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Festival review: Sunday at Splendour 2025 in Wollaton Park

Exhibition Review: Your Ears Later Will Know to Listen at Nottingham Contemporary

Combining many different artistic mediums, from sculpture to sonic installation, the Nottingham Contemporary’s latest group exhibition: Your Ears Later Will Know to Listen, explores sound and music and their relationship to themes like colonisation and dispossession.

LeftLion's Latest Listens #27: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, our music team reviews new releases from Davoli & Jess Beer, Vona Vella, LYVIA, Dirt Bloom and Hallowed Men...

Film Review: Jurassic World Rebirth

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s another Jurassic World movie.” Join us as we review Jurassic World: Rebirth to see if it was worth making… 

Festival review: Saturday at Splendour 2025 in Wollaton Park

After a year away, the biggest weekend in the Nottingham musical calendar returned – Splendour Festival. With a stellar line-up of indie legends, pop icons, local heroes and the very best emerging talent from the Midlands and beyond, we headed down to Wollaton Hall to catch all the Saturday action…

Gig Review: Whycliffe The Rebirth at The Old Bus Depot

A quarter of a century since his last ticketed performance, Nottingham music legend Whycliffe took to the stage for a triumphant return at the Old Bus Depot...

Theatre Review: The Prince at the Lace Market Theatre

The Prince, by Abigail Thorn, debuted to rave reviews at Southwark Theatre. Now it's come to Nottingham with a uniquely gay reimagining of the Bard...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #26: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, we take a deep dive into the new album from Midnight Rodeo...

Gig review: enchanting 90s goth with Miranda Sex Garden, Hurtsfall and Modern Coven at Rough Trade

Local gig putter-onners I’m Not From London treated Rough Trade to a night of bewitching harmonies and gothic glamour, presenting the reformation of ethereal 90s dark wave band Miranda Sex Garden, with support from Notts own Hurtsfall and Modern Coven.

Festival review: Nottingham Chamber Music Festival – Tunnel Vision

The Nottingham Chamber Music Festival is an annual series of concerts put together by a team of dedicated volunteers, bringing classical music artists to some of our city’s most beautiful and historical spaces. For the closing concert of the 2025 edition, the festival worked with the Nottingham Park Residents Association to host string quartet, The Le Page Ensemble, in the stunning surroundings of the Park Tunnel. A special one-of-a-kind concert not to be missed, we went along to experience this cave-dwelling performance first-hand…

Review: Miss Americana – A Tribute to Taylor Swift at the Nottingham Playhouse

A dazzling, high-energy tribute that captured the spirit, sparkle and soul of Taylor Swift. Xenna is a powerhouse performer who gave fans exactly what they came for, and more...

Gig review: The Moonlandingz at Rescue Rooms

Described by one of our team as "one of the most bonkers (but enjoyable) gigs I've been to in a long while", The Moonlandingz made a big mark on Nottingham as they arrived at Rescue Rooms for a rescheduled show. Supported by Jeanie & The White Boys (whose lead singer also sang with the headliners), the band delivered a fun, energetic and unapologetically politically incorrect show...

Gig review: Future Sound of Nottingham Final at Rock City

The Future Sound of Nottingham is one of our city's most exciting music competitions. In the culmination of this year's event, eight acts from across the area competed at Rock City in a high energy final. Read on to find out which musicians were awarded the opportunity to perform at Splendour Festival...

Review: Gate To Southwell Festival's 18th Birthday 2025

The charming Gate To Southwell Festival has become a LeftLion summer favourite: a vibrant, family-friendly event pushing the boundaries of roots and folk music, and only a few miles from Nottingham. We visited the festival's green fields on Saturday to help celebrate its 18th birthday...

Gig review: The Backseat Lovers at Rescue Rooms

After a two-year hiatus, The Backseat Lovers performed a sold-out show at Nottingham's Rescue Rooms where the energy of the crowd proved testament to the impact this four-piece from Utah have had on their devoted fans. We joined the revellers at the packed out venue for a memorable Monday night...

Theatre Review: AMPLIFY at the Nottingham Playhouse

We Review Nottingham Poetry Festival 2025

Callum Minford reflects on this year's Nottingham Poetry Festival and what it reveals to us about Nottingham's writing scene. 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #25: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Parisa East, Torn Sail, Those Once Loyal and Mollie Ralph...

Stage Review: Kinky Boots at the Theatre Royal

A joyful celebration of the beauty in being different (and shoes, lots of shoes), Kinky Boots the Musical sashays onto the stage at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal in an explosion of glitter, music and exceptional choreography. 

Film Review: F1

Join us as we review F1, is this Brad Pitt blockbuster well crafted and nuanced, or does it follow the same old formula?

Stage review: a beautiful night of drag, burlesque and art with Niche Artefact

Thursday night saw a flamboyant jamboree of creativity and performance as Niche Artefact returned to Revolución de Cuba for a beautiful night of drag, burlesque and art...

Gig review: Gracie Abrams at Motorpoint Arena, with Dora Jar

In a show postponed from March, US pop sensation Gracie Abrams finally arrived in Nottingham to round off her The Secrets of Us world tour in intense, glittering style…

Gig review and interview: Loren Kramar supports Father John Misty at Rock City

We caught with up with American singer-songwriter Loren Kramar ahead of his Rock City show supporting the legendary Father John Misty...

Comedy Review: Omid Djalili's Namaste Tour at the Nottingham Playhouse

The Persian Comedy Powerhouse performs his critically acclaimed new show to the Nottingham audience. So what's it all about...

Festival review: LeftLion at Download Festival 2025

Rock and metal fans from around the world descended again on Donington Park – just a short drive from Nottingham – for the ultimate celebration of rock music. LeftLion's Natalie Owen was right there in the thick of it, soaking up the chaos, the riffs, and the raw energy of Download Festival – a true titan of the UK festival scene. Here's how it went down...