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Gig review: Rumkicks at Ye Olde Salutation Inn

Coming to the end of a gruelling 30-date European tour, South Korean Punk trio Rumkicks landed in Nottingham. We dropped in to The Sal to catch the action...

In Photos: The Fall of Troy at The Bodega

We chat to Bruce Asbestos about his monster exhibition at Lakeside Arts this summer

Whether it’s creating giant monsters, quirky fashion or video games, one thing that is always integral to the work of Bruce Asbestos is playfulness. With an immersive exhibition of abstract inflatable monsters currently showing at Lakeside Arts throughout August we sat down with Bruce to talk about art, AI, and being a creative in Notts.

Five free family events in Nottingham this summer

The summer holidays are here and with the cost of living crisis raging on; the budget for days out, trips and activities can soon get out of control. However, there’s no need to break the bank this summer as there’s a whole host of free events for families in Nottingham. We’ve gathered our top five and there’s something for everyone here with activities from charities, galleries and local organisations. So if you’re in the thick of it with the long summer holidays, check out these family friendly events – all free!

The ultimate guide to Gloworm Festival as Vicky McClure revealed as special guest

Gloworm is a dedicated family festival that delivers entertainment for both children and their adults, with a jam-packed weekend schedule of activities, performances, live music, and interactive experiences. We give you the lowdown on what's in store for 2024.

Big City Reads book reviews: Seven Million Sunflowers

Through July, we've been publishing book reviews from local young people, as part of Nottingham City of Literature's campaign to give out thousands of free books. To finish this series, Ukrainian NTU graduate Anastasiia Denysiv reviews Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy, a story about the Russia-Ukraine conflict to which Anastasiia reflects upon her personal connection. 

Competition: Craig Charles Funk & Soul House Party at Saltbox

Craig Charles will be taking over Saltbox on Saturday 31 August with his Funk & Soul House Party! Our friends at Saltbox have secured a mighty prize for us to give away to LeftLion readers, with 4x tickets and a £50 bar tab going to the lucky winner...

Live Review: Stone Soup Academy Presents... Stand Up To Knife Crime at Metronome

Stand Up To Knife Crime has become an essential annual fixture in the Notts music calendar, hosted each year by the fantastic Stone Soup Academy. Delivering an impactful evening of music, film and spoken word designed to unite, raise awareness and change perceptions surrounding knife crime in our community, the LeftLion Music team went along to support this important event...

The Thompsons on Pride, protests and charity shops

Nottingham's most opinionated greengrocers on Pride, protests and charity shops

We speak to Notts based men’s mental health charity Tough to Talk

Since forming in 2022, Notts based charity Tough to Talk has already been making positive waves in workplaces and male-centric communities. With his own personal mental health struggles giving him first hand knowledge of the struggles some men have with talking, founder Steve Whittle tells us about their successes so far and strategy for the future.

Big City Reads book reviews: Electric Life

For the third instalment of our Big City Reads reviews - part of a campaign run by Nottingham City of Literature to provide free books for local young people - Mia gives us her thoughts on Electric Life by Rachel Delahaye. A gripping science-fiction tale, the book according to Mia well and truly allows the reader to escape into another world.

Live Review: ME REX, Schande & ACHB at The Carousel

The Carousel over in Hockley is quickly becoming one of the go-to spots for excellent live music from up-and-coming local artists. Heading along to the venue for the first time was our writer Bassey, who managed to catch the trio of ACHB, Schande and ME REX...

We talk to CIC Pulp Friction about supporting people with learning disabilities and Autism and their Chelsea Flower Show awards

Running for fourteen years, it all started with one college leaver’s simple ambition - getting a job. Pulp Friction has now grown into a multi-faceted organisation offering learning disabled and autistic people across Notts opportunities to get into work. Strings to their bow include running a community garden, community café, catering service, and their nominative mobile smoothie bike. Now they can add several Chelsea Flower Show awards. We met the team to hear all about their work…

Notts Pride, 80s inspired Boho festival, Imara art auction, a punk gig. Here's what's on in Nottingham this week 22 - 28 July

Happening here in Nottingham this week: Notts Pride street parties, Boho festival in the wilderness, Imara art auction, punk rock band Phat problem & friends, Madagascar the Musical at The Royal Centre.

Ahead of his Pride set, Hacienda DJ Graeme Park talks Selectadisc, the evolution of clubbing culture and being a DJ in the 90s

From starting out as a teenager working in a Notts record shop to DJing around the world and playing to 8000 alongside a classical orchestra, Graeme Park is one of the original founders of the UK’s clubbing and rave scene. We caught up with him ahead of two new shows in the city at Nottingham Pride and Hacienda Live at Wollaton Hall…

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #2: The Petebox on Beatboxing, Youtube Fame, Two Decades of Touring and ITV's The Voice

Welcome to the second episode of the ‘LeftLion Interviews’ podcast. Our guest is the amazing musician and beatboxer The Petebox...

Book Review: The Body In The Library by Graham Caveney

Though brutal and decidedly unromantic, Graham Caveney’s new ‘memoir of a diagnosis’ is told with remarkable tenderness and wit. 

We spoke to Emma Gray and Grace Carter about their new play at Broadway

Emma Gray and Grace Carter met behind the famous Broadway bar. Now they've come full circle, launching their new play Yeah, No, Fine at Broadway. But how did they do it? What challenges were there to overcome?   

We spoke to genre-defying queer electro-punk duo Arch Femmesis

Punk meets Club Kid with the genre-defying queer outfit, Arch Femmesis. Izzy Morris chatted to Zera Tønin and Princess Stephen about visual inspirations, Nottingham’s queer spaces and the city’s LGBTQI+ scene.

We spoke to Charity Shop Sue creators Dead Sweet TV about comedy writing, creating a LGBTQ+ icon and working with Shane Meadows and Vicky McClure.

From her beginnings as a YouTube mockumentary star to appearing MTV Cribs, Charity Shop Sue has won the hearts of many - but what were the beginnings of Bulwell's iconic boss laydeh? We spoke to Stu Edwards and brothers Tim and Matt Chesney, creators at Dead Sweet TV to talk about comedy writing, creating a LGBTQ+ icon and working with Shane Meadows and Vicky McClure.

Award-winning trentbarton improves eight key bus routes

Whether it's for a commute or a day out, buses are hard to beat for value and sustainability. If you want to get a little further afield and are setting off from Nottingham and it's surrounds, trentbarton are hard to beat. They're now improving eight key routes, and have picked up an award along the way...

Big City Reads book reviews: Stand Up Ferran Burke

Books can be the spark that makes us want to know more, and according to young reader Kelsi, Steven Camden’s “astounding” Stand Up Ferran Burke is one of them. Here’s Kelsi’s review, as part of Big City Reads - a campaign ran by Nottingham City of Literature to get thousands of free books in the hands and hearts of local young people.

In photos: Acoustickle Summer Showcase at Nottingham Playhouse

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Acoustickle, the local live music event representing original jazz, soul, RnB, hip hop and poetry artists from the UK. Since 2009, Acoustickle has established a fearsome reputation for being the spot to discover the next wave of artists. Last Friday's Acoustickle Summer Showcase saw emerging artists and promoters of the Global Ethnic Majority take over Nottingham Playhouse for a micro-festival within Transform Festival...

Notts Folk-punk band Cheap Dirty Horse talk punk, politics and pop up gigs

I stumbled into The Old Bus Depot during the Dot To Dot Festival in May and came across my 'Best Find of the Day' award, as Cheap Dirty Horse played an anarchic set of songs, I was blown away by their attitude and their performance has stayed with me since. Imagine my pleasant surprise when LeftLion asked me to interview the band as part of the LGBT Pride special…

Haunting Ballet, sonic soundscapes, chilled open mics and wild bingo parties: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week 15-21 July

This week in Nottingham, enjoy some haunting ballet, wild bingo, have a chilled, creative Sunday at Cherry of Top, or check out new live music from the East Midlands.