There's more content than you would believe. Hopefully this will make finding it a bit easier...
Dabbling in the Dark Arts: we catch up with organisers of the Dark Arts Market
Mon 12 Oct 2026It’s officially the spooky season, but for Fiona Holmes and Elyssa Fleming, the eldritch, strange and eerie is more than just an aesthetic that ends with Halloween. They talk to LeftLion about how they created The Dark Arts Market, a place where all ‘alt’ artists and creatives, at all stages of their creative career, can feel seen and supported.
Small talk: catching up with renowned Notts street artist Kid30
Sat 03 Oct 2026Kid30 (aka Small Kid) has been creating art in Notts for the best part of three decades, including the cover of our 200th issue. We had a chat with him about his history, his exhibitions, the Notts graffiti scene and why he’s been bulk-buying old condom machines...
Common Ground: Alan Lodge's upcoming exhibition documents protests, parties and festivals over the last fifty years
Mon 21 Sept 2026Opening this month at Bonington Gallery is Common Grounds: Counterculture & Confrontation since 1976, a retrospective of the work of Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge. One of the UK’s most prolific photographers of alternative lifestyles, Alan’s work gives a vivid first person insight into the new age traveller movement and the 90s free-party scene, raising questions about the right to gather, policing, surveillance and community.
Make your mark: ten creative opportunities coming up in Nottingham
Thu 10 Sept 2026Nowadays, it’s not always easy to be creative in the UK, especially if you don’t have the money or family connections for the strongest possible head start. Luckily, our city’s ‘do-it-yourself’ culture has given rise to various creative opportunities, competitions, training projects, and free showcases. Here’s ten of the best in Nottingham, which if you're a creative person might be just what you were looking for…
Breaking Ground: how Nottingham Forest Women are scaling up their ambitions
Wed 02 Sept 2026As Nottingham Forest Women prepare for a new Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2) campaign, Head of Women's and Girls’ Football Amber Wildgust tells us about their new manager Tom Mallinson, recruitment strategy, a landmark pre-season tour to Canada, and why they want to become the destination club for emerging talent.
Theatre Review: The Mantrap at Theatre Royal
Thu 27 Aug 2026Set on a wet and wild winter night, a desperate husband is searching for his missing wife and is confronted by a woman claiming to be her...
The wondrous world of Ruby D’Woo: meeting Nottingham’s own burlesque and cabaret star
Fri 14 Aug 2026From workshop classes in Haus of Ruby D’Woo, to hosting top-notch live burlesque and cabaret shows across the county, Ruby D’Woo is Nottingham's award-winning burlesque and cabaret artist. Ahead of the Cosy Cabaret coming up next month, she tells us what brought her to the burlesque stage, how she crafts performances, and why burlesque has become a journey of self-expression, confidence, and empowerment for so many…
Theatre Review: Anybody For Murder at Theatre Royal Nottingham
Thu 13 Aug 2026Murder, mayhem and mistaken identities are all tangled together in a cynical comedy from two of British TV’s finest writers, as part of this year's Classic Thriller Season...
The Classic Thriller Season Returns to Theatre Royal Nottingham
Wed 05 Aug 2026The Classic Thriller Season is a long-running annual summer repertory tradition at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, featuring live stage performances of comedy murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. It's back this month with three plays that will offer your annual quota of puzzles and adrenalin rushes...
The Thompsons on the World Cup and Maid Marian
Wed 29 Jul 2026Nottingham's most opinionated greengrocers discuss the World Cup, statues and Noel Coward...
More than a gig a day: Catching up with Isaac Neilson
Thu 02 Jul 2026Singer-songwriter Isaac Neilson is from Buxton in our neighbouring county and based here in Nottingham. But since 1 January it’s been hard to find him in the city. On that fateful day, Neilson began a mind-blowing challenge: to perform a gig on every single day of 2026. LeftLion caught up with Neilson at the halfway point of the year…
The Convenience Trap: What We're Giving Up for Frictionless Technology
Wed 01 Jul 2026There's a moment, somewhere between tapping your contactless card on a bus reader and letting your phone auto-order your usual from Deliveroo, when you realise you haven't made a deliberate choice in quite some time. You've just moved through your day like water finding the path of least resistance, and the technology around you has been quietly smoothing every surface to make sure that happened.
Night Creatures Podcast #8: The Soul Buggin' crew on life as promoters, the vibrant Nottingham scene and things that wind 'em up
Mon 15 Jun 2026Night Creatures is a LeftLion podcast, shining a light on the promoters of Nottingham. Your host and interviewer is Beane, co-founder of Nottingham’s beloved Soul Buggin’ night and he brings with him two decades of experience of putting on great parties in the city...
Interview: Alexis Gregory in Smoke, a queer thriller at Nottingham Playhouse
Mon 08 Jun 2026Smoke 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...
Tattoo studio Good Mornink talk community, artistry and their upcoming charity flash day
Tue 02 Jun 2026Situated on the top floor of Hopkinson, one of Nottingham's most creative and quirky hangouts, tattoo studio Good Mornink is a welcoming community of international artists. Founder and Co-owner Melisa Büyük talks about turning dreams into the reality of owning a studio, and their upcoming charity flash day to raise money for Stonebridge City Farm...
Buy: Three Left Lions 2026 World Cup T-shirt
Tue 12 May 2026Rep Nottingham while you watch the World Cup 2026! Our iconic three left lion’s t-shirts are back this summer, with a new range of colours and sizes...
Golden era: catching up with electronic-rock duo ALT BLK ERA before their Rescue Rooms show
Thu 07 May 2026In 2022, sister duo and Notts natives Nyrobi and Chaya Becket-Messam emerged onto the local music scene as electronic-rock act ALT BLK ERA. Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength, from winning a MOBO award in 2025 to touring late last year with drum and bass band Pendulum. It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Nyrobi and Chaya, so they set aside time to walk us through their crazy journey to this point.
Boo the bad guy: the wacky cinematic world of local promoter Will Bailey
Mon 04 May 2026Will Bailey is a Nottingham film and events promoter, producing just about anything you could imagine (and a few things which only he could imagine), from Stars In Their Eyes all-dayers to so-bad-it’s-good movies screened at the Notts Bad Movie Club. His latest venture – Boo the Bad Guy – is a new multi-activity celebration of cult cinema, taking place in multiple venues which, more often than not, aren’t cinemas. He tells us more about it, while also reminiscing on past moments of movie magic he’s brought to Notts…
Pick six: playwright Jane Upton
Thu 16 Apr 2026For this month’s Pick Six we turned to local playwright, Jane Upton, who’s new show Scenes from a Friendship comes to Nottingham Playhouse from Friday 15 May.
Catching up with Nottingham poet and cultural historian Panya Banjoko
Fri 10 Apr 2026Panya Banjoko is a Nottingham-born poet and cultural historian and a tour de force in our local literature scene. She’s also the keeper of the Nottingham Black Archive and has been a Patron of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature since it first received the accolade in 2015. We talk to Panya about past and current projects, her new StoryArcs fellowship and why mature ladies get more done…
Here's what's happening this International Women's Day in Nottingham
Mon 02 Mar 2026There's plenty happening in Nottingham this weekend to celebrate International Women's Day - check out workshops, performances, and exhibitions and support our city's wonderful women.