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Theatre review: Maisie Adam: Appraisal at Nottingham Playhouse

Swedish interrogations, accidentally looking like Rod Stewart and snogging a barista from Rotherham... Maisie Adam appeared at Nottingham Playhouse this week.

Gig review: Revenge of Calculon at Rough Trade

A busy Saturday night at Rough Trade was the perfect launchpad for the debut album by Revenge of Calculon, a collection of super funky sounds on a lovely white slice of vinyl. Bassey reports...

Chris Lawton of Skate Nottingham talks about the new Road to Tram Line Spot film by Georgianna Scurfield

Skate Nottingham's Chris Lawton walks (or should that be skates?) us down the long, sometimes arduous, road to the new Road to Tram Line Spot film by Georgianna Scurfield, now released on LeftLion...

Theatre Review: GNAW at the Nottingham Playhouse

A play that's not a photocopy: we drop in on the bright & bizarre new show from performer Daniel McVey...

Review: Hockley Hustle 2024

This time last week, Hockley Hustle was in full swing, filling 50 venues across this beloved quarter of Nottingham with music from an incredibly diverse and talented array of artists, and raising money for local charities. Ignoring genre boundaries, our music team joined the action all day - here we present some highlights in words and pictures...

Gig review: Deco at Rescue Rooms, with Cam Mannix

Their sold-out secrets are embedded within their empathy for pop music. Deco have become one of the most hotly anticipated live acts this year, and we were lucky enough to catch them at Rescue Rooms...

Gig review: KYTES at The Chapel

If you were to see indie-pop trio KYTES over in their homeland of Germany, you would likely see them packing out the country’s biggest festival stages. But here in the UK, the band are only just starting to make a name for themselves, creating a word-of-mouth following from their absolutely electric live shows. So, with the band stopping by Nottingham for a super intimate performance in The Chapel on a buzzing Halloween weekend, we knew we had to go along…

Gig review: Cast at Rock City

It was Friday night and, for Kevin Stanley, there was nowhere better to be than Rock City in the heart of Nottingham to watch an iconic 90s band play some Scouse tunes...

Theatre Review: Body and Soul at the Nottingham Playhouse

Classical Concert Review: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall

An all-English programme brings planets, battles and a cello to the Royal Concert Hall...

Comedy Review: Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes at the Djanogly Theatre Lakeside Arts

Mark Thomas, the ‘godfather of political comedy’ brings his Gaffa Tapes show to a sold-out audience at the Lakeside Arts Theatre. So how did it unwind?

Gig review: Jake Bugg at Rescue Rooms

Earlier this week, Jake Bugg performed a lively acoustic homecoming set at Rescue Rooms to celebrate the release of his sixth studio album, A Modern Day Distraction...

Gig review: The Libertines at Rock City

The Libertines once had a reputation for riotous live performances, but have mellowed with age while still holding on to their unique sound. As part of a nearly sold out UK tour, the indie quartet took to the Rock City stage and LeftLion was there to witness the rapturous welcome...

Gig review: Public Service Broadcasting at Rock City

You hear it about lots of bands: that their live show is “unrivalled”. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s a bit of hyperbole. However, in the case of musical historians Public Service Broadcasting (PSB), this praise is fully warranted. With a 7-piece band playing accomplished art-rock and electronica to a backdrop of archive footage, PSB truly offer a one-of-a-kind live experience. To witness it for ourselves, we headed down to catch their fourth visit to Rock City…

Gig review: Pete Doherty at The Grove

Did you hear? The Libertines came to Nottingham this week to perform at Rock City. However, Pete Doherty also played a small intimate solo set at Nottingham's newest music venue The Grove a few hours before...

Food review: falafel, freshness and flavour at Wollaton’s Zhug

The phrase ‘hidden gem’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but Zhug is the type of underrated spot that truly deserves the title. One of Nottingham’s best-kept secrets, we’re almost reluctant to share this with anyone else, but in the spirit of championing our local independents (we don’t gatekeep here at LeftLion HQ!), this eatery is too good not to mention…

Gig review: The Pretenders at the Royal Concert Hall

On the same Sunday night as Hockley Hustle, The Pretenders graced Nottingham with their much delayed UK tour. Michael Prince witnessed this triumphant return...

Gig review: Paul Weller at the Royal Concert Hall, with Liam Bailey

Playing to a loyal and rapturous crowd at the Royal Concert Hall, the Modfather himself put on a passionate show. Paul Weller proved exactly why his reputation precedes him, while giving Beeston-based Liam Bailey a bucket list moment...

Gig review: NOISY at The Bodega

Pelham Street came alive on Friday night, as The Bodega was filled with the intoxicating DnB-meets-anything goes sounds of NOISY. Daisy Carter-Davies was there to see – and hear – the action...

Dom Joly talks dangerous cows, mind controlling vaccines and the Finland hoax

Dom Joly has scoured the globe for the weirdest conspiracy theories in existence. He shares his insights into this anarchic world with the Nottingham Playhouse audience. 

Gig review: Goldie Lookin Chain at Metronome

When Lawrence Poole headed to Metronome last Friday night, it quickly became clear that this would be an unusual night out. With Goldie Lookin Chain dropping in, the air was filled with bombastic beats and wryly observant lyrics...

Gig review: Bodega at Rescue Rooms, with GIFT

New York City’s very own Bodega came back to Nottingham for another round of post-punk esoteric goodness. This time, they’d graduated from the homonymous Bodega in the city for a night at Rescue Rooms. Izzy Morris went down to see the band in action...

Music Reviews: October 2024

This month, our music team give the run-down of the best, recent releases from Nottingham artists, including Cappo, LYVIA, and Molly Hindley.

Gig review: Peter Hook & The Light at Rock City

It’s been seven years since the legendary Peter Hook last brought his Substance tour to Nottingham, playing the best of both New Order and Joy Division. With that 2017 show being such a memorable night last time around, we just had to head down to Rock City to catch Hooky & Co playing a mammoth set of all the classics once again...

Theatre Review: Santi and Naz at the Nottingham Playhouse

Two best friends live in pre-partition India. One is Sikh, the other Muslim; religion is about to divide them forever...