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Blood Brothers, Tom Grennan and RELIC: Here's what's on in Notts this week 8-14 September 2025

This week Nottingham is hosting loads of events for you to get out and be entertained. Whether you're a theatre enthusiast, a fan of live music or here for a bit of cultural celebration, there's something for you to get your teeth stuck into. Here are our top picks of the week...

Left Magpie: August 2025 Waiting for Jatta

Our monthly Notts County column is back with Julian McDougall, formerly of the beloved Notts County fanzine The Pie and currently of the excellent When Saturday Comes magazine. Here's his reflections on a languished start to the season at Meadow Lane...

Left Brian: August - September 2025

Julie Pritchard, the creator of the classic nineties 'Brian' fanzine, is back with her thoughts on the last month at Nottingham Forest FC...

Gig review: CMAT at Rough Trade

While her star may be shining a little brighter in 2025 thanks to a standout Glastonbury performance and breakout TikTok hit Take A Sexy Picture of Me, Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has long been one of the best artists to come out of the 2020s thus far. Following her highly-acclaimed first two albums and a reputation for captivating live performances, her new album EURO-COUNTRY looks set to turn her from underrated gem into a bonafide global superstar. With her record store tour stopping by Rough Trade a day after the album's release, we knew we had to go along and catch one of her two performances in this intimate setting.…

Gig review: The Hives at Rock City

The Hives are survivors. Having broken through at the vanguard of the garage rock scene of the early 00s, they cemented themselves early as one of the wildest, most exciting propositions in live music. Through classics such as Hate to Say I Told You So, Walk Idiot Walk and Tick Tick Boom, the band have become a beloved fixture in the landscape, carving out their niche and weathering the changing musical tides even as their peers fell away... 

Cabaret, tug of war and speed skating: Here's what's on in Notts this week 1-7 September 2025

This week brings you a brilliant range of events in Notts, whether you are a theatre lover or a sporting fanatic, there's plenty in store to kick off your September. Here are our top picks for the week...

We catch up with singer, musician and mod icon Miles Kane

From being a Little Flame to a Rascal and a Last Shadow Puppet, Liverpudlian mod brother Miles Kane has built a stellar career spanning more than 20 years. Now, happily ploughing his own furrow again, he returns to Nottingham next month to promote his latest long-player, Sunlight In The Shadows, with a date at Rough Trade. LeftLion caught up with him to bask in the rays of promotional duties to talk Nashville, Nottingham and Northern curry sauce…

LeftLion Issue #187 September 2025

In photos: Happy birthday to The Grove!

In just a year, The Grove has become one of Nottingham's success stories: a truly independent, DIY music space with an open, supportive and inclusive ethos. Run by Dan Cunningham and Cam Worne, this is a place of hard work, joy and community. We were there to capture the vibe of their first birthday bash...

Gig review: Luke Haines & Peter Buck at Metronome

Intrigued by the prospect of witnessing former R.E.M member Peter Buck and  Auteurs frontman Luke Haines performing on the same stage, we hurried down to Metronome for what turned out to be a unique, sometimes surreal, and always captivating evening...

Locating D.H. Lawrence: August 1925

Lawrence would rather be a penniless tramp than a Duke of Portland…

Gig review: Nieve Ella at The Bodega

Between appearances at Leeds and Reading, Nieve Ella took the opportunity to engage with her fans in Nottingham with a headline show at The Bodega. Those fans responded big time, filling the sold-out venue with noisy adoration...

Overheard in Notts: September 2025

It's another instalment of Overheard in Notts - this month we focus in on pork pies, cable cars, and the Morrisey of Mapperley...

Gardening tips, raves and tours: Here's what's on in Notts this week, 25 - 31 August

This weeks brings you tours galore, from gardening tours to archery tours with Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Here's our picks of the week... 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #30: Notts music we're currently spinning

We've reached the thirtieth edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens! This week, our music team reviews new releases from katie., Lucas, MCØ and Bradley McKnight...

Gig review: Nell Mescal at The Bodega

The final night of Nell Mescal’s run of shows brought her to Nottingham’s Bodega, an intimate venue which was buzzing with anticipation. A loyal crowd - some of whom had attended multiple dates - packed into the venue to witness a set that blended fan favourites with rarities and unreleased tracks, making the night feel especially personal...

Left Stag: August 2025

Our man at Mansfield Town FC, Josh Osoro Pickering, is back with the latest musings on a tough start to the season for the Stags...

Gig review: Keane Baldwin at The Bodega, with EMiDORA

Keane Baldwin is a brilliant pianist and vocalist hailing from Heanor, one who mixes the sensibilities of older pop with modern, emotional songwriting talent. LeftLion's Thomas Gensler went down to his headline show at The Bodega to watch...

Gig review: Arab Strap at Rescue Rooms, with Stuart Pearce

Arab Strap are the Scottish indie rockers who time forgot. Formed in sometime in the mid-1990s, reformed in 2016 after a 10-year hiatus, and intermittently but definitively performing music ever since, they had not appeared in Nottingham for almost two decades. That changed this month, and LeftLion's Michael Prince was on hand to document the show...

Musicals, outdoor cinema and music gigs: Here's what's on in Notts this week, 18 - 25 August

While it's nearing the end of a summer of fun, Notts will never run of fun things to do. Here's our pick of the week...

Gig review: Wet Leg at The Level

Having released their second album, moisturiser, Wet Leg have found a new image and buckets of new energy. We dropped in on their gig at The Level to discover a band who are at their most confident, and having more fun than ever...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #29: Notts music we're currently spinning

Summer's not over yet, and the new music just keeps coming, too! In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, our music team reviews new releases from Blu Syrup, The Doubtfires, Long Pockets, Michael Vickers and Nicole Hannah...

In photos: Vona Vella at The Grove, with Jmaes and Modern Coven

Our August cover artist Paul Turner-Groves talks about collage, creativity and his love of Notts

Collage artist Paul Turner-Groves talks us through his art process and the inspiration behind this month’s LeftLion cover…

Festival review: LeftLion at Y Not Festival 2025

This year, the turnout for Y Not Festival was unmatched and another big musical step forward for Nottingham artists. Along with huge bands including The Prodigy, Courteeners, Franz Ferdinand, The Last Dinner Party, Sigrid, and Madness, the festival audience from all over the country witnessed many of our own city's top bands in a diverse, friendly and passionately musical environment. LeftLion was there to sample as much of the local action as possible...