Site search

Left Stag: October 2025 - A Love Letter to Proper Footy

Our man in Mansfield Josh Osoro Pickering is back from an away trip to Port Vale where he was very happy to partake in their local delicacy of Oatcakes...

Stapleford singer George Gadd talks about his new band and debut album Too Many Ghosts

He’s been a stalwart of the local Nottingham music scene for over a decade now, so it seems quite remarkable that George Gadd’s debut album – the recently-released Too Many Ghosts – has taken this long to manifest. We caught up with the Stapleford singer-songwriter to hear about the making of this deeply personal first record, his musical influences, as well as his upcoming launch show at The Bodega…

Theatre Review: The Void at the Mansfield Palace Theatre

It’s not every Tuesday that you can go from Mansfield to the moon of Titan for a hellraising adventure. But this Tuesday I did, thanks to The Void, playing at the fabulous Mansfield Palace Theatre. Indeed, sci-fi horror, while common in movies, is a rare genre for the stage. So how did it translate into the medium of live performance...

Life behind bars: with Robyn Warwick, General Manager at Queen of Hockley

For the first instalment of our recurring feature Life Behind Bars we heard from Robyn Warwick, manager at Queen of Hockley.

Left Stag: 2025 Season Preview

Review: Opera Cocktail at Mansfield Palace Theatre

OperaUpClose return to Mansfield Palace Theatre with an hour-long show composed of translated operatic pieces, performed by a cast of lovers and friends sharing a picnic...

Nadia on... Young Men and the Manosphere

In her regular column, and in the wake of the Netflix conversation-starter Adolescence, Nottingham East's MP Nadia Whittome talks about the climate surrounding young men and the Manosphere....

[Content warning: mentions of gendered violence, rape and sexual assault.]

Theatre review: Hansel and Gretal at Mansfield Palace Theatre

The perfect introduction to ballet for young theatregoers, Northern Ballet’s Hansel & Gretel graced the stage of Mansfield Palace Theatre on 29 April 2025. The audience was treated to a clever and cute re-imagining of the classic fairytale, retold with a focus on the importance of caring for the environment.

The Winners of The 2025 Duckies Are...

It's in Nottingham hosted it's inaugral The Duckies awards evening at St Mary's Church on Tuesday 29 April to celebrate and champion the hundreds of high street businesses who contribute to life in Nottingham City Centre...

Exhibition Review: Money Talks: Stories from the Coins at Mansfield Museum

An exhibition about money featuring, amongst other things, a hoard of Roman coins that have gone on public display for the first time and date back to the BC era...

Artist Luke Jerram tells us about Gaia: an installation displayed this month at Mansfield Palace Theatre

This month the avid stargazers of Notts can experience a new perspective of life on earth over at Mansfield Palace Theatre. Featuring audio soundscapes and stunning visuals, Gaia is a vast, breathtaking replica of planet Earth by artist Luke Jerram. Aiming to get to the core of this installation, we spoke to Luke about public collaboration, merging science with art and what it takes to create on such a large scale….

Book Review: 'Manfishing' by Peter Pheasant

Callum Minford reviews a journalistic thriller nearly fifty years in the making.

Gig review: Matilda Mann at Rough Trade

Roxwell, the debut album from the up-and-coming Matilda Mann, echoes the styling of some indie-folk greats. Understated and well-formed, Mann’s sound is perfect for the intimate loft space at Rough Trade Nottingham, a treat for fans who can anticipate a big 2025 for an exciting new artist...

Theatre Review: Mariposa at Mansfield Palace Theatre

Set in post-revolution Cuba, Mariposa is a stunning modern dance exploration of the impacts of love, longing and loss...

Preview: Showstopper at Mansfield Palace Theatre

Fancy a night out watching a show that has never been seen before and will never be seen again? Mansfield Palace Theatre have just the show for you next week…

Mancunian indie-rockers Doves talk past gigs in Notts and their brand new sixth studio record

When people think of great Manchester bands, alt-rockers Doves can often be overlooked. But across their six albums and multiple decades together, the band have rarely put a foot wrong. With their latest opus Constellations of the Lonely just released – their first in five years - and a show at Rock City on the horizon, we sat down for a catch up with drummer Andy Williams.

Competition: Win Tickets For Showstopper at Mansfield Palace Theatre

Spontaneous musical comedy at its absolute finest – direct from the West End and now heading to Mansfield Palace Theatre! If you'd like to win one of 5 pairs of tickets we have to give away then answer our simple question below...

Gig review: Man/Woman/Chainsaw at The Bodega

Let's face it: Man/Woman/Chainsaw should be on your ones-to-watch list. Hailing from London, the talented five-piece have been a true come-of-age story. Upheld in a vibrant and supportive DIY community, their debut EP Eazy Peazy has been snatching headlines with its theatrical beauty and joyous experimental frolics. During a celebratory tour, the band hit up Nottingham's beloved Bodega with a point to prove...

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…

Film Review: Better Man

In a sea of musical biopics, we take a look to see if the new Robbie Williams one sinks or swims...

Pick Six: Savoy Cinema Manager Paul Scotton

For this month’s pick we turned to Paul Scotton, General Manager at the Savoy Cinema.

Paddy Sneath of Working Man's Kitchen talks about opening a new pizzeria in Sneinton Market

Home of the viral Pizza Dog, Working Man’s Kitchen built a national reputation from a humble food truck. Now it’s starting a new chapter as an independent pizzeria with an important cause at its heart. Co-food editor Lucy Campion sits down with Paddy Sneath, the working man behind the kitchen, to find out more about his pizzeria and journey from pylon painter to pizza maker. 

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…

Exhibition Review: Man Hours by Grayson Perry

Lakeside Arts presents Grayson Perry’s Man Hours: a satirical exploration of contemporary life featuring bold woodcut prints and a mixture of mediaeval and antique maps of imagined territories. Initially popularised by his decorative pottery and subsequent winning of the Turner Prize in 2003, this exhibition presents the diversification of Perry’s media with this tongue-in-cheek social commentary in print.

Gig review: Confidence Man at Rock City

Fresh off the back of releasing their new album 3AM (La La La), Confidence Man are on the road delivering delightful Australian eurotrash electro-pop to the masses. Izzy Morris headed down to Rock City for the band's triumphant return to Nottingham...