of its own, this time last week venues across Hockley and Sneinton were filled with the sounds of an incredibly diverse and talented array of artists, all raising money for local charities. As ever, our music team went along to soak up the heartwarming atmosphere – here are our highlights in words and pictures...

Gig review: Sigrid at Metronome

On the first properly chilly night this autumn, Sigrid breezed into town with Nordic flair. Only a few hours before the release of her third studio album, There’s Always More That I Could Say, the Norwegian pop singer-songwriter appeared at the incredibly intimate setting of Metronome... 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #34: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from flöat, The Missing Diamonds, Emily Sanders, Di$mal and Lucy Crisp...

Gig review: Somebody’s Child at Rescue Rooms, with better joy

With barely a moment to breathe, the Somebody's Child tour pushed on through Nottingham this week. The Irish five-piece are riding a rising wave of success following the release of their exuberant album earlier this year. Accompanied by the brilliantly chosen better joy as tour support, the musicians crafted another memorable evening at Rescue Rooms...

Gig review: The Last Dinner Party at The Level

Nottingham's Shakespeare Street is lined with hundreds of people dressed in long skirts, corsets and Victorian-esque clothing. Some wear hoodies with red embroidered writing that says From The Pyre. We know we're in the right place: The Level, where the incredible The Last Dinner Party are performing their latest album, released only a few days before...

Concert review: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Michael Seal at the Royal Concert Hall

Conducted with an unshowy economy by Michael Seal, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra led an appreciative Nottingham audience through a musical exploration of spaces both literal and liminal, and probed the interrelationship of things within those spaces...

Gig review: Reef at Rock City

Anyone who managed to place their hands on tickets for the Reef gig at Rock City knew they were in for a good night of music as the band played the entirety of their 1995 debut album in its 30th anniversary year....

Gig review: Circle of Light at Fisher Gate Point

Circle of Light celebrated the release of their new album, COL 6, at Fisher Gate Point to coincide with World Mental Health Day 2025...

Gig review: Busted vs McFly at Motorpoint Arena

It’s not often you get to see two of Britain’s biggest pop-rock exports of the 2000s go head-to-head on one stage, but Busted vs McFly proved exactly why both bands still command such massive affection decades later...

Gig review: George Gadd + The Aftermath at The Bodega

Where better for George Gadd and his band to host a homecoming show (and launch a new album) than The Bodega? We joined the sold out show and discovered warmth, music and plenty of vinyl...

Gig review: The Wedding Present at Rock City

Dance Review: Northern Ballet - Merlin at the Theatre Royal

If you have a thing for modern musical theatre and have never been to a ballet, this might just be your gateway drug.

Gig review: The Rock Orchestra - The Arena of Fire - at Motorpoint Arena

Stereotypically, orchestras play classical music. The two go hand in hand. It’s a natural combination. However, one collective of musicians are trying, and succeeding, to prove this wrong. They are The Rock Orchestra, and they perform orchestral arrangements of hugely popular rock and metal songs to huge audiences globally, alongside three incredible main vocalists, some insanely good fire dancers, and huge, gothic-inspired stage pieces. The combination of all these elements makes them extremely popular amongst concert-goers, and they are truly a treat to watch and hear. We caught them at Motorpoint Arena for their Arena of Fire production, their biggest and boldest show yet...

Gig review: The Boomtown Rats at the Royal Concert Hall

The Boomtown Rats demonstrated they are still very much a force to be reckoned with in today’s music scene with a powerful performance at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall - the opening date of the band's 50th birthday tour...

Gig review: Welly at The Bodega

Last week, Welly returned to The Bodega with more banging tunes, bigger moshpits and a sky full of bubbles. Walking out to the tune of The Macarena, Welly promises a night defined by character and charisma, with songs charged with social commentary to a soundtrack that inspired endless moshpits...