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Gig review: Bernard Butler at Metronome

Singer, songwriter and legendary guitarist Bernard Butler dropped in to Metronome recently to promote his new album. The result was a night of great music and fascinating stories from his 35 years in the business...

Review: The sun shines on Radfest Community Festival 2024

As I park up for Radfest 2024 the clouds suddenly part and the sun shines brightly, writes Bassey who's reminded of the similar weather at Radfest last year and already feels the day will be a success...

Gig Review: Teen Mortgage with Jools at The Bodega

Rent is due! Teen Mortgage are taking over The Bodega and the compensation? An all-round good time. Talia Robinson was there...

Gig review: Gen and The Degenerates at The Bodega

Anything but ‘anti-fun’, this post-punk propaganda brought us straight to
The Bodega to witness Gen and The Degenerates do their thing...

We speak to poet Luke Wright before his appearance at Nottingham Poetry Festival

You’re invited to Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee! He’s throwing the ballad bunting up and stacking the plates full of poems for a visit to Nottingham Poetry Festival tomorrow, commencing his five date UK tour celebrating his 25 year long career.

In photos: Gary Numan at Rock City

Gig review: Pet Shop Boys at Motorpoint Arena

Longtime and new fans of the iconic English synth-pop duo were recently treated to a two-hour concert at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena. LeftLion's Rachel Imms immersed herself in the experience...

We speak to Benjamin Wigley, director of Paa Joe & the Lion ahead of Nottingham Poetry Festival

Next year, Nottingham Poetry Festival will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. The longevity and success of the festival, which began as a project by Confetti and is now its own company, is an ode to Nottingham’s burgeoning poetry scene. This year, part of a jam-packed programme, is a screening of three films featuring poetry by the late, great, Benjamin Zephaniah. We spoke to the film's director and friend of Zephaniah, Benjamin Wigley, along with the festival’s creative director, Alma Solarte-Tobón.

Gig review: Bruce Dickinson at Rock City

The floors of Rock City took a beating as Iron Maiden front-man and rock legend Bruce Dickinson visited Nottingham to celebrate his new album, and prove that he's still at the top of his game...

Gig review: Thirty Seconds to Mars at Motorpoint Arena

Bringing that misty-eyed quality of Hollywood to the Motorpoint Arena, LeftLion witnessed Thirty Seconds To Mars reaching for the stars...

LeftLion's Guide to Summer Festivals 2024

The sun is out, summer is here, which can only mean one thing – it’s officially festival season! And while not everyone is lucky enough to win the Worthy Farm lottery by getting tickets to Glastonbury, the good news is there are plenty of incredible events happening right on our doorstep. To give you the lowdown, here’s our ultimate guide to the best local festivals taking place in Nottingham and the surrounding areas over the next few months…

We chat with Romy and The RHADs ahead of their Radfest gig

We caught up with Romy, Hayden, Ali and Dom – better known as Romy and The RHADs – fresh from their Dot To Dot debut and as they geared up for more gigs, including a performance on the Introducing Stage at Radfest...

Festival review: Bearded Theory 2024

Despite the unpredictable British weather, Bearded Theory 2024 proved to be a fantastic weekend of music and merriment. With an excellent line up, which included several of Notts' own talented bands, revellers were not deterred by a bit of mud during the four-day extravaganza...

Gig Review: Honeyblood at The Bodega

We dropped in to The Bodega to witness Honeyblood's storming returning to full form...

We speak to dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson ahead of Nottingham Poetry Festival

Pioneer of dub poetry, NME journalist, trailblazing activist, father and grandfather, the first black poet published by Penguin Modern Classics - Linton Kwesi Johnson has worn all these hats and more. Wondering which hat he’ll wear at the Nottingham Poetry Festival on June 14, we gave him a call…

In photos: The Lovely Eggs at Rescue Rooms

The Lovely Eggs returned to Nottingham for a sold-out show at Rescue Rooms, with Loose Articles and Violet Malice in support. Nigel King captured the action for us...

Review: Dot To Dot Festival 2024 in Nottingham

The late May Bank Holiday can mean only one thing: it’s time for Dot To Dot, one of the country’s premier multi-venue metropolitan festivals. After round one in Bristol on the Saturday, Nottingham played host to more than 170 artists across 17 stages on Sunday 26th May. A team from LeftLion was there all day to witness the action…

In photos: English Teacher with Pleasure Centre at Rescue Rooms

Fast rising indie-rock stars English Teacher recently played a mesmerising gig at Rescue Rooms, with stellar support from Pleasure Centre. We were there to capture the action...

Gig review: Ferocious Dog at Rock City

In May, Rock City played host to a very special gig as local folk rock supergroup Ferocious Dog returned, accompanied by multiple support acts. We went along to witness the rebellion and passion...

Gig review: Indoor Pets at The Bodega

On such a blustery evening out of doors, it was Indoor Pets who were whirling up a flurry in ribcage-rattling rhythmics. We headed down to The Bodega to catch their return to the stage...

We chat to Home Counties on the sidelines of Dot To Dot Festival

As Dot To Dot Festival raged around us, LeftLion caught up with Will Harrison and Bill Griffin of Home Counties, to talk about the band's debut album, their sound transformation, and vodka shots...

We talk to Fast Forward, a creative learning outlet that teaches music as an alternative to traditional education

Fast Forward Direction Thru Music is helping transform the lives of students through the power of music. We spoke to founders Stevie Lee and his fellow musicians/co-founders, along with several students, to hear about their important work and the crowdfunder that hopes to help them train more students in music production skills.

Competition: Win A Pair of Tickets to Boho Family Festival with Martin Kemp, Ben Volpierre-Pierrot and Jeremy Healy

Boho is a three-day family festival taking place from July 26 – 28 2024 at Millview Glamping and Events site in Newton, a 30minute drive from the city centre. The line-up includes Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet, Ben Volpierre-Pierrot from Curiosity Killed the Cat and singer Jeremy Healy as well as plenty of local talent.

We have two pairs of tickets to give away. To enter just fill out your details in the form below. This competition is open until Weds 19 June 2024. Our winners will be chosen at random on Thursday 20 June and notified by email soon after. Note these competition dates have been extended by a week.

Gig review: Kofi Stone & more at Mimm Studios

Kofi Stone, along with a host of different artists from all over the country, represented Big Nature Collective to put on a very special intimate event at Mimm Studios. LeftLion checked out this emerging talent... 

In photos: Take That at The City Ground

This weekend, Take That chose Nottingham Forest's City Ground stadium to host two nights of their This is Life tour. Our photographer Laura Patterson dropped in to get some shots...