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Comedy Review: XL Comedy Club at the Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham XL Comedy Club boasts some of the hottest names on the circuit. And here are four of them at Nottingham's Playhouse. So, are they as funny as billed....  

We chat to filmmaker Naphat Boonyaprapa about his newest short Blossoming Hearts

I sat down in a Notts cafe with Naphat Boonyaprapa, a young writer, director, and filmmaker, based in Nottingham, to chat about his latest short film, Blossoming Hearts. 

We chat to filmmaking duo Bird Bros about their new film Lazar

Travel back in time with us to the 17th century as we hear all about Lazar, the fantastical odyssey set in an ancient Sherwood forest which follows a bard, an outlaw and oh, there are some nymphs of course...

Gig review: AC/DC UK at Rescue Rooms

AC/DC UK kept a packed Rescue Rooms rocking all night long with a thoroughly convincing set featuring many of AC/DC’s greatest anthems, complete with a spectacular exploding cannons finale...

Classical Music Concert: Candlelight's Tribute to Fleetwood Mac at the National Justice Museum

In the pews of a Victorian courtroom, we hear the music of Fleetwood Mac like
never before...

Poetry Festival, indie music and Shakespeare: Here's whats on in Nottingham 9 - 15 June 2025

There's loads of events happening this week in Notts. We have the start of the Poetry festival, a re-invention of Hamlet, a indie music market and a live podcast event from Scummy Mummies...

Gig review: The Get Up Kids at Rescue Rooms

The Get Up Kids graced Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms in a flurry of guitars and emotions on Wednesday evening. The room was full to the brim with long term fans, and the air buzzed with excitement...

Comedy Review: Matt Forde's End of an Era Tour at the Nottingham Playhouse

Another local lad done well, Matt Forde hits a packed out Playhouse on his End of an Era tour...

Words to live by: marking one decade of the Nottingham Poetry Festival with poet Ben Macpherson

This month marks the tenth anniversary of Nottingham Poetry Festival - a kaleidoscopic set of events that sees poetry collide with activities like musical open mics, meditation and arts and crafts, all the while celebrating the art form, and its age-old centrality to the city of Nottingham. To mark the occasion, festival producer and local poet Ben Macpherson told us about the festival’s importance to Nottingham, and what people can expect from this year. 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #23: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, we review new releases from Lucy Crisp, Pretty Windows and Rhythm Eaters...

Gig review: Penfriend at Rough Trade

Laura Kidd, aka Penfriend, returned to the stage for the first time in several years, finding an appreciative audience at Rough Trade. What followed was a very special night...

Classical Music Review: The Hallé with Kahchun Wong at the Royal Concert Hall

With Sir Mark Elder stepping down from the conductor's podium, the music world has been buzzing with who would be the new frontman at Hallé. Well, the answer is here in the shape of Kahchun Wong. So how does he shape up?  

Brewery round table: Blue Monkey, Bang The Elephant and Liquid Light talk all things ale ahead of Nottingham Craft Beer Festival

Nottingham Craft Beer Festival takes over Sneinton Market Avenues on 20-21 June for three sessions of great beer, live music, street food and more. To celebrate the occasion we put some questions to three of Nottingham’s finest breweries who are all holding stalls at the event. Our interviewees are Ian Wesley of Blue Monkey, Thom Stone of Liquid Light, and Michael Shipman of Bang The Elephant…

Film Review: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Your mission, should you choose to read it: Join us as we review the eighth instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series with Tom Cruise and the rest of the star-studded cast...

Film Review: Fountain of Youth

Some films are eternal and deserve to live forever, some should promptly fade away after screening. Join us as we review The Fountain of Youth to find out which category it belongs to…

Theatre Review: The Book of Mormon

Outrageously irreverent and infectiously joyous, with almost divine precision...

The Official LeftLion Guide To 2025 Festival Season

Can you hear that? It’s finally in the air – instruments reverberating across wide open fields, the chimes of communities singing and laughing together, the sound of footsteps as friends stumble back to their tents or homes, ready to do it all over again the next day, or the following weekend. That’s right, the 2025 summer festival season is finally here, and with the return of Splendour Festival right here in Nottingham, it’s shaping up to be a big one!

To give you the lowdown, here’s our ultimate guide to the best local festivals taking place in the city of Nottingham and the surrounding areas over the next few months…

Gig review: Little Simz at The Level

It’s not every day that genuine rap royalty drops into town. However, with highly anticipated new album Lotus dropping this Friday, the mighty Little Simz rolled into The Level for a Rough Trade outstore show to promote the new project. Armed with a vault of bangers she’s been hoarding, we headed over to The Level for this must-attend show with one of the greatest artists and rappers in the world today…

In photos: MJ Lenderman at Rock City, with Trace Mountains

Nottingham actor Laquarn Lewis on his role in the brand new BBC drama: What It Feels Like For a Girl

Set to be released on 3 June, upcoming BBC mini-series What It Feels Like For A Girl tells the story of Byron, a Queer teen who is desperate to escape the confines of Hucknall. Based on the novel of the same name by Hucknall-born journalist Paris Lees, the witty, gritty and heart-breaking show delves into what it was like growing up as a trans person in a small town during the early 2000s. To hear about the show, ahead of the premiere, we caught up with LaQuarn Lewis, who plays Fallen Diva, ‘the premier podium dancer-cum-hellraiser’ Lady Die…

Locating Lawrence: June 1925

Lawrence never felt ‘less literary’ than when he was milking his cow...

Festival Review: Dot To Dot 2025

The Sunday of the late May Bank Holiday in Nottingham – often the greatest day of the year in our city. Why? Well, because of Dot To Dot of course! Arguably the greatest metropolitan festival in the country, it takes place in multiple venues throughout Bristol on Saturday and right here in Nottingham on Sunday. With the 2025 edition marking the festival’s 20th Anniversary, there was an even greater sense of occasion at this year's event. Heading out to take in the sights and scope out the very best emerging talent from the local scene, the UK and some artists from even further afield, here’s the LeftLion live report from Dot To Dot 2025…

Restaurant week, comic con, body positive art and Japanese pop-punk: Here's what's on in Nottingham 2 - 8 June 2025

There's a great mix of stuff happening this week in Notts - we've got Japanese pop-punk from Shonen Knife, Sneinton Avenues Vegan Market, Comic-con, Restaurant week and some inspiring exhibitions. Here's our top picks...

Festival Review: Bearded Theory 2025

Back for its 17th year, this independent gem - which sits by the Trent and straddles the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border - is somewhat of a starter gun for the local festival season. Following last year’s quagmire-like conditions, attendees are thankfully greeted with blue skies and sunshine for the 2025 edition of Bearded Theory. Here’s what went down…

LeftLion Issue #184 June 2025

This month featuring our guide to local summer music festivals, Nottingham Poetry Festival, actor LaQuarn Lewis on BBC's What It Feels Like For A Girl, the Nottingham Attacks Two Years On, Nottingham Playhouse's Adam Penford, Nottingham Craft Beer Festival, the Lenton Centre, Future Makers and more...