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Nottingham Poetry Festival 2018: Lions and Tigers and... Trees?

Oh my. We've had a great time observing this year's poetry festival from the shadows, but this Thursday it was our turn to hog the limelight. Under a web of fairy lights, MC and organiser Aly Stoneman and co showed off some of the best and brightest poetry we at LeftLion have to offer. 

After They Left The Lion...

We’ve had thousands of brilliant and interesting people contributing to the mag for fifteen years. Plenty have gone on to do some proper interesting stuff after working with us. Here are a handful of the boggers…

Wolfgang Buttress Loves Bees

Following its success at the Milan Expo in 2015, we spoke to Wolfgang Buttress about The Hive, in issue #75. The local artist created a huge, metal beehive pavilion that highlighted the bee’s importance to our ecosystem, and it was partnered with a soundtrack inspired by the buzzy boggers, written by Tony Foster and Spiritualized’s Kev Bales. The album, One, was critically acclaimed, and the crew took the pavilion experience to the stage with a soundscape throughout 2016. We caught up with Wolfgang himself, and asked him a few questions about his career so far...

Storytelling in Notts: Beeston Tales at the White Lion

Our Lily got down to The White Lion in Beeston for a night of gripping storytelling, belly laughs and great company. Here she tells us all about this little-known monthly event and why she encourages the rest of us to check it out...

Exhibition Review: Scaling the Sublime – Art at the Limits of Landscape at Djanogly Gallery

Romanticism, in literature, art, music and thought, changed the world. But as this new exhibition at Djanogly Gallery hopes to show, the tropes, moods and key landscape interests of the Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century now influences a new generation of artists. The show-stopper here – and effective summary of the show – is Mariele Neudecker’s big installation After-Life which succeeds in referencing a broad range of Romantic artists and issues...

Art Works: Siddharth Varma

Local artist, Siddharth Varma, on his beautiful ink masterpiece... 

Notes from the Middle Kingdom: Trotters of Love and Respect

Spring is here, and with it comes celebrations of all things feminine. Our man in Beijing, the one and only James Kramer, has sent us correspondence about the importance of womanhood, equality, and International Women's Day in China. 

Crop Up Gallery: The Student Run Curatorial Group Giving Art Students Their Big Break

As any depressed graduate will tell you, a lot of jobs will ask you for experience in your field. But you’ve been too busy studying… well, sort of.  Actually you’ve been playing prosecco pong and skinny dipping in the Market Square fountain. When were you meant to get this experience anyway? Well, that’s where Crop Up Gallery is lending a hand...

6 Notts Books You Need To Read This Month

Back in January, we celebrated Nottingham’s literary prowess with a whole issue dedicated to the wordy goods that’ve come out of the city and its edges. In the same breath, together with UNESCO City of Literature, we asked your lot to review your favourite Nottingham books in a competition to win book tokens and a feature in this here rag.

The winners of said competition were Sue Barsby and Melanie Jane, the top two reviews on this here page. Check ‘em out in all their critiquing mastery, and remember: if you’re from Notts and want to get your pages poked, drop us a line on books@leftlion.co.uk...

Art Works: Keith Bloody Mary

Our #99 cover artist on his dutty collage work...

Ady Suleiman Talks About His Debut Album

With a smooth blend of Neo Soul the former Notts resident is set to dazzle crowds on his first headline tour. We caught up with him for a chat ahead of the release of his debut album Memories...

All You Need To Know About The Second Nottingham Label Market

Celebrating independent record labels within the city, it takes over the Malt Cross this Saturday...

Art Review: Strike Site at Backlit

Strike Site brings together a number of artworks created in response to the current refugee crisis. Spanning several rooms of former factory Backlit, the pieces evoke contrasting feelings of stubborn presence and fleeting transportability. Seeking refuge from the snow, we followed curator and Chair of the Board of New Contemporaries Sacha Craddock on a tour around the exhibition...

Sound of the Lion #67

With Cecille Grey, Hellebore, Charlotte Evans, Distant Blue, Le Terme, The Hip Priests, VVV, Jetlines and Georgie...

Watercolour Records: Harnessing The Art of Sound

Ahead of their launch night, we find out more about Nottingham's newest record label that promises 'electronic music with a deeper edge'...

THiNK are Running an Album Art Competition for their Spring Open Exhibition

Have you ever looked at an album cover and thought “I could gi’ that a go”? If so, then you can show off your artistic prowess at THiNK’s Spring Open Exhibition. Whether you’re an established artist or just interested in trying something new, between Thursday 29 March and Sunday 29 April, you can have your artwork hanging in a proper gallery. With no entry fee and the competition open to all ages, there is only one rule: all works must be original pieces.

Loveless Director Andrey Zvyagintsev Talks Filmmaking in Russia

Widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest living filmmakers, Andrey Zvyagintsev's latest film Loveless has already won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.  Daniel Turner talked to the director whilst he was in Nottingham to discuss his path to making films, his storied career and his Oscar nominated new film.

Art Review: From Ear to Ear to Eye at Nottingham Contemporary

Featuring work from almost twenty artists and researchers, this exhibition tells stories from across the Arab world. Through photography, sculpture, music and video, the artists paint a picture of countries with a fierce, independent identity, both separate from and entwined with the violent depictions we see in the media...

Sound of the Lion #66

With JC and The Sunshine Band, Taco Hell, Gallery 47, Cherry Hex and The Dream Church, The Chase, Louis Croft, Faceless, The Ruffs and T.O.W.E.R.S...

Film Screening and Q&A Review: Loveless at Broadway Cinema

The Russians came to town for a Q&A on the screening of Loveless at Nottingham’s Broadway, as part of the cinema's Andrey Zvyagintsev season…

Art Review: The Real DMZ at New Art Exchange

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a no-man’s-land strip that has divided North and South Korea since the end of the Korean war in 1953. Contrary to its name, it’s one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world, and has been the unwitting inspiration for some seriously interesting pieces of art...

Light Night 2018: Meet The Artists

Meet the award winning eco artists and designers who upcycles waste materials into luminous scultpures...

Nusic Podcast #171 with Joey Costello, Pretty Babs, Dollie Demi, Ken Samson and more...

Maltese Band Fuzzhoneys Talk Music and Their Love of Nottingham

Nottingham Playhouse's New Artistic Director Adam Penford on His Upcoming Adaptation of Holes

Is it a book? Is it a play?...