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Thrifting in Notts: we chat to Glass Onion, Nottingham’s latest vintage clothing emporium

Following the launch of vintage clothing giant Glass Onion’s new Notts store on Bridlesmith Gate, Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley caught up with head of marketing Alice Leadbetter to find out more and explore how vintage clothing and retro styles have had the city in a chokehold for decades.

Chicago takes over Notts, unleash your Primal Scream, get creative with Collage N’ Cocktails, and lots more: here’s what’s on in Nottingham this week 7 April - 13 April 2025

With BBC Introducing’s Tom Hewitt and Riley Marsh making appearances in Acoustic Rooms, to 130 years of War of the Worlds and a Broadway classic making its way to Nottingham's Theatre Royal, there is a lot going on this week in Nottingham so make sure to clear your calendars…

Interview : Sam Lupton and Tom Major the stars of Only Fools and Horses at the Royal Concert Hall

Only Fools and Horses has to be one of the UK's most popular sitcoms ever. And now the musical revamp is coming to Nottingham. Leftlion chats with Sam Lupton and Tom Major as they become the new Del Boy and Rodney... 

Theatre Review: Murder on the Orient Express

A first class murder mystery on the famous steam train

Film Review: One of Them Days

Keke Palmer and SZA are the comical duo we didn’t know we needed. Join us as we review this jam-packed tragicomedy… 

Lucky for some: We meet the host of Bongo’s Bingo, a night out that is redefining a classic game

A decade since they burst onto the scene, Bongo’s Bingo has led the way to reinventing the classic number game - bringing dance-offs, rave intervals, and audience challenges to provide a whole lot more fun and chaos than the traditional format. Now moving to a new home at The Palais on Lower Parliament Street, we spoke to host Adam Apple to find out what it’s like to call the numbers and manage the mayhem.

Overheard in Notts: March 2025

Slippers, stand-up and Sleazy Stu, here's what you've overheard in Nottingham this month... 

Fifth Word Theatre Call-Out For Pop-Up Plays

Calling Nottingham's playwrights! Pop-up plays will soon be, well, popping up across the region from car parks to libraries and beyond. But first someone has to write them!  It's a bold new idea from theatre group Fifth Word. And Artistic Director Laura Ford tells us more...

We meet Emma Moore, the mind behind local tie making business Arsenic and Old Lace

Notts tie maker Emma Moore has been redefining the humble neck tie for almost a decade, with her statement handmade ties serving the perfect eye-catching piece to complete any outfit. Fashion editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley caught up with her to find out more about her business Arsenic and Old Lace, and how she’s putting her spin on this timeless classic with her collections inspired by Midlands towns.

"They were roomates": inside Nottingham Castle's LGTBQ+ history and art walking tour

When it comes to queer history, there is a certain level of pressure to ‘prove it.’ How can you tell that an object, a space, building or area of a city has a queer past? There are so many hidden histories that are simply forgotten about over time but queer communities have always been here. CJ De Barra recounts the stories of some of the objects on show at Nottingham Castle, on their LGBTQ+ audio walking tour.

Exhibition Review: My Order by Allan Weber

Brazilian multi-disciplinary artist Allan Weber makes his international debut at Nottingham Contemporary with a solo exhibition: My Order, a show exploring the many meanings of the word ‘order’ with its focus spanning orders enforced by police in Rio de Janeiro to orders received by food delivery drivers.

Ay-Up Market returns to the Old Market Square from Friday 28 March to Sunday 30 March

Bringing communities together, the popular Ay-Up Market returns to Nottingham city centre bigger and better than ever this year, with stalls from local businesses, food, drinks, workshops, music and entertainment for your little ones...

"The power is with the people": standing up to knife violence in Old Market Square

After three tragic spates of knife violence rocked Nottingham, and were subsequently highly publicised, local campaigners organised a demonstration in Old Market Square to draw attention to the underlying, community problems that cause it. LeftLion went down to report...

Offline crafting, theatre, day parties, cultural festivals, and 80s new wave: here's what's on events this week 10-16 March 2025

This week in Notts! Get yourself out to enjoy the first inklings of spring, plus a load of great events around the city. Check out a four day festival at New Art Exchange, enjoy gripping theatre at Nottingham Playhouse and Theatre Royal, get crafting in a no-phone-zone, or head down to Vicky McClure's Day Fever at the Palais...

Theatre maker Natalie Bellingham brings her one woman show to Nottingham

Ahead of her upcoming solo performance at Lakeside Arts, where comedy meets life’s biggest transitions, Emma Oldham caught up with Natalie Bellingham to uncover the hidden layers behind Look After Your Knees...

Overheard in Notts: February 2025

This month's Overheard in Notts features cacti and broken escalators...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #16: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Otala, Sam Shaw & The Real Eyes, Green Grango, Fallowed and Divorce...

Art works: Brendan O’Melia, aka Metempsychosis Lights

Hailing from Leeds and having made his name in Nottingham art and music, Brendan O’Melia, aka Metempsychosis Lights, is one of our city’s most creative minds in stage lighting and visual art. His work has featured in live music shows of many genres, from trance to space rock, in venues from Liquid Light to The Angel. Here he speaks on how he built himself such a unique career. 

We speak to Keep Our NHS Public, a campaign group against privatisation and underfunding

Our oldest contributor Mike Scott is the chair of the Notts branch of Keep our NHS Public, a two-decade old organization campaigning against privatization and underfunding of the National Health Service. With more discourse than ever on the problems that the NHS is facing, we speak to Mike about why the institution that saves us is so worth saving.

From Masterchef to Market Street: Vanilla Bean bakery and café opens in Bingham

Opened by former MasterChef contestant Amy Vyse, Vanilla Bean is an artisan bakery, café and patisserie in Bingham, which doubles as the new residence for popular Nottingham supper club Incognito Club. Lucy Campion, food co-editor, chatted to Amy about her culinary journey so far and tried a selection of the baked goods on offer.

We hear from The Sherwood People’s Forest who are bringing the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit,” so goes the Greek proverb. Nottingham is a county known worldwide for the leafy Sherwood Forest, but for several years plans have been afoot to create the Sherwood People’s Forest to bring the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city. Organiser Sarah Manton tells us more…

Classical Concert Review: Prague Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall

With Tomáš Brauner waving the baton and Gabriela Montero on the piano, the Prague Symphony Orchestra delivers the best of three great composers...

Gig review: Our Girl at The Bodega, with Davoli

Our Girl were warmly welcomed back to Nottingham and The Bodega as they celebrated the release of their latest album The Good Kind, proving their ability to uplift and excite...

Gig review: Olly Alexander at Rough Trade

As he moves on from his time with Years & Years and puts his Eurovision experience behind him, Olly Alexander is finding his true voice. In the up-close-and-personal setting of Rough Trade Nottingham, there was a sense of a pivotal moment for the talented singer-songwriter...

An open conversation: journalist Gary Younge tells us about a public assembly on issues facing minority communities coming up in Nottingham

Well known for his twenty years at The Guardian and a current position as Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, journalist, author and broadcaster Gary Younge has led conversations on minority experiences and systematic racism for decades. Those conversations have become all-the-more pertinent since 2020, so Mr Younge is planning new measures to address the issues facing minority communities. 

This will take the form of public assemblies in four cities, one of which will be Nottingham. In January, Mr Younge arrived here to meet the local community who inform the substance of that assembly. Here he presents an open letter, explaining what people can expect from the meeting.