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Life behind bars: with Aimee Harbison-Roper, owner at the Barrel Drop

For this instalment of life behind bars we reached out to Aimee, who looks after Hurt's Yard's chill and homely boozer...

In photos: Panic Shack at Rescue Rooms

Little more than five months after they stunned a packed-out Bodega, Welsh punk five-piece Panic Shack returned to Nottingham for an ever bigger and more triumphant show at Rescue Rooms...

Wytch craft: a look inside Sneinton Market's Wolf Wytch Apothecary

The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us, and there’s nothing better at this time of year than coming home to a cosy living space. If you have a love for the spooky and the scented, then here’s three exciting words for you: Wolf Wytch Apothecary. An independent business that has been alive in the heart of Sneinton Market for almost three years, Wolf Wytch is run by its wickedly talented head alchemist Lauren Wolf. It’s home to an enchanting combination of scents – from candles to skin care – and plenty of gothic vibes…

Explore luminariums, poetry, biodiversity and boardgames: Here's what's on this week 20 - 26 October 2025

The days are getting darker, but here in Notts things continue to be bright, colourful and energetic. Whether you've got a penchant for art installations, cultural festivals, board games, or live poetry, there's bound to be something that you'll enjoy doing this week.  

Which side are you on? Talking to an infiltrator of far right protests

Roundabouts, flags, boats and protests… Recent months have been fraught in the UK, with the political divide seeming at an all time high. But taking things offline and onto the street, how do we begin to resolve the tensions that are threatening our democracy and sense of cooperation? Matteo D’Alesio spoke to a protest infiltrator whose aim it is to find out what is truly at the heart of the rise in far-right political action…

Gig review: Busted vs McFly at Motorpoint Arena

It’s not often you get to see two of Britain’s biggest pop-rock exports of the 2000s go head-to-head on one stage, but Busted vs McFly proved exactly why both bands still command such massive affection decades later...

Gig review: George Gadd + The Aftermath at The Bodega

Where better for George Gadd and his band to host a homecoming show (and launch a new album) than The Bodega? We joined the sold out show and discovered warmth, music and plenty of vinyl...

Dance Review: Northern Ballet - Merlin at the Theatre Royal

If you have a thing for modern musical theatre and have never been to a ballet, this might just be your gateway drug.

Artist Hetain Patel on his new audio visual show and his early career spent in Notts

Hetain Patel is an English visual artist specialising in performance, sculpture, video and photography. Born and brought up in Bolton, his work is influenced by identity, his family's Indian heritage and mainstream Western pop culture. Hetain came to Nottingham in 2000 as a Fine Art student and spent more than a decade here before spreading his wings; exhibiting in Norway, India, Belgium and more. He’s back with his latest work as part of nottdance Festival 2025…

Local racer Alicia Barrett talks her ongoing journey to international motorsport success

Motorsport is an expensive and male-dominated industry, usually only accessible for Cornelius and Clifford using their trust funds. However, 21-year-old Alicia Barrett from Southwell is looking to buck this trend. Despite her tender years, she’s more than a decade into her racing career, currently moving from kart racing to race cars, and looking for support to take it to the next level…

Gig review: The Boomtown Rats at the Royal Concert Hall

The Boomtown Rats demonstrated they are still very much a force to be reckoned with in today’s music scene with a powerful performance at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall - the opening date of the band's 50th birthday tour...

Ballet Black founder Cassa Pancho on growing an inclusive dance company and bringing it to Nottingham's Theatre Royal

Ballet Black was set up in 2001, in response to a lack of black and Asian dancers working in professional ballet across the UK. It has since emerged as a pivotal force in altering the landscape of British ballet. With a new show heading to Nottingham’s Theatre Royal this month, we put some questions to Ballet Black founder Cassa Pancho…

Gig review: Welly at The Bodega

Last week, Welly returned to The Bodega with more banging tunes, bigger moshpits and a sky full of bubbles. Walking out to the tune of The Macarena, Welly promises a night defined by character and charisma, with songs charged with social commentary to a soundtrack that inspired endless moshpits...

How the Sisterhood Collective is connecting women photographers in Nottingham

Meet the Sisterhood Collective — a volunteer-led network giving women and women-identifying photographers in Nottingham a space to connect, create, and be seen. Run by photographer and arts programmer Susana de Dios and Alecia Barnes, co-owner of Sneinton Market’s film camera shop and film lab LensFayre, the Collective has grown into a supportive hub where photographers can share their practice, sharpen their skills, and build confidence together.

Born out of a need to challenge the systemic barriers that women in photography still face, from limited access to funding and equipment, to a lack of exhibition opportunities and mentorship, the Sisterhood Collective blends monthly meet-ups with hands-on workshops, peer critique sessions, themed projects, informative talks, and more.

Ahead of their collaborative exhibition at Nottingham Central Library, on 6 November, Susana and Alecia spoke about what it means to create a safe and educational space for Nottingham’s women photographers…

Theatre Review: Sealskin at Lakeside Arts

A spellbinding tale of selkies comes to Lakeside Arts... 

Gig review: Allo Darlin' at The Old Cold Store

A reunion of many, with the moon looking down on it all... LeftLion's Michael Prince found himself in awe and happiness as he witnessed the long-overdue return of indie-pop band Allo Darlin'...

All singing, all dancing: Here's what's on in Nottingham 13 - 19 October

There's plenty to do this week in Nottingham, whether you're flexing your singing muscles, enjoying some immersive theatre, or participating in the yearly Reclaim the Night march. Here are our Picks of the Week. 

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...

Night Creatures Podcast #2: Laurence and Steve from Smokescreen Soundsystem on thirty years of club nights, free parties, police, gangsters and more

Night Creatures is a new LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him over twenty years of experience of putting on great parties in the city...

Comedian Rosa Keaton shares highlights from the coming Club Wormhole Festival

Alternate comedy is thriving in Nottingham. And among the comedians leading that boom is Club Wormhole, very much a home for non-conventional humour. And with Wormhole Weekend coming up, now is a great time find out more... 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #33: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Bored Marsh, George Gadd + The Aftermath, Molly Godber and The Red Line...

Pick Six: Steven Sheil at the Mayhem Horror Film Festival

For this month’s Pick Six we turn to Steven Sheil, Co-Director at the Mayhem Horror Film Festival which takes place at Broadway Cinema between Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 October.

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #14: Artist, Performer and Filmmaker Hetain Patel on Inspiration, Superheroes, Nationalism and Nottdance

This episode we are joined by artist, performer, filmmaker, sculptor and general arts polymath Hetain Patel to talk about his time in Notts, his work, superheroes, nationalism and quite a lot more...

Actor Matt Gavan gives the inside scoop on Nottingham Playhouse's new play Eureka Day

Matt Gavan has acted in big hitting films and series like Christopher Robin, Masters of the Air and Pennyworth. But now he is treading the boards in Nottingham Playhouse's new comedy Eureka Day. Leftlion caught up with Matt on day two of rehearsals... 

Paradigm shift: acclaimed filmmaker Adam Curtis talks politics, filmmaking, and Wollaton Hall

Bafta-winning documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis is one of the country’s most intriguing, with a long career under his belt of making surreal films exploring how people think, feel, and act in the West. His latest: Shifty: Living in Britain at the End of the Twentieth Century just happens to feature archival footage from Wollaton Hall, filmed back in the 80s by the BBC. With this in mind we jumped at the opportunity to pick his brain about filmmaking, politics, and more…