Site search

Future Sound of Nottingham 2026: chatting to the finalists

Future Sound of Nottingham is back again and provides you with a rare chance to go to Rock City for free (no ticket required). If you’re unaware of how it works, seven of the city’s artists and bands play Rock City’s main stage through one night, competing before a judging panel for the chance to play Wollaton Park’s Splendour Festival, in the summer. Here's what some of the finalists had to say... 

Interview: Alexis Gregory in Smoke, a queer thriller at Nottingham Playhouse

Smoke is a new play from acclaimed queer theatre-maker Alexis Gregory coming to Nottingham this month. As well as a hard-hitting, savage, comic-thriller, a panel follows the play, hosted by You Are Loved and exploring issues from the play. LeftLion speaks to Alexis about social media, drugs, homophobia and much more...    

Comedy Review: Danny Bhoy at the Nottingham Playhouse

A veteran comic’s vibrant victory lap at the Nottingham Playhouse has the audience smiling...

Free entry to Rock City and Nottingham painted red: Here's what's on this week 8-14 June

Live music, free exhibitions and artistic workshops, here's what's happening in Nottingham this week. 

LeftLion's Latest Listens #46: Notts music we're currently spinning

In edition 46 of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from ALT BLK ERA, JJ Lovegrove, Margo Pelto and Vona Vella ...

Nottingham Poetry Festival 2026: top picks from the program

Nottingham Poetry Festival kicks off tomorrow with a 10 day city takeover. Catch shows from Brian Bilston, John Hegley, Yomi Sode, Henry Normal, Vanessa Kisuule and Nottingham’s own Nature Poet Laureate Cara Thompson. It’s a packed programme, so here's some top picks from their co-founder Henry Normal, director Tommy Rosley, and creative director Alma Solarte-Tobon...

Gig review: Sugar at Rock City

A three-decade hiatus seemed to dissolve into sweet nothing as Sugar claimed the Rock City stage once again. Bob Mould, Malcolm Travis and David Barbe presenting something much more than a nostalgia trip, adding energy, humour and volume into the mix...

Nadia on... renters' rights

Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome discusses the improvements the Labour government have made to renters' rights and what more needs to be done...

Gig review: Los Campesinos! at Rescue Rooms

Twenty years ago, the UK music scene was first introduced to Los Campesinos! - a band of youths coming out of the dormitories of Cardiff University with their own unique brand of twee indie. Two decades, seven albums, and well over 500 shows across the world later, ‘the UK’s first and only emo band’ have come back to Nottingham for the fourth time...

What to expect from Nottingham Restaurant Week 2026

Nottingham Restaurant Week is back this month; for not one but two weeks (running Mon 1 - Sat 14 June). It’s a celebration of local food outlets with plenty of excellent deals, ranging from £10-£30, at restaurants across the city centre to entice you to try somewhere new. This year over 65 different venues are involved ranging from independent gems to big-name favourites. Here’s everything you need to know…

Left Magpie: May - OLE OLE OLE

Notts County ARE League One!

Director Alison Rashley talks us through Television Workshop's best known actors

Workshop Director Alison Rashley talks through some of the Television Workshop’s best known actors and gives the lowdown on what they were like to teach…

East Midlands Pamphlet Prize launched by Bad Betty, in partnership with Writing East Midlands and Nottingham Poetry Festival

Notts based independent publisher Bad Betty Press has announced the launch of the East Midlands Pamphlet Prize, a new initiative designed to support and platform poets living, working and studying across our region.

Art, theatre, and poetry: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week, 1 - 7 June

Summer's here, and Nottingham's ready for it. Here are some fantastic events happening this week which we think are worth checking out.

Locating Lawrence: May 1924

The Great Strike and rise of fascism threaten to unsettle Lawrence’s Tuscan calm...

Overheard in Notts: May 2026

Badly behaved kids and headstands in pubs feature on this month's Overheard in Notts...

Theatre Review: Barnum at the Nottingham Playhouse

Roll up, roll up! Barnum brings big top joy to Nottingham Playhouse...

Gig review: DMA's at Rock City

Australian rock band DMA's have become a core part of musical memories for so many people. With music spanning a decade-and-a-half, their tours have become pilgrimages for their loyal fans worldwide. Their return to Nottingham was, of course, centred on Rock City...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #45: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this week's edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from The Littlemen feat. Hector Moralez, Lucy Crisp, Darling I Dreamt and Kid Spirit...

Gig review: The Lemon Twigs at Rescue Rooms

New York City’s very own The Lemon Twigs came over from the States to treat the people of Nottingham to some whimsical, jangly goodness. We went to Rescue Rooms to catch the band on the first date of their UK tour...

Theatre Review: Scenes from a Friendship at Nottingham Playhouse

Time-hop through nineties teendom into adulthood with the latest gem from Nottingham playwright, Jane Upton. A messy trip down memory lane to make us laugh, cry and celebrate the friendships that shape us...

Gig review: Girli at Rough Trade

Another day, another chance to see a great artist performing at Rough Trade. To celebrate the release of her new album It's Just My Opinion, Girli (aka Milly Toomey) headed out across the country to perform intimate in-store  shows for her fans, including a return to Rough Trade. Girli’s music is a chaotic but fresh mix that sits at the intersection of electropop, pop‑punk and synth‑pop and she brought this out from the offset...

Here's why you cannot miss Dot To Dot Festival in 2026

Dot to Dot is a very special sort of music festival. Held in Bristol and Nottingham over a single weekend, it brings together local scenes and underground darlings, the concrete and the extreme. This year’s lineup is especially strong, with its mix of sleazy electroclash, Irish alt-grunge, rough and tough punk, and Americana emo, all culminating in a once in a lifetime experience...

Kalum Thompson: the teenage midfielder shining bright in Nottingham Forest's youth division

It’s been a turbulent year at Nottingham Forest FC. While prospects of Premier League survival have become brighter and the dream of European silverware more enchanting, in all the uncertainty there is one definite; the club has some serious talent waiting in the wings...

We paid a visit to the Nigel Doughty Academy to check in with the latest academy lads. The club has boasted some fine academy graduates over the last decade including Ryan Yates, Brennan Johnson and Matty Cash. So don’t be surprised if a certain Kalum Thompson is next to join that list! Now aged seventeen, Thompson crossed the Irish Sea last summer to join the Reds from Linfield. Like a duck to water the youngster has quickly marked himself as one of the most exciting prospects in youth football…

Gig review: Witches Mortuary at the Mist Rolling Inn

Witches Mortuary is a band that may be unknown to a majority of the music listening public, but their story is absolutely awe-inspiring. Forming in July 2025, this group of young, hungry musicians have made a name for themselves in the local scene with an album, EP, and this concert, their first, at the Mist Rolling Inn. Their flavour of stoner doom metal has really caught the attention of the Nottingham metal scene, and their talent has translated to relative popularity as they have caught traction all over the internet...