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Game on: two Nottingham Panthers talk the upcoming ice hockey season

Luca Sheldon and Jordan Kelsall are the two local players on the 25/26 Nottingham Panthers roster. We sat down with them to explore what it means to wear the Panthers jersey, as Nottingham lads, and how they’re feeling about the 2025/26 campaign.

Pick Six: Craig Proud of Nottingham print studio Dizzy Ink

For this month’s Pick Six we turn to Craig Proud of print studio Dizzy Ink, who hosts Notts Zine Fest on Saturday 8 November at the Central Library.

Rap artist JayaHadADream on her debut record and the Nottingham music scene

Since winning last year’s Glastonbury Festival Emerging Talent competition, things have only been on the up for Cambridge-via-Notts artist JayaHadADream. From collaborating with both local names and national heavyweights in dance music and hip hop, like Andy Zoutr, Gardna, and Flowdan, to receiving nods from the likes of Stormzy, there’s truly no stopping her. Wonderfully, she also got her start right here in Nottingham.

With her debut album Happiness From Agony now released, plus a Metronome show this month, she told us how life’s going at the moment.

Undercover artist: illustrator Isabelle Farrar is busy and inspired

Artist Isobelle Farrar, who designed this month’s spooky cover, tells us about her inspirations and recent projects…

Truth or Legend: The Strange Case of Gallow's Hill

It's nearly Halloween, and in that tradition LeftLion's chief urban myths chief Matthew Blaney tackles the legend of Gallows Hill, and associated stories...

Sweet spot: taking a look at Effy’s new pastry collection

Since arriving on the Nottingham coffee scene in 2019, Effy has become a favourite haunt for local coffee connoisseurs in the know. Now this indie coffee shop is developing a reputation for its equally impressive pastries. Food co-editor Lucy Campion chats to owner Mitch Farr about the shop’s growing bakery operation.

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...

From the kitchen: with Paddy Sneath, owner at Working Man's Kitchen

For this instalment of From the Kitchen we reached out to loved Sneinton Market pizza slinger Paddy Sneath, owner of Working Man's Kitchen.

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...

Inside The Correction Unit, a new sci-fi thriller made in Notts

Released on 23 September, The Correction Unit is the latest project from talented Nottingham-based filmmaker Derry Shillitto. The film follows a group of young offenders forced into a brutal correctional system with an AI, voiced by Bella Ramsey, at the centre. When one teen starts resisting the institution, questions arise surrounding control and human rights. To find out more about the production, which has featured almost entirely Notts talent, we spoke to Derry and young actor Zak Hopkinson.

In photos: Panic Shack at Rescue Rooms

Little more than five months after they stunned a packed-out Bodega, Welsh punk five-piece Panic Shack returned to Nottingham for an ever bigger and more triumphant show at Rescue Rooms...

Wytch craft: a look inside Sneinton Market's Wolf Wytch Apothecary

The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us, and there’s nothing better at this time of year than coming home to a cosy living space. If you have a love for the spooky and the scented, then here’s three exciting words for you: Wolf Wytch Apothecary. An independent business that has been alive in the heart of Sneinton Market for almost three years, Wolf Wytch is run by its wickedly talented head alchemist Lauren Wolf. It’s home to an enchanting combination of scents – from candles to skin care – and plenty of gothic vibes…

Which side are you on? Talking to an infiltrator of far right protests

Roundabouts, flags, boats and protests… Recent months have been fraught in the UK, with the political divide seeming at an all time high. But taking things offline and onto the street, how do we begin to resolve the tensions that are threatening our democracy and sense of cooperation? Matteo D’Alesio spoke to a protest infiltrator whose aim it is to find out what is truly at the heart of the rise in far-right political action…

Artist Hetain Patel on his new audio visual show and his early career spent in Notts

Hetain Patel is an English visual artist specialising in performance, sculpture, video and photography. Born and brought up in Bolton, his work is influenced by identity, his family's Indian heritage and mainstream Western pop culture. Hetain came to Nottingham in 2000 as a Fine Art student and spent more than a decade here before spreading his wings; exhibiting in Norway, India, Belgium and more. He’s back with his latest work as part of nottdance Festival 2025…

Local racer Alicia Barrett talks her ongoing journey to international motorsport success

Motorsport is an expensive and male-dominated industry, usually only accessible for Cornelius and Clifford using their trust funds. However, 21-year-old Alicia Barrett from Southwell is looking to buck this trend. Despite her tender years, she’s more than a decade into her racing career, currently moving from kart racing to race cars, and looking for support to take it to the next level…

How the Sisterhood Collective is connecting women photographers in Nottingham

Meet the Sisterhood Collective — a volunteer-led network giving women and women-identifying photographers in Nottingham a space to connect, create, and be seen. Run by photographer and arts programmer Susana de Dios and Alecia Barnes, co-owner of Sneinton Market’s film camera shop and film lab LensFayre, the Collective has grown into a supportive hub where photographers can share their practice, sharpen their skills, and build confidence together.

Born out of a need to challenge the systemic barriers that women in photography still face, from limited access to funding and equipment, to a lack of exhibition opportunities and mentorship, the Sisterhood Collective blends monthly meet-ups with hands-on workshops, peer critique sessions, themed projects, informative talks, and more.

Ahead of their collaborative exhibition at Nottingham Central Library, on 6 November, Susana and Alecia spoke about what it means to create a safe and educational space for Nottingham’s women photographers…

Theatre Review: Sealskin at Lakeside Arts

A spellbinding tale of selkies comes to Lakeside Arts... 

Gig review: Allo Darlin' at The Old Cold Store

A reunion of many, with the moon looking down on it all... LeftLion's Michael Prince found himself in awe and happiness as he witnessed the long-overdue return of indie-pop band Allo Darlin'...

All singing, all dancing: Here's what's on in Nottingham 13 - 19 October

There's plenty to do this week in Nottingham, whether you're flexing your singing muscles, enjoying some immersive theatre, or participating in the yearly Reclaim the Night march. Here are our Picks of the Week. 

Left Stag: October 2025 - A Love Letter to Proper Footy

Our man in Mansfield Josh Osoro Pickering is back from an away trip to Port Vale where he was very happy to partake in their local delicacy of Oatcakes...

Night Creatures Podcast #2: Laurence and Steve from Smokescreen Soundsystem on thirty years of club nights, free parties, police, gangsters and more

Night Creatures is a new LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him over twenty years of experience of putting on great parties in the city...

Comedian Rosa Keaton shares highlights from the coming Club Wormhole Festival

Alternate comedy is thriving in Nottingham. And among the comedians leading that boom is Club Wormhole, very much a home for non-conventional humour. And with Wormhole Weekend coming up, now is a great time find out more... 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #33: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Bored Marsh, George Gadd + The Aftermath, Molly Godber and The Red Line...