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Exhibition review: Physical Culture and And The Soul is for the Birds at Nottingham Contemporary

Two very different exhibitions are currently displayed at the Nottingham Contemporary. In one, classical sculptures intersect with modern fitness culture. In the other, a Brazilian artist creates an imagined folklore… 

Art works: Emily Grey of art collective Moonbuns talks about creative connections and nourishing the soul

For this month’s Art Works we spoke to Emily Grey, member of art collective Moonbuns, who talks about creative connections and nourishing the soul.

Night Creatures Podcast #8: The Soul Buggin' crew on life as promoters, the vibrant Nottingham scene and things that wind 'em up

Night 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...

Gig review: Less Than Jake, The Bouncing Souls, The Aquabats and The Bar Stool Preachers at Rock City

On their ninth time appearing at Rock City, ska-punk legends Less Than Jake brought waves of nostalgia and cheer to Nottingham, supported by The Bar Stool Preachers, The Aquabats!, and The Bouncing Souls...

Run raves, poetry celebrations, the return of some loved Notts musicians and a soulful Sunday: Here's what's on in Notts this week 17 - 23 November 2025

This week, kill two birds with one stone and rave whilst you run, head to the return of Notts bands Unknown Era and Captain Dangerous, delve into some poetry, or enjoy a soulful Sunday. Here's our top picks...

Night Creatures Podcast #3: Killer Jim from Out To Lunch on 25 years of Northern soul, jazz funk and jazz dance events in Nottingham

Night Creatures is a new 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 over twenty years of experience of putting on great parties in the city.

Soul Survivor: veteran DJ Jonathan on cutting his teeth at The Palais in the 1970s

Jonathan (aka Jonathan Woodliffe) has a long history of DJing in Nottingham. To many his name is synonymous to many with the early days of Rock City, but before that he cut his teeth as a DJ at The Palais. We asked Jonathan about his experiences of the Palais back in those halcyon days of the 1970s…

Gig review: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Rock City

From the moment our writer Bassey joined the large queues to get into Rock City, he knew this was going to be a special night. When Frank Turner's playing it always is. The hard-working troubadour was in town with his band The Sleeping Souls to promote the aptly-named album Undefeated, and the atmosphere was electric with eager anticipation...

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

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...

Theatre Review: Body and Soul at the Nottingham Playhouse

Interview : Laura Turner dares us to decide whether to sell our soul or sell our body

A Midlands-based, female-led powerhouse, is about to ignite the stage at Nottingham Playhouse with a question that will leave audiences breathless. Emma Oldham interviews Laura Turner, the artistic director behind Fury Theatre, about why they're asking such a bold question...

Gig review: A golden era of dance music with Haçienda at Wollaton Hall

Haçienda, the iconic music brand that has captivated audiences for over three decades, made history once again amid the beauty and heritage of Nottingham's Wollaton Hall. Headlined by Soul II Soul with DJs galore, and other big name acts including 808 State and Ultra Naté, the event proved to be an eye-opener...

In photos: Tomás Doncker at Peggy's Skylight

Competition: Craig Charles Funk & Soul House Party at Saltbox

Craig Charles will be taking over Saltbox on Saturday 31 August with his Funk & Soul House Party! Our friends at Saltbox have secured a mighty prize for us to give away to LeftLion readers, with 4x tickets and a £50 bar tab going to the lucky winner...

Comic festivals, choirs, funky soul and jazz, and gigs: here's what's on in Notts 13 - 19 May

Sing, dance, create and learn in Notts this week, with a lovely hodgepodge of events across the city...

DJ collective Soul Buggin’ talk to us about celebrating twenty years of excellent parties in Nottingham

One of the most respected DJ ensembles in Nottingham, Soul Buggin’ is renowned for throwing atmospheric, unpretentious and downright excellent parties. With around a hundred events under their collective belt, Elmo, Beane, Mark and Wrighty are gearing up to celebrate Soul Buggin’s 20th birthday with a balls-to-the-wall shindig featuring an impressive array of headliners. We caught up with the four DJs on how they’ve gone from strength to strength to develop what many describe as the finest little dark room disco in Nottingham.

In Photos: The Sleeping Souls, Sean McGohan & Hannah Rose at Rescue Rooms

Without Frank Turner in the mix, Oxford alt/rockers The Sleeping Souls take their new tunes from Just Before The World Starts Burning out on the road for the first time...

Celebrate New Year's Eve 2023 in Notts with Cocktails, Classical, Soul, Drum & Bass, Indie and Family Friendly Events

Whatever your musical taste, if you want to hit the streets this New Year's Eve, there's an event for you in Nottingham...

We Chat to Soul Sister Duo Melonyx All About Their Debut Album ‘Soul Glow'

Following the release of their debut album Soul Glow (which you should all be familiar with by now, since we gave it high praise in our last issue), we spoke to soul sister duo Melonyx all about the inspirations behind the project, working with Joe Buhdha and others in the Nottingham music community, and what’s coming up next for them later this year…