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We speak to Dekker about music, personality and artistic intention

With a new album Neither Up Nor Down under his belt, US-born Nottingham resident Dekker is preparing for a hometown show at Rough Trade. We caught up with Brookln to talk about his streaming platform success, the personal nature of his music persona, and the creative influences Nottingham provides...

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...

Low Island on new album ‘bird’ and returning to Nottingham for a gig at the Bodega

Low Island haven’t performed in Nottingham since Dot To Dot Festival in 2021, but with the release of their new album bird earlier this year comes a headline show at The Bodega. We catch up with the Oxford DIY, electro-rock outfit to find out what we can expect…

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...

Giant Monsters Will Be Returning To Nottingham Rooftops This Halloween

It’s in Nottingham, the city’s Business Improvement District (BID), is bringing back one of the UK’s most unique Halloween celebrations as giant monsters return to Nottingham city centre this October...

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...

Derek Jacobi, dark storytelling, beautiful photography, music, theatre and more: Here's what's on this week: 29 September - 5 October

The nights are rolling in, so time to book in some cosy evenings of storytelling or indulge in some beautiful photography. Here's what's on in Notts this week...

We catch up with local punk outfit Sunk ahead of their gig at The Chapel

Punk is a rather strange genre: it leaks out of the idea of being a music style and instead lives its own existence as a lifestyle, a spirit, one that always exists in every social system in the world, in one form or another. Punk is also deeply intertwined into the music scene of Nottingham. One up-and-coming band, who boast loud, chaotic but intricate and charged live shows, is Sunk. We caught up with them at The Angel on a wet Saturday night, an hour before they took to the stage of The Chapel...

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...

Perfect Harmony: talking the power of communal singing with the Nottingham Harmonic Choir

While a couple of decades ago the word choir may have brought to mind stuffy scenes of Sunday’s Songs of Praise, in the past ten years group singing has had quite a reputation change. Not only does group singing increase wellbeing and happiness, it has also been shown to release neurochemicals that aid in pain-relief. With this in mind, as the autumn sets in, Frances Danylec went along to check out the Nottingham Harmonic Choir, and learn about their nearly 170 year history…

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…

Live Q&A: Saint Etienne in conversation at Rough Trade

Saint Etienne graced Rough Trade for a Q&A about their final album, International - a release which marks the last chapter in the band's career after 35 years in the industry....

A tale of five cities: five things that make Nottingham culture unique

It’s September, the start of the academic year – and with an increased number of student eyes on this magazine, we thought we’d highlight five qualities that make Nottingham culture special: literature, rebels, sport, innovation, and caves. Whether you’re new to Notts or a long-established resident, we hope that these historical tid-bits remind you why it’s great.

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.

In photos: No Peeling at JT Soar

Gig review: Black Country, New Road at Rock City

Black Country, New Road's Forever Howlong tour kicked off at Rock City for what was - shockingly - the first headline gig for the band in the city. One of the best exports from The Windmill Brixton scene proved once again why they’re worth the hype...

Ten UoN and Trent alumni who went on to be famous

September is the month that our city welcomes back the students after the summer break. Around 50,000 university students live in Nottingham each year and many of them end up doing remarkable things during and after their time here. Here’s ten former students from each of our local universities whom you may have heard of or recognise for what they’ve done after they graduated…

Theatre Review: The Last Stand Of Mary Whitehouse at the Nottingham Playhouse

Today's youth might think Mary Whitehouse was some cartoonish figure-of-fun. A prude and a bigot, leftover from the Victorian era. Not at all. Known as the most dangerous woman in England at the time, she wreaked havoc. The Playhouse's brand new play shares the horror...  

Gig review: Sancho Panza at The Bodega

On Saturday, The Bodega set the stage for a funk-soaked evening in celebration of Sancho Panza's latest single, Your place or mine?. Headlining the night, the band delivered a performance that felt like a milestone moment for Nottingham’s live music scene. Supported by two other local bands, Stone Black Witches and Soft Serve, the lineup showcased our city’s thriving wave of talent. And of course, LeftLion was there too...

We speak to Dan Cunningham of Vona Vella

Nottingham five-piece Vona Vella formed in lockdown and have gone from strength to strength since. Gigging around Notts - and co-managing The Grove - has seen them hone their skills and build up a loyal following. We caught up with singer-songwriter Dan Cunningham to talk about Bear Trap, forging their own path in the industry and the benefits of ditching London...

Chaos reigns, cowbells ring: We chat to Midnight Rodeo

Saddle up for the Midnight Rodeo. Behind the surf and soul of Nottingham’s most anticipated outfit, LeftLion's Talia Robinson sat down with Maddy Chamberlain and Jim McBride to discover just how they turned chaos into craft...

Gig review: GANS at The Bodega, with Hungry

Brum two-piece GANS  are quickly finding themselves in quite the spotlight. Despite only forming in 2023, guitarist Thomas Rhodes and drummer Euan Woodman have already got a discography that borrows from industrial rock, alternative and techno to create massive sounds. LeftLion headed down to The Bodega to find out exactly what the fuss was all about...