Site search

Comedy, music festivals and local talent: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 18 -24 May

 This week in Notts! Enjoy local theatre performances and live comedy, or head to Dot to Dot music festival and dance the night away in various venues across Nottingham. Here's our top picks...

Gig review: The Wonder Stuff at Rock City (again!)

Four decades on from their small Stourbridge beginnings, The Wonder Stuff are still here playing live at one of their favourite venues. Tonight they are celebrating their 40th anniversary. But this isn’t just a nostalgia act: loss, line-up changes, hiatuses and everything else that you can throw at a band have taken their toll over the years, but their fans have remained loyal and they’re packing out Rock City tonight.

In photos: Drew Thomas at Rough Trade, with Terrianne and Emily Alice

Left Stag: May 2026 - The Future Is Amber

Was this season the best ever for Mansfield Town FC? Our columnist Joshua Osoro Pickering things it's certainly up there...

Nottsword May 2026 Answers

Did you get the answers right in this month's Nottsword? Have a look and see...

We meet battle victors Cherry Stone

When indie five-piece Cherry Stone stepped on to the stage at Metronome for the 2026 edition of the Ultimate Battle Of The Bands contest, they were hoping to do well – but winning following a unanimous judges’ decision proved to be a euphoric and surreal moment. We caught up with the band as they prepared for their next episode(s)...

Thought-provoking theatre, alternative rock music and local art: Here's what's on this week in Nottingham 11 - 17 May

This week in Notts! Enjoy original theatre and gritty alternative rock, or head south of river and meet Ladybay's artists in their studios. Here's our top picks...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #44: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2026, our music team reviews new releases from Bloodworm, No Peeling, People Laughing, Cathedra and Paytron Saint & Emzae…

Nottingham's Streets Paved With Stories In Literary Map

Literary lovers don’t need to wait any longer to get their hands on a copy of
Nottingham’s Literary Map...

Gig review: Smash Into Pieces at Rock City

Swedish rockers Smash Into Pieces made a memorable stop in Nottingham, squeezing into Rock City as part of their UK and EU tour. While the venue was left in one piece, the impact of the gig will be marked in our minds for a long time to come...

Breakin’ Convention brings Hip Hop to Notts: founder Jonzi D tells all

Founded by Jonzi D, Hip Hop dance festival Breakin’ Convention returns to the Theatre Royal and Concert Hall this month. Bringing together world-class artists such as Ivan Michael Blackstock – a visionary creative behind choreography for Beyoncé - and local voices from rapper and spoken word performer Jah Digga to Hyson Green’s Take1Dance studio, in a celebration of dance, music and storytelling. Ahead of what’s guaranteed to be a boundary pushing celebration of one of the most exciting art forms to watch, Jonzi D talks to us about challenging preconceptions about where Hip Hop belongs… 

Gig review: Kneecap album launch at Rescue Rooms

Ahead of the release of their third album Fenian, Irish rap trio Kneecap brought a double bill show to Rescue Rooms this week to give Notts a taste of what they’ve got in store this year…

Soapbox races and heavy metal documentaries: Here's what's on this week 4-10 May

This week in Notts! Enjoy Nottingham's first ever soapbox race, or relive Iron Maiden's career, brit pop and trip hop. Here's our top picks...

Gig review: Creeper at Rescue Rooms

Having blown us away with their dramatic performance at Rock City in 2023 before then supporting Ice Nine Kills at Motorpoint Arena last December, each show from Southampton goth-rockers Creeper in our city feels like a monumental event. So, as they brought their Sangui-Tour to Rescue Rooms in April, where they performed songs exclusively from their albums Sanguivore I & II in intimate venues across the UK, we had to go along to experience their live show once again…

Theatre Review: Small Island at Nottingham Playhouse

A play that focuses on the harsh realities of postwar Britain for the Windrush generation and examines the consequences of empire...

Gig review: The Scratch at Rescue Rooms

Irish spirit was in abundance at Rescue Rooms as folk-metal band The Scratch celebrated new music and a new beginning in style...

Gig review: Book of Churches at Nottingham Contemporary

Felix Mackenzie-Barrow's new project Book of Churches has won hearts and minds across the nation, but he'll always find an appreciative home audience here in Nottingham. His recent performance at the Contemporary proved to be a magical experience...

14 great music festivals in and around Nottingham for 2026

You can feel it starting... The evenings are lighter and the first warm weekends spark everybody into optimism, and suddenly someone shares a line-up in a group chat and writes, ‘We have to go!’

Across Nottinghamshire and the wider east midlands, 2026 is shaping up to be another packed one. Big-name headliners, grassroots weekends, city takeovers and quieter escapes all sit side-by-side. If you want to start planning your festival season soon, here are some suggestions. 

Truth or legend: the case of the Wellow Maypole

Our resident investigator of Nottingham's weird history, Matthew Blaney, delves into the story of the Wellow Maypole...

LeftLion Issue #195 May 2026

Featuring Green Hustle, Notts festivals, ALT BLK ERA, Breakin' Convention festival, Red Sea FC, cinema events by Will Bailey, and plenty more... 

Gig review: Vona Vella at The Bodega

On a crisp Tuesday evening in late April, The Bodega gradually filled with punters there to see Vona Vella, a band who have become East Midlands indie circuit royalty over the last five years. The Nottingham-based five-piece recently released their debut album Carnival, and marked a triumphant homecoming to end their Funhouse tour...

Locating Lawrence: April 1926

‘It is queer, this Fascist movement: one wonders what the end will be.’

Gig review: Badly Drawn Boy in conversation and song at Metronome

Gig review: Marvin's Revenge at The Bodega

After a triumphant set at Paint by Numbers festival in December last year, and a recent Coach Party support slot at Rescue Rooms, the alt-rock three-piece powerhouse that is Marvin's Revenge made their own headline show at The Bodega an occasion to remember...

Gig review: Lace Thief album launch at Rough Trade

Marking the official launch of her debut album Inheritance, Lace Thief took to Rough Trade Nottingham to perform the record in full following its release the day before…