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We talk with Hard-Fi about their return to the studio, and why Nottingham rocks

Ahead of their raucous return to the Rock City stage on 23rd November, Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer talks with Talia Robinson about all things modern musicality and the need for nurturing nostalgia... 

We chat with Sports Team about changes in sound, their live show ethos, and KSI...

Sports Team are a band who take music seriously – and always have fun with it. Famous for headline-grabbing stunts, which have led to a feud with Matty Healy and a chart battle with Lady Gaga, the English alt-rockers are determined to keep making waves. Before their big headline show at rescue Rooms next week, Ali Glen caught up with the band...

From cyphers to Mickey Mouse on ice skates: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 11-18 November

This week in Nottingham, experimental musicians of highest calibre take over all of the best grassroots venues, while over at Motorpoint Arena the Disney canon is well-and-truly brought to life...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #10: Notts music we're currently spinning

This week in LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team picks new releases from Lace Thief, Warren Ireland, Idolvein, Bram Bancroft and Revenge of Calculon

Long live The Bodega! We celebrate its 25th anniversary

Ah that special spot on 23 Pelham Street. From countless life-affirming gigs and hazy club nights inside the venue, to summer sessions outside in the quaint back alley of Cobden Chambers, The Bodega has been one of our city’s chief memory makers over the last quarter century.

Now to celebrate the iconic venue’s 25th anniversary this month, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane with the bands, promoters and staff that have helped this space to endure as a cornerstone of our city’s vibrant music scene and nightlife, by reliving some of their favourite Bodega moments.

We chat with Ian Broudie about goals, inspirations and Nottingham memories

The Lightning Seeds were formed in 1989 and named after a misheard Prince lyric, with frontman Ian Broudie going on to become one of the best tunesmiths of his generation, a writer of wonderfully melodic and uplifting indie-pop songs tinged with the band's custom vulnerability. Ahead of the band's return to Nottingham on 14th November, as part of their tour celebrating 35 years of the band and aptly timed to follow up on the release of their Greatest Hits album, Tomorrow’s Here Today, we had the chance to speak to frontman, producer and songwriter Ian Broudie...

How a Mini Cooper led to success on the stage and an acclaimed solo performance of A Christmas Carol

Guy Masterson's renowned Scrooge performance is coming to the Playhouse. He lets Leftlion in on how Richard Burton helped him along the way...

Concrete Jumble: how Nottingham could reinvent itself ready for an ever-evolving future

A pertinent question is being asked across the country: what to do about the once busy city centres now rife with empty buildings? Bereft of the bustle, and with a derelict shopping centre to boot, Sophie Gargett explores how Nottingham could reinvent itself ready for an ever-evolving future.

LeftLion Issue #177 November 2024

This month's LeftLion features Smokescreen Soundsystem, an interview with TV and film director Shane Meadows, Trekking Exploration, 25 Years of the Bodega, Author Simon Smalley, Panya Banjoko, Nottingham Forest Women's Team, Grayson Perry, Friends of Wollaton Park, Actor-turned-author Richard Armitage, Divorce, Kino Kilo Notts, Lisa Loves Style and more.

The queer reimagining of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly

Mariposa, the queer reimagining of Madame Butterfly, is about to play at Lakeside Arts. The creative force behind this new dance work, choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra, talks to Leftlion about his journey this far...   

Caves, campervans and comedy: the life of a Notts comedy promoter

Ian Whitcombe started off running comedy shows in his local pub and now has big names calling up for a gig. He talks to Left Lion about his role in the Nottingham Comedy Festival, the acts he has nurtured, and his own journey into the land of laughs... 

We tried out two immersive escape rooms at Escapologic

When the LeftLion team were invited to Escapologic for a competitive, team-building afternoon, it seemed too good of an opportunity to miss, but what mind-bending and mysterious fun awaited...

Gig review and interview: Stone at Rescue Rooms

STONE are no ordinary band: they are a movement; they are a lifestyle; they are one of the most hotly anticipated bands of this year. Talia Robinson tells of their tales as they performed at Nottingham's very own Rescue Rooms...

In photos: The Icicle Works at Rescue Rooms

Interview : Laura Turner dares us to decide whether to sell our soul or sell our body

A Midlands-based, female-led powerhouse, is about to ignite the stage at Nottingham Playhouse with a question that will leave audiences breathless. Emma Oldham interviews Laura Turner, the artistic director behind Fury Theatre, about why they're asking such a bold question...

The worms are coming! Our homegrown alt comedy troup are taking over.

As Nottingham's alternative comedy venue prepares for its first ever Wormhole Weekend, alternative comedian Rosa Keaton takes us for a worm's-eye view.  

Alfie Brown talks broken down BMW's and banana bread

Comedian Alfie Brown's journey from Top Shop to top billing has met challenges along the way. Ahead of his forthcoming Open Hearted Human Enquiry tour, Alfie shares his insights into the lessons learned thus far... 

Comedy and community at the Lord Roberts

Dan Webber shares the inspiration behind the LOL-GBTQ+ festival coming soon to the Lord Roberts...

Beccy D'Souza turns up the volume for our local talent

We caught up with Beccy D’Souza, Artist Development Producer at Nottingham Playhouse, for a peek behind the curtain at this year’s Amplify Festival line-up... 

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #5: Shane Meadows on This Is England, Virtues, Stone Roses, Injuries, Notts County FC and more

For our fifth podcast we are delighted to welcome a true legend of British film and television, the director and screenwriter Shane Meadows...

"Rough sleeping is the tip of the homelessness iceberg": Framework tell us about their urgent winter appeal on World Homelessness Day

Notts based charity Framework have launched an urgent winter appeal for funds, closely following the premiere of homelessness documentary Someone's Daughter, Someone's Son, by Lorna Tucker, at Broadway Cinema. We heard more from Claire Eden, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Framework, and Sam Lanes, Manager of Street Outreach, about the challenges that the charity are facing and the help that they need to tackle them. 

Hitchcock meets Lord of the Flies in this exciting comedy-thriller at the Nottingham Playhouse

Rotten is a comedy about the Instagram generation that is as dark as it is funny. Its creator, Josie White, speaks with Leftlion about terrible things and how she came to write them... 

Comedian and doctor Michael Akadiri talks fatherhood, politics and the Wollaton vida loca

As award-winning comedian Michael Akadiri brings his new show Trust Me, I'm a Daddy to the Canalhouse, he speaks to Leftlion about his journey this far... 

We chat to Jake Bugg about his inspirations, memories and what we can expect from his new album

From performing on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury aged 16 to releasing his fourth studio album, A Modern Day Distraction, this month, Nottingham-born singer-songwriter Jake Bugg has had a wild musical journey. Ahead of his new album being released this week, we sat down with the local hero to hear about the making of the record, supporting Liam Gallagher and battling Metallica at Glastonbury…

LeftLion Issue #176 October 2024

This month's LeftLion features an obituary to the iconic Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, which turned off its cooling towers at the end of September. We also speak to Peter Hook, Wunderhorse, Megan Crook Textiles, and Crazy Little Sing Called Pub, share memories of 15 years of JT Soar and give you a preview of what's to come at this year's Hockley Hustle.