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Crowned in Sound: Talking memorable interviews, The Chameleon and Billy Bootleggers with music journo Dom Gourlay

Tue 13 May 2025

Growing up in Mansfield, Dom Gourlay didn’t realise he’d later become one of the country’s top music journalists. We grabbed a long overdue coffee with Dom, currently the Festivals and Live Reviews Editor for Under the Radar.

Interview: The Northern Rascals present Sunny Side at Lakeside Arts

Thu 17 Apr 2025

Northern Rascals are bringing their dance drama Sunny Side to Nottingham, a painfully honest account of male mental wellness, or the lack if it. Founders Anna Holmes and Sam Ford talk to Left Lion about their work championing those outside the mainstream...

We speak to Alabama 3 about nicknames, The Sopranos theme song, and keeping it very real

Sat 12 Apr 2025

Our writer Ria was thrilled - and a little nervous - to speak with Alabama 3 frontman Rob Spragg following the band's triumphant Rescue Rooms show. But nerves were quickly put aside as the conversation turned to nicknames, storytelling and The Sopranos...

Gig review and interview: Pale Blue Eyes at The Bodega

Thu 10 Apr 2025

Following the release of their third album New Place, Pale Blue Eyes have been bringing their new record, carefree charm and hypnotic energy to the stage. The innovative Totnes-Sheffield shoegaze trio have travelled far and wide, and we were lucky to be graced with their surreal presence yet again at The Bodega in Nottingham, and have the chance to chat to the band, too...

We chat to Cliffords ahead of their Bodega headline show

Tue 08 Apr 2025

In this part of the world, it feels as if Cork five-piece Cliffords have come out of nowhere. They broke through onto the scene with their EP Strawberry Scented followed up by the powerhouse single Bittersweet, packed with a gorgeous blend of melody and layered guitars, shoegaze and grunge influences abounding. But as LeftLion found out when chatting with vocalist Iona Lynch, the band have a rich history…

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #9 DJ Jonathan on The Palais, the changing art of DJing, Northern Soul, Jazz Funk and Tiswas

Fri 04 Apr 2025

Our first podcast of 2025 and we're back with a chinwag with a veteran DJ, talking through the 1970s Nottingham scene at The Palais De Danse, as well as the changing face of music, festivals and more...

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

Thu 03 Apr 2025

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...

We chat with Annie Dressner about touring, writing - and speaking up

Sat 22 Mar 2025

Annie Dressner’s latest single, For The Thrill Of It, was released in February. Influenced by her experiences, it addresses misogyny and inappropriate behaviour towards women in the music industry. The New Yorker has been based in Cambridge for the last 13 years after meeting her partner at an open mic night. She recently made a stop in Nottingham as part of a tour supporting Danny & The Champions of The World...

Beeston’s Lady Plaques: an interview with Tamar Feast

Tue 18 Mar 2025

Since 2009, the Beeston and District Civic Society has installed 35 plaques to commemorate figures who are important to the local area. Despite this large number, every single one of these plaques honored a man. In January, this tradition was broken when the first ever plaque honoring a woman was unveiled. We spoke to Tamar Feast to find out the origins of the Beeston’s Lady Plaques initiative and what this could mean for the way we understand and commemorate historical figures in the future.

We chat to Better Joy about her EP, embracing vulnerability and touring the UK

Thu 13 Mar 2025

With her debut EP heading into blue out soon, Better Joy (Bria Keely) takes listeners on a journey from the deeply personal waiting on time to the intimate reflection of quiet thing, balancing raw emotion with uplifting melodies. Working alongside legendary producer Mike Hedges, she’s crafted a sound that’s both nostalgic and refreshingly new. As she prepares for her first headline UK tour, including a date at The Bodega in Nottingham, Bria shares insights into her artistic evolution, the magic of live performance, and what’s next on her musical horizon…

We chat with Rob Green about music, musicals, and the value of the grassroots

Fri 07 Mar 2025

Uplifting alt soul-pop Notts sensation Rob.Green is back and has dialled everything to the absolute max - bringing the emotion, fierce hyped energy and brand-new music for his first ever headline UK tour, which kicks off at Saltbox on 20th March. Rob shared his infectious joy with us in a conversation covering the tour, his collaboration with Cassell the Beatmaker, his ventures into musicals, and the value of grassroots venues...

Theatre maker Natalie Bellingham brings her one woman show to Nottingham

Fri 07 Mar 2025

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...

We chat to Wille Edwards of Wille and the Bandits ahead of their Bodega show

Tue 25 Feb 2025

Wille and the Bandits hail from Cornwall, playing rock and blues which they have reinvented in their own innovative style, pushing the boundaries of the genre for a whole new generation. After an extensive European tour in 2024, the band are embarking on a UK tour visiting 18 venues and kicking off in March: just a couple of days in, they will visit The Bodega. We spoke with founder Wille Edwards about the new tour, the band’s music, influences and lots more...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #8: George Akins on Rock City, Beat The Streets, Thekla, Dot To Dot, Massive Attack and 30 years working in live music

Fri 27 Dec 2024

A bonus eighth episode talking with the most influential man in the Nottingham music scene, George Akins; owner of DHP Family, Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Bodega, Stealth, Splendour Festival, Dot To Dot and more...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #7: Chanel Cresswell on This Is England, Shane Meadows, Guy Ritchie, Colleen Rooney, Winning a BAFTA and more.

Fri 13 Dec 2024

Our seventh episode is an interview with BAFTA-winning actor and Television Workshop alumnus Chanel Cresswell...

We chat to Becky Unthank about winter, family and the Northern weather

Sun 01 Dec 2024

Ahead of their headline show in Nottingham, Becky Unthank talks with Michael Prince about In Winter, the new album from The Unthanks. Together, they delve into tales as old as time...

We chat to Warren Ireland about life, music and local legends

Sat 30 Nov 2024

Dan Bonnington caught up with local artist and ex-busker Warren Ireland, to talk about his musical inspirations, his influences and supporters, and just what makes Nottingham so special...

Interview: Barnaby Blackburn on his new short 'Pylon'

Fri 29 Nov 2024

We chat to Barnaby Blackburn about his new Bafta-qualified short film, Pylon.

We talk to Blue Violet ahead of their Metronome Nottingham show with Echobelly

Tue 19 Nov 2024

With a new album due in January and in the thick of a support tour with Echobelly, indie alternative duo Blue Violet have a lot to be excited about. We caught up with them ahead of their gig at Metronome...

LeftLion Interviews Podcast #6: Natalie Duncan on Music Careers, Hockley Hustle, Goldie, Jools Holland, Ronnie Scott’s, Peggy’s Skylight and more

Fri 15 Nov 2024

Our sixth episode features a conversation with Nottingham-born neo-soul, R&B, jazz (and more) singer-songwriter Natalie Duncan...

We talk with Hard-Fi about their return to the studio, and why Nottingham rocks

Thu 14 Nov 2024

Ahead of their raucous return to the Rock City stage on 23rd November, Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer talks with Talia Robinson about all things modern musicality and the need for nurturing nostalgia...

We chat with Sports Team about changes in sound, their live show ethos, and KSI...

Wed 13 Nov 2024

Sports Team are a band who take music seriously – and always have fun with it. Famous for headline-grabbing stunts, which have led to a feud with Matty Healy and a chart battle with Lady Gaga, the English alt-rockers are determined to keep making waves. Before their big headline show at rescue Rooms next week, Ali Glen caught up with the band...

We chat with Ian Broudie about goals, inspirations and Nottingham memories

Wed 06 Nov 2024

The Lightning Seeds were formed in 1989 and named after a misheard Prince lyric, with frontman Ian Broudie going on to become one of the best tunesmiths of his generation, a writer of wonderfully melodic and uplifting indie-pop songs tinged with the band's custom vulnerability. Ahead of the band's return to Nottingham on 14th November, as part of their tour celebrating 35 years of the band and aptly timed to follow up on the release of their Greatest Hits album, Tomorrow’s Here Today, we had the chance to speak to frontman, producer and songwriter Ian Broudie...

How a Mini Cooper led to success on the stage and an acclaimed solo performance of A Christmas Carol