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We talk with Hard-Fi about their return to the studio, and why Nottingham rocks

Ahead of their raucous return to the Rock City stage on 23rd November, Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer talks with Talia Robinson about all things modern musicality and the need for nurturing nostalgia... 

In photos: Soil at Rock City

We chat with Sports Team about changes in sound, their live show ethos, and KSI...

Sports Team are a band who take music seriously – and always have fun with it. Famous for headline-grabbing stunts, which have led to a feud with Matty Healy and a chart battle with Lady Gaga, the English alt-rockers are determined to keep making waves. Before their big headline show at rescue Rooms next week, Ali Glen caught up with the band...

Review: JT Soar Fest 2024 at the Old Cold Store

JT Soar is 15! To mark this landmark occasion, the local recording studio, venue and all-round grassroots music heroes filled the Old Cold Store with live music from local, national and international bands – for a full weekend. We went along to celebrate with them...

Gig review: Therapy? at Rock City

Therapy? are back at Nottingham's Rock City for the 30th anniversary of Troublegum, their iconic second album. It's a packed house, with energy levels through the roof...

Gig review: Millie Manders and the Shutup at Rescue Rooms, with Ramona's Tea Party

Anarchic fun... All killer, no filler... Earworms aplenty. Exhausting all the superlatives, Millie Manders and the Shutup returned to Nottingham and proved that social awareness and a sense of justice need never be dull...

In photos: Grain Mother at The Grove, with Jiminil and Purple Hat Mob

Laughs and absurdity in Nottingham's best known wormhole

Adrian Reynolds goes down a wormhole and finds comedy and compliance...

In photos: Set in Motion at Saltbox, with Alma Close and King Cerulean

Gig review: Martin McAloon of Prefab Sprout at Metronome

From playing bass guitar in much-love art-rock band, Prefab Sprout, Martin McAloon has stepped forward to centre stage. Suffering from retinal and tinnitus issues, his brother Paddy is no longer able to tour live, so, in a heart-warming tribute, his younger brother has swapped four strings for six to breathe new life into the best of the Durham act’s material...

From cyphers to Mickey Mouse on ice skates: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 11-18 November

This week in Nottingham, experimental musicians of highest calibre take over all of the best grassroots venues, while over at Motorpoint Arena the Disney canon is well-and-truly brought to life...

Gig review: Champagne for Lulu at the Royal Concert Hall

60 years since Lulu hit the UK charts with Shout and, having turned 75 last year, it's time for the star to step back a little — but not before enjoying one final tour and a huge party. Michael Prince sampled the energy and all the big hits..

Gig review: Bob Dylan returns to Nottingham

"Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood, with his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago with his friend, a jealous monk" - Bob Dylan, Desolation Row

Film Review: Anora

In part a wide-eyed odyssey of decadence and excess, but look closer and Anora speaks to the true intimacy that can be gained through solidarity. 

In photos: Deadletter at Rescue Rooms, with Modern Woman

Gig review: Glass Animals at Motorpoint Arena

Conall Stacey discovered Glass Animals when Heat Waves hit the FIFA soundtrack, but seeing them live at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena showed him they’re much more than just that hit song. A wild and creative set and strong support from The Big Moon meant a night to remember...

In photos: Spinn at The Bodega, with Cam Mannix and Black Cats & Magpies

In photos: Wednesday 13 at Rock City

Colin Etches' 'As Yet Untitled (a WIP)' comedy show at Vibes

Colin Etches, the Notts born neurodivergent comedian, shows that when life is at its darkest, it’s laughter that gets us all through... 

Write black to the beginning: Panya Banjoko on the 15 year anniversary of Nottingham Black Archive

This year Nottingham writer and archivist Panya Banjoko celebrated fifteen years as head of the Nottingham Black Archive: a community project that enlivens black cultural history in Notts. We caught up with Panya to talk about her residency this summer at the New Art Exchange and her long career as one of Nottingham’s foremost creative individuals.

LeftLion's Latest Listens #10: Notts music we're currently spinning

This week in LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team picks new releases from Lace Thief, Warren Ireland, Idolvein, Bram Bancroft and Revenge of Calculon

Theatre Review: Raisin in the sun

Described as the play that changed American theatre forever, A Raisin in the Sun comes to the Nottingham Playhouse...

Five of Nottingham's nastiest drag queens go head to head in the battle of the bitches

Liv Presents: The Prohibition Roast is another of the amazing comedy nights lined up at the Lord Roberts and part of the wider Nottingham Comedy Festival. But with wit as sharp as broken glass, do you dare go down to the basement...  

Long live The Bodega! We celebrate its 25th anniversary

Ah that special spot on 23 Pelham Street. From countless life-affirming gigs and hazy club nights inside the venue, to summer sessions outside in the quaint back alley of Cobden Chambers, The Bodega has been one of our city’s chief memory makers over the last quarter century.

Now to celebrate the iconic venue’s 25th anniversary this month, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane with the bands, promoters and staff that have helped this space to endure as a cornerstone of our city’s vibrant music scene and nightlife, by reliving some of their favourite Bodega moments.

Gig review: Bob Vylan at Rock City

This time last year, Bob Vylan took to the Rock City stage to preview new material off their (at-the-time) forthcoming new album, Humble As The Sun. Fast forward to now, and the grime-punk duo are once again playing the UK’s best live music venue, but this time with the album tracks now firm favourites amongst their wild fanbase. To see how they are being received first-hand, we headed along to the show to capture the chaos…