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Theatre Review: Northern Ballet - Michael Pink’s Cinderella

A beauty and originality where the dancers and the music hold you close, in a heartfelt hug.

Haunting: Write Queer’s third DIY zine collection launches at Nottingham Central Library this spooky season.

It’s not just Halloween to be getting excited about next week! Last month, Write Queer announced the chosen writers to be featured in their third grassroots zine collection, Haunting. Next Friday brings a celebratory launch event of the new issue, local creatives, and LGBTQ+ voices together at Nottingham Central Library.

Closing chapter: Jane Streeter looks back at thirty years of Lowdham shop The Bookcase

After thirty years at the heart of Lowdham village, The Bookcase — an independent bookshop founded and owned by Jane Streeter – has now closed its doors. Selling an abundance of local and global books, the shop supported local schools in the community, and also welcomed a few famous authors over the years, along with founding the Lowdham Book Festival which happened for over twenty-six years. Jane told us about the journey of the bookshop, along with the highs and core memories, over three decades…

Life Behind Bars: With Bradley Rice, owner at Jamcafe

A short chat with Bradley, who owns Heathcoat Street's Mecca for drinks and DJs: Jamcafé. 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #54: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this 54th edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from ROB GREEN, Revenge of Calculon, Pillow Fort, Lucas Walters and A-Tota-So

The next stage: 25 years of the Nottingham Arts Theatre

For the past 25 years Nottingham Arts Theatre has been serving the city with a programme of local and touring indie stage shows in their iconic 200 year old Hockley building. We spoke to poet, and theatre Chair director Campbell Kay about the theatre’s journey, its role as an educational charity nurturing theatrical talent in Nottingham and their diverse range of shows…

Bringing Nottingham Together Through Film: Inside Nottingham Film Festival

Director of Programming Ciaran Shea discusses Nottingham Film Festival’s expansion, its commitment to local filmmakers and sustainable cinema, and its ambition to make film accessible to everyone across the city.

Gig review: Skating Polly at The Bodega

US ugly pop trio Skating Polly are fast building a strong following this side of the Atlantic, built on their wildly energetic and vibrant live shows. Their last tour in 2025 garnered critical acclaim, so naturally we headed down to The Bodega to see what all the fuss was about…

Theatre Review: Thick & Tight: Natural Behaviour at Lakeside Arts

Two moths, a pantomime horse, a lesbian seagull and the dust in Quentin Crisp's bedroom walk into a theatre. It sounds like the start of a joke, and to be fair, sometimes it is. But Thick & Tight's Natural Behaviour is also one of the more quietly radical things to land at Lakeside this year...

Gig Review: Brandon Flowers at Rock City

It’s not too often we get a bona fide superstar and one of the greatest songwriters of this generation come to town. As part of his THRASHER world tour, the charming frontman of 00s indie icons The Killers, Brandon Flowers, stopped by Rock City for a special and incredibly intimate show, playing a bunch of his new country songs and a couple of career classics too. A night to remember for those in attendance, here’s what went down when this arena-sized artist played in such a humble setting, right in the heart of Nottingham…

Gig review: Courtney Barnett at Rock City

Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett was back at Rock City last week, treating her fans to another captivating performance with songs from her back catalogue and new album, Creature of Habit, with support from Body Type...

Beyond the senses: author Kerry Ward discusses her new publication This Book Will Make You Psychic

The concept of having psychic powers beyond our physical senses is one we often associate with movies – a rare talent reserved for a special few – but can these abilities be learned? This Book Will Make You Psychic is a new guide by local author and professional tarot reader Kerry Ward, created for anyone interested in tapping into their psychic abilities. We sat down with Kerry to have a chat about mindfulness, intuition, coincidence, and what lies beyond our physical senses…

Pick Six: JT Soar's Phil Booth

Ahead of JT Soar Fest #3 at The Old Cold Store on Saturday 31 October - Sunday 1 November, for this month’s Pick Six we turned to Phil Booth of DIY music venue and recording studio JT Soar.

Pedal to the Metal: envisioning how Notts could be transformed via sustainable transport

What could Nottingham look like if people, not cars, came first? This is a question posed by cycling groups throughout the city, including Critical Mass, Pedals and Ridewise, who demonstrate that cycling isn’t just a healthy, green and economical way to get about, but activism on wheels. Speaking to riders, campaigners and charity workers along the way, Finnuala Brett uncovers a city-wide movement bigger than any single ride.

How Pipeline Organics are turning Castle Rock's brewery waste into electricity

There's a brewery in Nottingham quietly turning its dirty water into electricity. Not with some Frankenstein-style contraption bolted to the side of the building, but with a 3D-printed box about the size of a shipping container, sat in the yard, doing the job normal water treatment can't: cleaning up the gunky, high-strength wastewater that beer and cider production leaves behind and generating usable power from it while it's at it. That's the pitch behind Pipeline Organics, a Nottingham-founded startup whose bio-electrochemical fuel cells are already being trialled by Castle Rock Brewery. We sat down with founder Andrew Raslan to find out more…

Classical Concert Review: NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra with Stanislav Kochanovsky at the Royal Concert Hall

The NDR RADIO PHILHARMONIC is the English name for the NDR Radiophilharmonie from Hannover. And NDR stands for Norddeutscher Rundfunk, which translates to North German Broadcasting. So  that's  the words taken care of, what was the music like....

Gig review: Basht. at Rough Trade

It's hard to find an out-of-town band with so much love for Nottingham as Irish post-punk scenesters Basht. This year alone they have played in our city twice, and plan to go for a hattrick in late October with an appearance at Rescue Rooms. With this admiration, it's obvious why we were so keen to catch their show at Rough Trade as it celebrated the release of one of the best albums of 2026...

Gig review: Madra Salach at Rescue Rooms, with Tanzana

Madra Salach's first visit to our city was unmissable and never to be forgotten: a melting pot of passion, folk tradition and zeitgeist-defeating songwriting. With Tanzana setting a high bar in support, the collective memory of Rescue Rooms may never be the same...

Hoppy Birthday: Neon Raptor Brewery turns ten

Sneinton Market’s Neon Raptor turned ten years old this year. To celebrate they’re also opening another bar just over the road from their current taproom and brewery on Gedling Street. We caught up with Directors and Co-owners Josh Mellor and Tom Ainsley to reflect on the last decade and the changes they’ve seen both in Notts and in the beer industry over that time…

Journalist and Filmmaker James Maycock on Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

James Maycock is a London-based British documentary film director, producer and print journalist. He was the Assistant Producer on the 2003 BBC Film Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, working closely with and supporting the director Don Letts. He’s coming to the Malt Cross this month to discuss that film and more…

What Large Cyber Incidents Show About Everyday Digital Security

Large cyber incidents can feel distant until the exposed information sounds familiar: passport numbers, financial details, identity records, contact information and login credentials belonging to ordinary people. When this type of information is accessed or leaked, the consequences can move far beyond the organization where the incident first happened.

Gig review: Antony Szmierek at The Level

“Had a panic attack in a park last year in Nottingham - and that wasn't great really” reveals Mancunian spoken-word poet Antony Szmierek, on his brilliant second album, Decoding Birdsong. Given this, you would forgive the former teacher for wanting to avoid our city for a little while. However rather than running away from his demons, Antony returned this past week to fully exorcise them. Here’s what went down at his euphoric, cathartic and instantly legendary show at The Level…

We chat to Ibibio Sound Machine's Eno Williams ahead of the band's Rescue Rooms show

Ibibio Sound Machine are a leading act within African and Electronic music. They have had multiple appearances on Later... with Jools Holland and countless plays across the BBC. They bring a showstopping performance to every stage they grace and have echoed the walls of Wembley Stadium. LeftLion sat down with frontwoman Eno Williams to discuss their latest release, Chopping Mountain, and their ongoing tour, reflecting on making music now compared to their 2014 debut, as well as that moment Coldplay asked the band to open for them in the UK’s biggest stadium...

Festival review: Beeston Oxjam 2026

Art Works: Natalie Coe on her new Notts Broad Marsh mural

For this month’s Art Works, Natalie Coe (aka Talia) tells us about her new public mural which features as part of the Broad Marsh redevelopment, in collaboration with Art Fest…