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LeftLion's Latest Listens #31: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Sancho Panza, Parisa East, Fools & Sages and Blackadder...

Theatre review: FRIENDS! The Musical Parody at Theatre Royal Nottingham

Could we BE anymore excited about this musical? All the feel-good moments of the hit 90s sitcom Friends was brought to life on stage at Theatre Royal this week…

How the Sound Sanctuary is keeping Notts ravers safe

A lover of music and the underground rave scene, Magda realised the parties they were attending were under-delivering on safety. In 2023, they began The Sound Sanctuary: a travelling stand, a bunch of supplies and a few passionate people providing first aid and drug education to help partiers feel safe in the rave… 

Life without liquor: the best activities for teetotal people in Notts

“What’s your drink of choice?” No, sadly I’m not Emma D’Arcy, instead a thirty-year-old who’s chosen to live alcohol-free for the past two years. So I’ll take a lime and soda, or a ginger beer if I’m feeling a little bit fancy. Truth be told, it’s one of the best things I’ve done; I feel far from the ‘boring one,’ in fact it’s the opposite - there’s such an abundance of alternative activities to do, right here in Nottingham, so grab a 0% brew and get comfy... 

Lola Young, Day Fever and the Festival of Food and Drink: Here's what's on in Notts this week 15-21 September 2025

Nottingham is hosting a diverse range of events this week, from back-to-back musical performances arranged by Rough Trade to a majestic murder mystery dinner night and a 2000s emo festival. Be it enjoying comedic nostalgia with Friends on stage or witnessing an epic confrontation between local poets, there is something for everyone and this week's top picks from our city are...

Theatre Review: The Last Stand Of Mary Whitehouse at the Nottingham Playhouse

Today's youth might think Mary Whitehouse was some cartoonish figure-of-fun. A prude and a bigot, leftover from the Victorian era. Not at all. Known as the most dangerous woman in England at the time, she wreaked havoc. The Playhouse's brand new play shares the horror...  

Theatre Review: Blood Brothers at the Theatre Royal

Follow the stickers: Notts filmmaker Matt Watts on the stories behind sticker art on the streets

Hidden amongst the barrage of commercial advertisements and billboards that dominate our city landscape, the more curious among us may be drawn to some unusual markings; the plethora of quirky stickers plastered on lampposts, signs and electrical boxes. Follow the Stickers is a short film by Nottingham-based documentary filmmaker Matt Watts. Here he shares his journey of tangents, discovering artists, events and more obscure messages of the underground sticker world, and telling us why we should keep an eye out for them too… 

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...

Theatre review: Momentos de la Vida at Squire Performing Arts Centre

The Robin Hood Improv Festival is in full swing in Notts. Our reviewer Sam Harvey went along to check out Momentos de la Vida, a deceptively simple concept inspired by black-and-white photography...

Stage Review: Matthew Bourne's The Midnight Bell at the Theatre Royal

An intoxicating cinematic escape to 1930s Soho...

Theatre and TV legend James Graham talks bringing Notts to the screen and writing about Gareth Southgate

James Graham is one of British theatre’s most popular and prolific writers and also the creator of BBC TV drama Sherwood. He was born and brought up in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, in the 1980s -his first job was working the stage door at the Theatre Royal. Twenty years on, James returns to the city with the epic Dear England, a play about football manager Gareth Southgate, which headlines the theatre’s 160th birthday celebrations…

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...

Art is the heart: what to expect from year two of Art Fest in Notts

With its first year in 2024 bringing 34 new murals to Nottingham’s streets, Art Fest is back this month to splash more colour and creativity on walls throughout the city. Festival Director Benjamin Kay, who co-runs The Carousel in Hockley, tells us why he set up the festival and what to expect from this year…

Out of time: a idiosyncratic history of adult cinemas and shops in Notts

Sex sells….or so we’ve heard. We take a look back at Nottingham’s history of ‘adult’ entertainment cinemas and shops.

Theatre Review: The Business of Murder at the Theatre Royal

What do a policeman and a playwright have in common? Unspeakable crime, as it happens. Twist and double twist await the audience in this nail-bitingly tense thriller...

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...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #12: Writer James Graham on Dear England, Sherwood, Broadway, London theatre and writing for stage and screen

Our latest episode is a conversation with the Notts-born Showrunner of BBC TV's Sherwood, who is taking Notts to New York stages and returning home to celebrate the 160th Birthday of Nottingham's Theatre Royal...

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...

Theatre Review: Fiddler on the Roof

A new production of this beloved musical comes to Nottingham. Leftlion went for the songs and stayed for the message...

Theatre Review: Deathtrap

Classic Broadway black comedy from the Thriller Season crew

A generation on pause: we speak to NEET young people in Notts

You may or may not have heard the term NEET before, standing for Not in Employment, Education, or Training. It describes a wide group of people that could be made up of young carers, people with severe medical conditions, or even people on gap years, as well as many other circumstances. We spoke to some Nottingham folks who have found themselves in these kinds of situations. 

Theatre Interview: Dan Lewis

Steptoe and Son ride again at the Nottingham Arts Theatre. Actor Dan Lewis shares his trip on the rag and bone cart as the curmudgeonly Albert... 

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...