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Living Sobar: Friar Lane's Café Sobar talk redefining recovery

Founded back in 2014 by local addiction recovery charity Double Impact, Café Sobar has become a beacon for change for many in Notts. Providing people in recovery a space for growth via meetings, volunteering and work opportunities, the venue team is ever-ambitious to redefine recovery through a unique, community driven approach. We met team-members Char Ogley and Pete Grimes to find out how, ten years on, the venue’s mission has evolved. 

The Claw's January Recap & February Preview for the Nottingham Panthers

Catch up on all the action from January as we break down the season so far, plus a look ahead at what’s in store for the Nottingham Panthers in February…

Promote and advertise your business to people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire with LeftLion

LeftLion Magazine has been shouting loud about the best of Nottingham culture since 2003. We're passionate about showcasing our partners to over 50,000 readers each month. Find out more about the reach we can offer you...

Gig review: Catmilk at Metronome, with Sobscene and Mouse Teeth

Originally scheduled for October but postponed until last Thursday evening, Catmilk have been keeping us all on our toes. Last performing at Hockley Hustle 2024 at Antenna, and returning once again as an alt-folk four piece (with a brand new single), we found they were truly worth the wait... 

Salt of the Earth: Catching up with musician and Saltbox manager Sam Heaton

There are few people who live and breathe Nottingham’s vibrant music scene quite like Sam Heaton. From his own ambient rock band Eyre Llew being one of the city’s greatest exports, to a stint in charge of Rough Trade’s events, as well as independently booking and promoting local artists for the last two decades too, his fingerprints have been on a lot of the city’s musical successes. Earlier this year though, he took on a tough new challenge – transforming Saltbox from a little-known sports bar into a versatile 500-person capacity music venue and events space. 

To find out more, we sat down with Sam to chat about his first seven months running the venue, the hurdles he’s had to overcome in that time, and what he has planned for the venue and his band in 2025…

In photos: Spinn at The Bodega, with Cam Mannix and Black Cats & Magpies

Breaking ground: we catch up with Nottingham Forest Women

Forest Women are no strangers to the top of the table. The dream of climbing the ranks to the Women’s Super League is aspirational, but with the recent announcement that  Nottingham Forest  Women will be a full-professional club by 2025/26, now feels within reach. Megan Hill caught up with Amber Wildgust, Head of Women and Girls Football at Nottingham Forest, to find out what turning pro means for the future of the club, both on and off the pitch.

Gig review: Divorce at The Bodega with Catmilk

We stopped by The Bodega to catch the first night of a four-date residence for fast-rising local band Divorce. Combining elements of grunge, country and alt-rock, the four piece put on a blazing show...

We catch up with Lace Thief ahead of her Rough Trade show

Laura Dickinson is the name behind indie-folk project Lace Thief. We spoke with her as she prepared to celebrate the launch of her new single with a show at Rough Trade Nottingham where there will be support from Peter Hall and Cracked Hands, and appearances from artist Gemma Vincent and DJ Jay Sandhu... 

We catch up with landlord Ben Rose as The Angel Microbrewery opens a new upstairs lounge

There are few publicans as busy as Ben Rose. Having owned the beloved Hockley food and music hotspot The Angel Microbrewery since 2016, he’s continuously evolving the historic pub and its adjoining live music venue The Chapel through new events and an exciting seasonal menu. With the opening of a new, multi-purpose space upstairs called The Chesterfield Lounge, we caught up with Ben on his ethos for running a pub, his plans for The Angel, and the small historical discoveries he continues to make there.

Food review: Cafe Roya vegetarian restaurant beeston

On a beautiful summer’s day in July we took a jaunt to Beeston to visit vegetarian restaurant Cafe Roya, which brought fresh, healthy holiday vibes and warm service.

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #3: Emily Catherine on Hip-Hop, Fine art, Album Covers, Graffiti and Her New Exhibition

Welcome to the third episode of our ‘LeftLion Interviews’ podcast. Our guest is the incredibly talented artist and illustrator Emily Catherine...

Emily Catherine shares some of her art ahead of her debut solo exhibition

Nottingham illustrator and Hip Hop enthusiast Emily Catherine is a busy woman. Along with being one of the artists behind Beermat Doodles and the creator of LeftLion’s wonderful editorial illustrations, she has a plethora of her own creative projects under her belt, from album covers to hand painted portraits. Ahead of her upcoming exhibition I Can Heal and Give You Art later this month, we asked Emily to give us a bit of insight into her creative process and the stories behind her artworks…

Join Us For A LeftLion Live Interview at Nottingham Central Library with Artist Emily Catherine

Next up in our series of LeftLion Interviews at Nottingham Central Library is the hip-hop inspired illustrator Emily Catherine on Friday 2 August at 7pm…

In the Swing: We Catch up with Swing Dash on Their Second Birthday

Gig Review: Dura Mater at Jam Cafe

On the eve of the release of their stunning new single Red Holiday, fast-rising Notts 8-piece Dura Mater headed down to Jamcafé in Hockley to celebrate their second song entering the streaming world. With a packed room filled with raucous energy and good vibes aplenty, here’s what went down at their single release show…

Gig Review: Midnight Rodeo and Catmilk at The Old Cold Store

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Midnight Rodeo and Catmilk took to the stage at The Old Cold Store…

From Crude Comedy to Catchy Classics: Here’s What’s On in Nottingham this week (19-25th Feb, 2024)

Whether you crave getting insulted by up-and-coming comedians, watching your favourite celebrities or even joining a political movement; Here’s our top picks for this week..

We Catch up With Murdah SRVC Ahead of Their Gig at the Angel Microbrewery

MURDAH SRVC is an audio and visual project based in Catania, Italy, mixing Manga illustrations with music. The band's singer and creator Che spoke to Boogie O. Churchill about his current UK tour - hitting the Angel Microbrewery tomorrow - his artwork, and his time in Japan…

We Catch Up With Bloodworm Ahead of Beat the Streets

In 2023 their first headline show in Nottingham sold out and in 2024 they will take to the Beat The Streets stage. We catch up with Bloodworm to find out what to expect from their set, what else they've got planned for the year, and when we can expect to hear some new tunes from them...

We Catch Up With the Founder of These Girls Run, the Community Aiming to Empower Women and Beat the Winter Blues

We spoke to Notts’ own Molly Slater-Davison on the founding of a new running community aiming to empower women and beat the winter blues. Safe, sweaty, supportive: These Girls Run and they’re here to stay…

We Catch Up With Katie Elnor and Curtis Salmon, Owners of the Berliner in Beeston

If you're a local 'Beestonian' you've probably spotted The Berliner on your daily tram travels. Taking inspiration from Nottingham's independent bar scene and the unapologetic uber-cool spirit of Berlin, it has firmly placed Beeston on the map, whether you’re looking for after-work drinks, two-for-one cocktails, or live music. Our Food Editor, Julia Head caught up with Katie Elnor and Curtis Salmon, two young twenty-somethings who have known one another since childhood, to chat about how fate brought them to taking a job at The Berliner and eventually owning it together… 

The Best Places to Catch Festive Favourites and Classic Films in Nottingham This Christmas and New Year

From Die Hard to Home Alone, Notts cinemas have got you covered...

We Catch Up With Musician Chris Miggells to See What He Has in Store for 2024

2023 has been a spectacular success for Nottingham musician Chris Miggells and 2024 promises to be even better...

We Catch Up With the Cheese Shop to Discover the Best Cheeses to Indulge in This Christmas

A staple of every Brie-tish Christmas is, undoubtedly, the cheese board. However you choose to spend your holidays, nothing could be feta at warding off the winter bleus than treating yourself to some cheese by the fire. But with so many types to choose from, what could be gouda enough to be yours on the big day? We spoke to Webb Freckingham, one of the owners of The Cheese Shop on Flying Horse Walk, to cheddar light on the grate-st cheese this festive cheese-on…