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Save the last dance: how Torvill and Dean put Nottingham on the ice dancing map

Beeston, 14 February 1984. I was fourteen, with nowhere to go for Valentine’s Day and zero interest in ice skating. However, these were the days of four TV channels (and the fourth was quite new), so mass TV events were a must watch. Plus Torvill and Dean were from Nottingham! So, we joined the twenty million to tune in to their Bolero at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics…

Stage Review: Kinky Boots at the Theatre Royal

A joyful celebration of the beauty in being different (and shoes, lots of shoes), Kinky Boots the Musical sashays onto the stage at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal in an explosion of glitter, music and exceptional choreography. 

Left Magpie July 2025: Going to the Match with Stuart Maynard, Martin Paterson and LS Lowry

Our monthly Notts County column is back after a hiatus and now penned by Julian McDougall, formerly of the beloved Notts County fanzine The Pie and currently of the excellent When Saturday Comes magazine. Here he muses about the appointment of Martin Paterson and the nature of supporters in the “Lowry-esque’ setting of Meadow Lane...

Equation Launches Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Survivors of Domestic Abuse

In a powerful show of solidarity and progress during Pride Month, Nottingham-based charity Equation has launched its dedicated LGBTQ+ Domestic Abuse Service...

Local indie rockers The Publics talk influences, community and Splendour Festival

Local indie legends The Publics are known for high energy live shows and a unique double frontman approach. From a huge, sold-out Rescue Rooms headline spot back in December to a main stage slot at Splendour this year, they’ve been up to some very big things. We caught up with lead guitarist Elliot Stephenson to discuss their influences, ethics and upcoming plans…

Cherelle Fulton tells us about Behind Closed Doors: a program spotlighting creative women in Notts

Over at New Art Exchange, Behind Closed Doors is creating a new space for women in the creative industries to connect, collaborate and reshape the scene in Nottingham. Co-ordinator Cherelle Fulton discusses what fuelled her projects, including live music night Can’t Stand The Rain, the importance of community and connectivity, and creating safe spaces for women.

Stage review: a beautiful night of drag, burlesque and art with Niche Artefact

Thursday night saw a flamboyant jamboree of creativity and performance as Niche Artefact returned to Revolución de Cuba for a beautiful night of drag, burlesque and art...

Preview: Future Sound of Nottingham at Rock City 2025

Returning for 2025, the Future Sound of Nottingham gives Nottingham and Nottinghamshire musicians the opportunity to play the iconic main stages of both Rock City and Splendour Festival.

In photos: Vee Adu at The Old Bus Depot, with SUNIQ and Rowan Holly

Rebirth and redemption: we reunite with local singer Whycliffe as he prepares for a return to music

It was 21 years ago that I first got to know Donovan Whycliffe Bramwell. I was working an office job in the Lace Market and would often see him in the street, looking dishevelled and asking people for money. Like most people I’d usually try to avoid such lunch-break encounters, but one day someone told me this man had once been a famous singer. It was a year after we’d launched LeftLion and I was interested in stories like this…

Gig review and interview: Loren Kramar supports Father John Misty at Rock City

We caught with up with American singer-songwriter Loren Kramar ahead of his Rock City show supporting the legendary Father John Misty...

Blue Peter stars, football tournaments, and immersive adventures: Gloworm Festival unveils its most expansive lineup yet

Gloworm Festival is one of the most well loved fixtures in Nottingham's summer calendar - a dedicated family event that each year welcomes 20,000 visitors to Thoresby Park, in the heart of Nottinghamshire. With their most jam-packed line-up yet recently unveiled, we've provided you with some highlights at this year's instalment. 

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.

Music Review: The Sound of Springsteen at the Nottingam Playhouse

If any further evidence was required to confirm the sheer commitment to worshipping at the church of The Boss, then look no further than the Playhouse on Saturday night...

Indie rock, surrealism, and charity football: Here's what's on in Nottingham, 23 -29 June

Whether you're a gig-goer, someone interested in experimental art, or just searching for something for your whole family to do, there'll be something for you in Nottingham this week.

LeftLion's Latest Listens #24: Notts music we're currently spinning

In the latest edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, our music team reviews new releases from Cappo, Dorothy Ella. GIRLBAND!, The Doctor's Orders Collective and We Are Sovereign...

Bhajis in Beeston: visiting Indian street food café SuRano

Julia Head, AKA Instagram’s The Nottingham Food Guide, takes us to Beeston’s plant-based Indian street food café SuRano.

Gig review: Shonen Knife at Rescue Rooms

It was a welcome return to Nottingham for Shonen Knife and their brand of punk rock / rock- and-roll rockabilly, with a coordinated cosmos of colour as always...

How Colwick design studio Future Makers wants to reinvent the plastics industry

Like it or not, our modern world is built on plastic - and whilst the long-term health and ecosystem impacts are still poorly understood, the early signs are pretty alarming. Tackling this issue is set to be a generations-long task, but pioneering Colwick-based design studio Future Makers are giving it a crack, turning waste plastic into useful, solid, creations that are built to last, whilst giving back. Founder and Director Tristan Hessing guides us through their manufacturing process, the education gap hampering creatives working with this abundant material, and why we need more young people joining and innovating in the plastics industry.

Concert Review: MIRABILÉ at St Peter’s Church, Ruddington

Mirabilé, a Nottingham based all-female vocal ensemble, perform at Ruddington.

Film Review: The Phoenician Scheme

We review The Phoenician Scheme, an offbeat infrastructural binge across the desert in Wes Anderson’s latest star-studded satire of empire, excess, and (possibly) redemption...

Competition: Win Tickets To Splendour Festival 2025

Splendour Festival is back on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20  July after a year's hiatus. The festival returns to Wollaton Park bigger than ever with dozens of well known acts and lots of upcoming talent on the line-up. And we have two pairs of tickets to give away...

Theatre Review: Hamlet - The Rest is Silence

A unique Notts community rework of the classic tragedy

Gig review: BBC Introducing East Midlands Showcase at Metronome

BBC Introducing returned to Nottingham's Metronome with a fresh showcase of local talent, expertly curated by East Midlands legend Dean Jackson. This edition featured SPLIT, Manye Fi, Harry Lyon and Drew Thomas...

Pick Six: Jackie P

Kemet FM DJ Jackie P is hosting the One World Acoustic Stage at Mansfield Carnival on Saturday 21 June. We asked her to choose half a dozen of her favourite things…