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Gig review: Ellur at The Bodega, with Fright Years and Cara Flynn

In the middle of a breathless and busy UK tour, Yorkshire-based indie-pop purveyor Ellur stopped off at The Bodega, bringing happiness and a uniquely collective experience. With Fright Years as main support, the night also gave local songwriter Cara Flynn the chance to shine...

We chat to Sonya Madan of Echobelly about touring, enduring friendships and the state of the nation

Gig review: Club Onion 5 at The OId Cold Store

Club Onion is the brainchild of Twisted Onion promoters Steve Solbé and Steve Hardaker. The events bring a mix of live bands, electronic artists and DJs to locations across the UK with the vibe being very much 1988–1992, bringing to mind the Megadog events from back in the day. The fifth Nottingham edition took place at The Old Cold Store...

Comedy Review: John Shuttleworth's Raise the Oof at the Nottingham Playhouse

Celebrating forty years in showbiz, John Shuttleworth flew into Nottingham on his Yamaha organ and wowed audiences. But what is an oof? And is it true that there is more to Mr Shuttleworth than his mild-mannered personality suggests...  

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #13: Filmmaker Adam Curtis on Shifty, politics, filmmaking and Wollaton Hall

For our latest episode we are joined by veteran BBC documentary filmmaker, whose latest project Shifty promintently features some 1980s footage of Nottingham's Wollaton Hall...

Comedy Review: Mark Steel at the Nottingham Playhouse

BAFTA-nominated Mark Steel, a regular on the nations TV, radio and bookshelves, gives us insight into his journey surviving cancer...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #32: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this autumn edition of LeftLion's Latest Listen, our music team reviews new releases from Vona Vella, Cara Flynn and Dekker...

LeftLion Issue #188 October 2025

Featuring Wolf Wytch Apothecary, ghost stories from the National Justice Museum, Hockley Hustle 2025, Sisterhood Photography Collective, Trancesexuals club night, Nottingham Comedy Festival, Nottingham's new nature poet laureate, Primary, the Nottingham Women's Centre, George Gadd, Adam Curtis, and loads more...

Left Magpie: September 2025 - Sun Sets On Mid Table

Our Notts County columnist Julian McDougall, is back with a report on this month's action at Notts County FC and is somewhat confused to see the pies in mid-table...

Theatre Review: Inspector Morse House of Ghosts at Theatre Royal

The iconic 80s and 90s TV detective is back for a new live theatre mystery involving a delve through his own past and a play-in-a-play plot...

Film review: The Correction Unit

In 1999 we had The Matrix, in 2015 we had Humans (TV series) and now we have The Correction  Unit. Psychiatric ward meets young offender’s institute, with a touch of A.I. thrown in for a contemporary and modern take, this is certainly a glimpse of our future AI prisons, hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Thomas Ince shares his thoughts on this locally made sci-fi thriller…

Gig review: Lewis Capaldi at Motorpoint Arena

After taking some time off to recuperate, Lewis Capaldi is well and truly back. One of the last stops on the UK leg of his huge world tour was at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, where he treated his fans to a confident performance...

Gig review: Crawlers at Rescue Rooms

Never ones to pull punches, alt-rock quartet Crawlers ripped open Nottingham's Rescue Rooms with a cathartic performance, charting love, emotion and free spirit...

Theatre Review : The Poitin Maker's Child at Lakeside Arts

Inspired by time in Irish history when Irish boys wore dresses to confuse the fairies, this immersive performance channels Irish mythology to explore identity, gender and power...

Theatre Review: Dear England at Theatre Royal

Dear England, the National Theatre play about Gareth Southgate and his journey as England manager, arrives at Nottingham's Theatre Royal as part of its 160th birthday celebrations...

Book Review: 'Huckleberry Dreaming' by Brooklyn Beaumont

A charming coming-of-age novel about what it means to grow up and find family amongst strangers, set against the backdrop of a dystopian regime and shaped by themes of drug abuse, gang violence, and personal responsibility. 

Theatre Review: The Void at the Mansfield Palace Theatre

It’s not every Tuesday that you can go from Mansfield to the moon of Titan for a hellraising adventure. But this Tuesday I did, thanks to The Void, playing at the fabulous Mansfield Palace Theatre. Indeed, sci-fi horror, while common in movies, is a rare genre for the stage. So how did it translate into the medium of live performance...

Gig review: PINS at The Bodega

As PINS make their triumphant return to The Bodega, after 10 years away, LeftLion's Kieran Lister immerses himself in their wondrous songs again, and reflects on how much can change in a decade - and how much stays reassuringly the same... 

Gig review: Midnight Rodeo at The Bodega

We recently described Midnight Rodeo as the kind of gang "you’d trust to soundtrack your life, crash your cousin’s wedding, and still make your nan a lovely cuppa the morning after." That said, the prospect of their hotly-anticipated homecoming gig at The Bodega was too much to resist. We headed down to 23 Pelham Street for another quick chat - and an outstanding performance...

Left Brian: September 2025: Did I miss much?

Julie Pritchard, the creator of the classic nineties 'Brian' fanzine, is back to detail an ever so smooth sailing September at Forest and to get excited about European adventures once again...

Exhibition review: Relic at 28 Broad Street

Kid30 and friends bring you an immersive, bleak and humourous take on the future in this pop-up exhibition showing this weekend only in Nottingham City Centre...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #31: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Sancho Panza, Parisa East, Fools & Sages and Blackadder...

Theatre review: FRIENDS! The Musical Parody at Theatre Royal Nottingham

Could we BE anymore excited about this musical? All the feel-good moments of the hit 90s sitcom Friends was brought to life on stage at Theatre Royal this week…

Gig review: Lola Young at The Level

From starting her career at the age of just 16 to having one of the biggest No.1 singles of 2025 with TikTok anthem Messy, Lola Young’s musical talent truly knows no bounds. Capitalising on her current wave of incredible momentum, her new album I’m Only F**king Myself is out this week, and fans in Nottingham were some of the first anywhere in the world to hear these new songs live for the first time. The big question heading in though, with the album coming so soon after 2024’s This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway: is I’m Only F**king Myself shaping up to be another 10/10 pop record or just a cynical quick cash-in by Lola’s label? We headed down to her album launch show at The Level to investigate…

Nadia on… the curriculum review

In this month's column, Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome talks about the government's review on the national curriculum.