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Puppets, songs, dances, jokes, not to mention a duckling on a quest for self-discovery

LeftLion's Latest Listens #12: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Leah Sinead, Divorce, amillionsons and Wizards Can't Be Lawyers...

Comparison, consumerism and Christmas: Nottingham Counselling Service share some tips for the Christmas period

With both emotions and shopping bills running high during the Christmas period, we hear from Nottingham Counselling Service who have a pertinent reminder about avoiding comparison during the festive season.

Gig review: The Snuts at Rock City

After releasing their third studio album, Millennials, earlier this year, indie rock band The Snuts embarked on their UK tour. We caught up with them as they landed in Nottingham's iconic Rock City on Monday night...

Spinning Yarns: The Woolly Tellers talk storytelling in Nottingham

For fifteen years, storytellers Mick Whysall and Dave Brookes have brought history to life. As The Woolly Tellers, their atmospheric performances whip up scenes of misty cobbled streets, mysterious highwaymen, fen giants and deals with the devil. We met them for a chat prior to their event Dark Tales for Dark Nights at the Fox and Grapes, and heard all about the tricks of their trade...

Gig review: SPRINTS at Rescue Rooms, with Chalk

A pinnacle performance of the year: SPRINTS race for gold in their cathartic celebrations at Nottingham's Rescue Rooms...

Thrills, spills, and non-stop jokes at the Playhouse panto

The much-beloved Nottingham Playhouse pantomime reaches new heights this year with a giant of a show. Yes, it's Jack and the Beanstalk... 

Stanley Middleton's Booker Prize finds a new home in Nottingham

Fifty years after he became the first ever joint winner of the Booker prize, we join a celebration of Stanley Middleton at Nottingham Central Library.

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…

Gig review: The Slow Readers Club at Rescue Rooms

Manchester indie outfit The Slow Readers Club are no strangers to Nottingham, having played our city a whopping 10 times in the last eight years. With a strong following in Nottingham as a result, it made sense for them to kick off their current UK run at Rescue Rooms, including several live debuts for tracks off their forthcoming, seventh studio album, Out of A Dream. Here’s what went down…

Gig review: Sports Team at Rescue Rooms

Sports Team ‘Go Fishing’ for more than they expected at Rescue Rooms, the crowd delivering on their beer sloshing, gear moshing mayhem. Adept support was delivered by C Turtle and mary in the junkyard...

Notts indie crooners Victory Lap talk inspirations, origins, and finding their sound

Victory Lap are undeniably one of Nottingham’s breakout bands of 2024. Prior to their debut EP Torch Songs, which was released in July, they were already making waves. But now, they have reached new heights, with an upcoming UK headline tour in the diary - including a show at Nottingham’s very own The Bodega. We chat to Tomas Ponting and James Denham about the band’s early origins, how they found their signature sound, and a suspicious new Fanta flavour which has emerged onto shelves…

Interview: Barnaby Blackburn on his new short 'Pylon'

We chat to Barnaby Blackburn about his new Bafta-qualified short film, Pylon. 

The Hallé are back and with a suitably wintry programme

The Hallé’s Artist-in Residence, Thomas Adès, conducts a programme centred on Finland’s greatest composer with two of his greatest symphonies, as well as two more pieces influenced by him...

Book Review: Ben Macpherson's 'Serious Nonsense for the Unbearably Festive'

As the nights get dark and a New Year draws closer, we turn to some cheeky, cheering new poetry...

Celestial talk blending the festive and futuristic at Trent Bridge's upcoming drone show

Over at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground this month, a festive event of a very different kind is taking place. Narrated by Matt Lucas, the classic Dickens tale A Christmas Carol will be told through a spectacular display of colourful drones lighting up the sky. But what on earth goes into planning this kind of event? We spoke to John Hopkins, Founder & CEO at Celestial, to find out more…

In photos: W. H. Lung at The Bodega, with Formal Sppeedwear

Gig review: Cane Hill at Saltbox

Heading a four-band line-up, Cane Hill proved they are well and truly back with a vengeance. We were at Saltbox for their high-energy set...

Indie quartet Divorce talk touring with their heroes and the Nottingham scene

Alt-indie quartet Divorce are undoubtedly one of the buzziest Nottingham bands of the moment. With debut LP Drive To Goldenhammer in the can and slated for release next March, LeftLion caught up with genial drummer, Kasper Sandstrøm, backstage in the midst of their sold-out four night residency at Bodega, to find out more about their long history with the venue and discuss their forthcoming first album…

LeftLion's Latest Listens #11: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Grain Mother, ALT BLK ERA (with Wheatus), and Drew Thomas...

Gig review: Ibibio Sound Machine at Rescue Rooms

On a cold Tuesday night in Notts, electronic Afro-funk masters Ibibio Sound Machine proved more than equal to the task of bringing warmth, joy and mirth to Rescue Rooms...

Fancy a Tiki one? New bar Tahulah’s Tiki Shack opens in Hockley

Are you pining for summery vibes and warmer climes as we approach the dark depths of the winter solstice, or just want to add a tropical flavour to your Christmas nights out? The ever-creative Fletchergate Industries are already a few steps ahead of you. This Christmas they’ve opened a brand new spot, Tahula's Tiki Shack, located on the former lower floor of Hockley Arts Club, Carlton Street...

Lost City Adventure Golf hits the bullseye with new 'interactive darts'

Lost City Adventure Golf has a new addition to its offering this Christmas, throwing interactive darts into their entertainment mix…

Award winning actor Richard Armitage speaks about his latest crime novel

After a lengthy career making his name in blockbusters such as The Hobbit and BBC’s Robin Hood, multi-award winning actor Richard Armitage has turned to the written word. He visited Bromley House to discuss his latest crime novel The Cut, and how writing and acting converge.

Western musical Calamity Jane blows in from The Windy City to Nottingham Theatre Royal in March 2025

If you're a fan of the classic 1953 comedy-Western film and its long-running stage adaptation, or just looking for some good ol' fashioned escapism, then you're in for a treat early next year...