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Splendour 2025 Line-Up Announced: Bloc Party, Jake Bugg, Clean Bandit, Kaiser Chiefs, Travis, Levellers & More

Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Travis and Jake Bugg will headline Splendour Festival this July along with Clean Bandit, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Natasha Bedingfield, Echo & The Bunnymen, Seasick Steve, The Levellers, The Fratellis and many more...

We chat to Swedish indie-rock group Girl Scout ahead of their gig at The Bodega

On the heels of their latest EP titled Headache, Swedish indie-rock group Girl Scout are gearing up for a tour of the UK and Europe, new music, and lots of fun. We caught up with front woman Emma Jansson ahead of their gig at The Bodega later this month.

Review: Beat The Streets 2025

It may have been a cold and rainy day, but that didn’t stop thousands of Notts residents darting between Talbot, Pelham and Broad Street for this year’s edition of Beat The Streets. With the annual festival having raised a whopping £491,100 for Framework since it began back in 2018, this was another opportunity for local music fans to enjoy the vibrant sounds of our great city and raise vital funds for this great cause in the process. Not ones to miss out, we sent our team down to the festival to capture the sights and sounds of this amazing event...

Northern Lights: Inside the queer 90s North and Midlands with the Linden Archives

We go back to the hedonistic 1990s of Nottingham and the North of England with former photographer, Stuart Linden Rhodes, who comes to Nottingham on February 6 to launch his new book Linden Archives.

Nottingham Light Night 2025: Plans For 35+ Attractions Revealed

Nottingham Light Night is set to return for its seventeenth year at the end of February. This year you can look forward to 35+ installations, performances and activities all for free across the city centre...

LeftLion Issue #180 February 2025

This month featuring Gary Younge, Aisling Loftus, Revinyl Sessions, Tom Dale and Barret Hodgson on Light Night, Sobar, Nottingham Cinema Round Table, Notts County photographer John Anderson, Sarah Bard, Bellydancer Marija Zinkevica, Girl Scout, House of Pain Wrestling, Linden Archives and lots more...

Overheard in Notts: January 2025

Oversized emojis and The Queen's Speech feature in this month's Overheard in Notts...

Ahead of this weekend's Palestine Film Festival we chat to Iro Bagiantera of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign

In advance of Nottingham’s very first Palestine Film Festival, we spoke to the vice-chair of our city’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Iro Bagiantera, about what exactly attendees can expect from the event, taking place on Sunday 2 February at Nottingham Contemporary.

Turning a new page: How Meadows Library escaped closure

Set up to support the library in the Meadows, Friends of Meadows Library has provided an essential hub for almost 100 years. Thanks to community togetherness and smart campaigning, the Meadows Library was recently saved from closure. We met Jackie and Di from the group, to find out what Friends of Meadows Library is there for, and why this special library was so worth saving.

Bowie, True Romance, theatre, film, exhibitions and flamenco: Here's what's on in Nottingham, 27 January - 1 February

There's such a variety of events happening in Nottingham this week that we couldn't stick to five. Whether you're a David Bowie aficionado, a cinephile, a museum-goer or somebody invested in local politics, there'll be something for you... 

Beat The Streets 2025 preview: 10 acts you must see

Since its inaugural event in 2018, charity festival Beat The Streets has firmly established itself as the annual curtain-raiser for Nottingham’s music scene. We look at ahead to this year's edition...

Competition: Win Family Tickets For The Sooty Show at Nottingham Arts Theatre This Half Term

The Sooty Show is British institution that dates back to the 1950s. A new family show featuring Sooty, Sweep, and Soo with presenter George Akid is coming to the Nottingham Arts Theatre this February half-term, with shows at 11.30am and 3.30pm on Thursday 20 February. We have four tickets to give away to a lucky winner.

From Celtic 'Celidhs' to comedy clubs: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 20-26 January

With Burns Night bashes and late night laughs with up-and-coming comics, there's something for everybody this week in Nottingham. 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #14: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this, the first edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, our music team reviews new releases from Rainbow Frog Biscuits, Bad Milk Blood Robot, Eleanor McGregor and Divorce...

Standing In This Place: Artist Rachel Carter tells us her inspirations behind a new sculpture for Nottingham's Green Heart park.

With just 17% of statues in the UK depicting women and only 2% dedicated to people belonging to ethnic minorities, there is a clear need for more varied representation in public art. Luckily, one local artist is looking to change this in Nottingham, whilst also representing the long and diverse history of our city’s textile industry. 

Standing In This Place, a sculpture by Rachel Carter will be erected in the Green Heart park in February. We asked Rachel to tell us more about the piece, how she became an artist, and what it’s like to work as a sculptor.

We Speak To Mariposa Choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra of DeNada Dance Theatre About His Madame Butterfly-inspired Dance Opera

Choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra and his company DeNada Dance Theatre bring their critically acclaimed show Mariposa, to Mansfield Palace Theatre on Friday 28 February. We asked him some questions about the show…

All you need to know about the International Postcard Show at Surface Gallery Nottingham

This month, Surface Gallery's International Postcard Show unites artists across the globe with an inclusive exhibition showcasing a multi-medium array of postcard-sized artworks, created by artists as far-flung as Japan. Charlotte Pimm-Smith talks to exhibitions co-ordinator Jez Kirby about it.

Moving on Up: 10 new hobbies to take up in Nottingham for 2025

Once again, January has sprung upon us like an unwelcome morning alarm. The new year, with its best intentions of changing habits and fresh starts, can seem cruelly placed back to back with the gluttonous festivities of December, but once the Christmas debris has been cleared and desire for revelling abated, it’s time to look ahead and see how you can decorate your days over the upcoming year.

Want to run away with the circus in 2025? Fancy brushing up on your Spanish in time for your next holiday? Feel like it's time to learn those outdoor survival skills for when the revolution comes? Look no further. In Nottingham there are dozens of classes, courses and groups to join, offering valuable skills and time well spent in the company of likeminded people. To brighten up the dark nights as we trudge towards spring, we thought we’d shine a light on some of the things you can get stuck into.

Magic, caves, exhibitions and music: Here's what's on in Nottingham events 6 - 12 January 2025

It might be cold outside, but there's no need to be bored in January. This week in Notts there's magic, exhibitions, caves, live music and more....

LeftLion Issue #179 January 2025

In this month's magazine we speak to Marcellus Baz, Nottingham Gig Buddies, sculptor Rachel Carter, ALT BLK ERA, Evil Scarecrow, Pretty Polly Tights, and author and human rights lawyer Christian Weaver. We also look at the history of The Garage club, Union Road, and hear about growing up as a trans man in Nottingham. Plus lots more!

The Nottingham Culture Review of 2024

Welcome to our annual culture review of 2024, a year marked by a national changing-of-the-guard from fourteen years of the Tories. On a local level, we saw highs and lows in Nottingham arts and culture, from the sad final days of some loved businesses to inspiring successes for individuals, artists, groups and charities….

Screen round up: best cinema experiences of 2024

To close out 2024, our cinephile screen team share some of the movies and experiences that have shaped their year, particularly spotlighting those independent efforts that found a home at Nottingham cultural hotspots, like Broadway Cinema. If you’re eager to experience new cinematic worlds, learn about people from different walks of life, or just remind yourself what an excellent offering we have in our local cinemas, read on…

Overheard in Notts: December 2024

Beach balls, chip shops, and springing a sentence together all feature in this month's Overheard in Notts...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #8: George Akins on Rock City, Beat The Streets, Thekla, Dot To Dot, Massive Attack and 30 years working in live music

A bonus eighth episode  talking with the most influential man in the Nottingham music scene, George Akins; owner of DHP Family, Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Bodega, Stealth, Splendour Festival, Dot To Dot and more...

Music Reviews: December 2024

This Christmas, our music team have highlighted new releases from Notts artists...