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Out of Time: the lost history of Nottingham revealed in a new book by Joseph Earp

Having recently published a new book that tracks the peculiar history of lost Nottingham buildings, Nottingham Hidden History team leader Joseph Earp told history editor CJ De Barra about how he took a detailed trip through time, discovering many of the stories hidden in our city streets. 

Pretzels, muffins and seriously good coffee: we tried out Derby Road's District Coffee

There’s a cool new place to caffeinate in the city centre. Lucy Campion met with Ash and Bobby Williams the owners of Derby Road's District Coffee to find out more about this contemporary coffee shop and its famous pretzels.

Out of Time: A gander down the history of Goose Gate

History writer David Hunter takes a wander through the historic district of Hockley to find out the story behind the curious street name ‘Goose Gate’, and the industries and architecture which defined the area.

The founders of outreach website Nott Alone tell us about their mission to demystify mental health support

Back in 2021 educational psychologists Dr Maddi Popoola and Dr Orlaith Green launched NottAlone: a website aggregating mental health resources across the city and county in the most compassionate, clear and accessible way possible. Initially just a resource for young people, the website has since expanded to encompass adults’ mental health needs and linked live events with schools across Nottinghamshire, seeing huge traffic the whole time. With even more on the horizon for NottAlone, we spoke to Maddi and Orlaith about its inception and their outlook on tackling mental health issues.

Lucky for some: We meet the host of Bongo’s Bingo, a night out that is redefining a classic game

A decade since they burst onto the scene, Bongo’s Bingo has led the way to reinventing the classic number game - bringing dance-offs, rave intervals, and audience challenges to provide a whole lot more fun and chaos than the traditional format. Now moving to a new home at The Palais on Lower Parliament Street, we spoke to host Adam Apple to find out what it’s like to call the numbers and manage the mayhem.

Fifth Word Theatre Call-Out For Pop-Up Plays

Calling Nottingham's playwrights! Pop-up plays will soon be, well, popping up across the region from car parks to libraries and beyond. But first someone has to write them!  It's a bold new idea from theatre group Fifth Word. And Artistic Director Laura Ford tells us more...

"They were roomates": inside Nottingham Castle's LGTBQ+ history and art walking tour

When it comes to queer history, there is a certain level of pressure to ‘prove it.’ How can you tell that an object, a space, building or area of a city has a queer past? There are so many hidden histories that are simply forgotten about over time but queer communities have always been here. CJ De Barra recounts the stories of some of the objects on show at Nottingham Castle, on their LGBTQ+ audio walking tour.

Put your records on: we find out about Revinyl Sessions, a night where anyone can be a DJ

Fancy sharing your music taste with other music lovers? Revinyl Sessions at The Golden Fleece has you covered. With an ethos that celebrates the DJ for their ability to create community in a crowd, Revinyl invites anybody, experienced or first-timer, the chance to get behind the decks and unite the room with their sound. We spoke to organiser Robin Powell to find out more…

Soy Good: we checked out Shio Nottingham’s hidden Japanese Gem at Six Richmond House

Out of time: The previous life of Union Road

Oftentimes the local sites buzzing with history are hidden gems, almost completely changed from their previous appearance. This is certainly the case with Union Road, which CJ De Barra looks back on here... 

Out of Time: When David Lynch visited Nottingham’s Goose Fair Seeking Carnival Freaks

David Lynch, the visionary American filmmaker died on 15 January 2025. A little known fact is that in the late 1970s Lynch visited Nottingham’s Goose Fair looking for inspiration and cast members for his film The Elephant Man…

In photos: The Mouse Outfit at Peggy's Skylight

We tried out two immersive escape rooms at Escapologic

When the LeftLion team were invited to Escapologic for a competitive, team-building afternoon, it seemed too good of an opportunity to miss, but what mind-bending and mysterious fun awaited...

Out of Time: The wartime kitchen that sprung up on Broad Street

Broad Street has been the heart of Hockley for several decades since Broadway Cinema opened in 1990. Today its surrounding businesses offer a diverse range of cuisine for those looking for some tasty snap. However, the space itself has played a bigger part in the community for far longer; CJ De Barra takes us back to the Second World War, when the site was a communal kitchen to feed the hungry during difficult times.

Gig review: Mad Dog Mcrea at Rescue Rooms, with 5 Hills Out

With heavy storms expected, we headed indoors to the comfortable surroundings of Rescue Rooms to await the visit of Devon folk rockers Mad Dog Mcrea...

Live comedy, experimental music and outdoor cinema. Here's what's on in Nottingham this week 26 August - 1 September

From Grease The Musical to Razorlight live in Wollaton Park, there are some enormous, artistic spectacles set to close out Nottingham's summer, events calendar this week. Here are our Picks of the Week from 26 August to 1 September.

“The UK’s first outdoor carnival was in Nottingham, not Notting Hill”... Nottingham Carnival returns this Sunday 18 August - here’s what to expect

The annual Nottingham Carnival returns to the Victoria Embankment this coming Sunday 18 August. We take a look into its history and speak with organiser Richard Renwick MBE, and Rastarella of Cultural Vibrations who is performing at the event, about what we can look forward to...

From metal, to jazz-fusion, to outdoor DJ sets. Here's what's on in Nottingham this week: 12 - 18 August

If you're in need of a live music fix then there's plenty to keep you happy in Notts. This week the city will host all kinds of acts, from an Oregon metal four-piece visiting Rescue Rooms on Monday to the arrival of carnival troupes on Sunday. Here are those Picks of the Week from 12 to 18 August.

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.

Free Green Hustle Festival Returns to Old Market Square this June

Green Hustle returns on Saturday 1 June with another all singing, soil-slinging festival of positive action, and it's all taking place smack bang in the middle of town...

We Find out More About New Currents, Nottingham’s New Day Festival

Nottingham has many successful day festivals but this year, there's a new kid on the block. Here's some more information about New Currents festival...

We tried out the National Justice Museum's brand new escape room

Adding another facet to their already varied and exciting calendar of events, The National Justice Museum has launched Guilty?! - a new escape room that takes players for an interactive adventure through the Grade II listed historic prison. The LeftLion team went down to try it out…

We spoke to NTU Professor and Linguistics researcher Natalie Braber to find out more about Nottinghamshire and East Midlands Dialect

The Nottingham accent is an intrinsic part of our local identity, but what exactly makes it unique? Is it set to disappear with new generations? And what are the effects of sitting right in the middle of the North-South divide? We put these questions to Natalie Braber, a professor of Linguistics at Nottingham Trent University to get to the bottom of it…

Gyoza, Noodles, and Spring Rolls Oh My! We Went to Check Out West Bridgford's Yumacha

We nipped over the water to West Bridgford's Yumacha to check out their mouth-watering Asian fusion delights

Enjoy dragons in bow-ties and faraway worlds? We Check Out Voyage of the Damned, the debut novel from local author Frances White

Do you like your stories part myth, part magical gay murder-mystery cruise? Enjoy dragons in bow-ties and faraway worlds? Then perhaps Voyage of the Damned, the debut novel from local author Frances White is right up your street. We sat down with Frances to talk about finding your voice, getting published and being perceived as a writer.