LeftLion October 2024 Issue 176

#175 September 2024 #176 October 2024

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Credits

Featured Contributor

Autumn-Al Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor Sophie Gargett (sophie.gargett@leftlion.co.uk)

Head Designer Natalie Owen (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)

Partnerships Manager Adam Pickering (adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk)

Editorial & Marketing Assistant Caradoc Gayer (caradoc.gayer@leftlion.co.uk)

Music Co-Editor Phil Taylor (music@leftlion.co.uk)

Music Co-Editor Karl Blakesley (music@leftlion.co.uk)

Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon (fashion@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Co-Editor Ian C. Douglas (ian@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Co-Editor Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk)

History Editor CJ DeBarra (history@leftlion.co.uk)

Lawrence Poole is a teacher and freelance writer who has been writing about music and culture for over 25 years. For the last eighteen months he has been penning articles for LeftLion and still thoroughly enjoys immersing himself in the city’s live music scene after first attending gigs at Rock City in 1995. He continues to be inspired by the great, new music that pricks up his ears via streaming services, tip offs and the live independent circuit.

Following spells living in Manchester and London writing for the Manchester Evening News, Gigwise and Soundblab, he is back in his hometown attending gigs across the genres. In his downtime, when not drinking in the Bread and Bitter or walking around Gedling Country Park, you will often find him crate-digging in Rough Trade or standing in front of the sound desk vying for a vantage point at Bodega, Rescue Rooms, Metronome or Rock City.

Supporters Screen Co-Editor Autumn Parker (screen@leftlion.co.uk)

Screen Co-Editor Sofia Jones (screen@leftlion.co.uk)

Literature Editor Andrew Tucker (literature@leftlion.co.uk)

Community Editor Rose Mason (community@leftlion.co.uk)

Food Co-Editor Julia Head (food@leftlion.co.uk)

Food Co-Editor Lucy Campion (food@leftlion.co.uk)

Photography Editor Dani Bacon (photography@leftlion.co.uk) Cover photo Steve Cole Writers Nadia Whittome Phil Booth Gemma Cockrell Jonathan Doering Sharon Stevens Lawrence Poole Tom Morley Tommy Robertson

Photographers Steve Cole Tom Morley Steve Edwards Fabrice Gagos Magda Kuczmik James Birtwhistle Nigel King Indie Horse Matt Clarke James Pollard Charleigh Keemer Perm Ghattaura Mr J Pollard Sandhya Sharma

Distribution Dom Martinovs

Amy Britton George Brumpton Ivan Karczweski Echomountain Photography Polocho Fraser Youngson Illustrators Emily Catherine Celia Shiels Jim Brown

These people #SupportLeftLion 123 Learning, 35A Creative, Alex McFarlane, Alison Gove-Humphries, Alison Hedley, Alison Knox, Anamenti, Anne Johnson, Ant Haywood, Audrey & Lizzy & Margot, BadGrammar MakesMeSic, Barbara Morgan, Ben Martin Saxophone, Ben Stewart, Big Bob McPlop, Bobs, Cerys Gibson, Chris Jarvis, Chris Underwood, Claire Foss, Clare Foyle, Colin Tucker, Cyra Golijani-Moghaddam, Dan Hemmings, David Knight, Dominic Morrow, Donna Rowe-Merriman, Eden PR, Emilija O, Erika Diaz Petersen, F C and E Ledger, Felipe Melo, Graye Wilde, Half Moon Holistics, Harry Sutcliffe, Harry Turner, Hayley Howard, Hazel Allister, Heather Oliver, Holly's Merry Moggies, Ian Carroll, Ian Phillips, Ian Storey, Ian Yanson, Jack Thrubrron, James Place, James Verran, Jane Dodge, Janine Lees, Jean Forsey, John Haslam, John Hess, John Holmes, John Kelsey, John & Jackie Scruton, Jonathan Day, Joshua Heathcote, Julian Bower, Julian McDougall, Justyn Roberts, Katherine Sanders, Kathleen Dunham, Kay Gilby, Kaye Brennan, Kayzi, Kerry Mcdermott, Kiki Dee the Cat, Lawrence Poole, Laura Wilson, Leigh Woosey, Lilian Greenwood, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Louise Duffield, Louise Obuchowski, Marc Weaver, Mark, Mark Barratt, Mark Bond, Mark Gasson, Mark Jacobs, Michael Mc, Mike Carter, Miri Debah, Monica White, Nic, Nick Palmer, Nigel Cooke, Nigel King, NottingJam Orchestra, Paul Boast, Pearl Quick, Philip Renshaw, Rachel Ayrton, Rachel Morton, Raphael Achache, Redbrick Communications, Richard Goodwin, Rob Arthur, Rose Harvey, Roy Manterfield, Russell Brown, Ruth Hoyland, Sally Longford, Sam Hudson, Sam Stiling, Sarah Manton, Selectadisc, Simon Evans, Steve Benton, Steve Holland, Steve Lyon, Steve Wallace, Sue Barsby, The Edgar Family, TeaBag, Tracey Newton, Vanessa Shaw, Will Horton, Andrew Cooper.

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Contents 14

Totally Hooked Ahead of his upcoming gig, Joy Division and New Order co-founder and bassist Peter Hook shares stories about his bandmates, Rock City and playing the classics.

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22

18

JT Soar From a fruit and veg wholesaler to one of Nottingham’s best loved recording studios and DIY music venues in fifteen years - it’s been quite a journey for JT Soar.

Heart and Coal September saw the end of an era as Ratcliffeon-Soar Power Station was turned off. We take a look at the cultural significance of those familiar and iconic cooling towers.

Hockley Hustle Now in its eighteenth year, the mighty Hockley Hustle is bringing 400 artists to the pubs, clubs and venues of Notts. We heard what people were looking forward to this year…

31

Get To Know Us Award-winning Midlands writer and activist A.M. Dassu is heading to Nottingham to present her panel, Writing While Muslim. We got the scoop behind her inspiring journey…

Megan Crook Colourful, comfortable, sustainable and snazzy - there’s many reasons why Megan Crook’s clothing creations will put a smile on your face.

33

Back to our Roots Over in Ruddington, a fresh approach to growing your own fruit and veg is blossoming. We took a trip to Roots Allotments to see what’s ready to grow.

24

Asking Equestrian Newquay-formed quartet Wunderhorse talk to us about song-writing and sophomore albums ahead of a sold-out headline show at Rock City this month.

35

Uno, dos, tres, Quantro!

What began as a hobby for nine bored young friends in 1973 became a lifetime of music and stories for the members of Quantro Tone Soundsystem.

27

Hidden History of British Restaurants We take a trip back in time to the Second World War, when Broad Street was the site of a communal kitchen to feed the hungry during difficult times.

38

16

Crazy Little Sing Called Pub A choir with a twist - Abi Moore tells us how communal singing can be good for the soul and make a great night in the pub.

Editorial Welcome to October. It’s spooky season and there’s gigs galore this month, so if you are feeling fearful of the nights drawing in, there’s Halloween parties, Hockley Hustle and lots more on the horizon to bring a little mirth to your month.

In this issue we pay homage to the Ratcliffeon-Soar power station, which turned off its chimneys at the end of September. An iconic piece of architecture or an eyesore in our skyline? Opinions are divided - but without a doubt, a rich history of industry and activism lies deep in those brutalist towers. Head to page 22 to read our obituary, learn their history and see some stunning photos of the site by this month’s cover artist Steve Cole.

We celebrate fifteen years of gigs at JT Soar over on page eighteen, with a collection of memories from loud, rowdy and intimate nights at this beloved recording studio, rehearsal and gig space. A gem in the Nottingham DIY music scene, this is one of those venues we need to support if the

excellent fruits of local music are to carry on blossoming.

If you’re looking for a dopamine fix and feel like getting musical yourself, check out our interview with communal-choir-with-a-twist Crazy Little Sing Called Pub (p. 38), or sit back and fall into fits of laughter by booking some shows at Nottingham Comedy Festival (p. 19).

Finally, don’t forget to head along to one of our final LeftLion at the Library live podcasts of 2024. This series of intimate, live interviews takes place on the first Friday of each month at Nottingham Central Library, but you can catch the recordings on your usual podcast listening app. Tickets for our interview with director Shane Meadows flew out of the window, but you can still book for our upcoming guests musician Natalie Duncan and actor Chanel Cresswell in November and December.

Take care and keep your chin up. Until next time…

Sophie Gargett

wheres this?

"The Green Man"

Last Month’s answer: Beeston Tesco Car Park

LeftLion Ltd is a carbon neutral company, having reduced our direct emissions by 99% since 2018. We offset the rest via direct air capture from Climeworks. LeftLion Magazine is fully recyclable and compostable, made from recycled or FSC® certified (C015932) sources, and printed using renewable energy.

The emissions of this paper are offset via the World Land Trust. leftlion.co.uk/issue176 5

A Philosophy, Psychoanalytic and ontological inquiries small audience event, with readings, conversations and a badass bookstall.

Accepting Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Analytical-reflections and Ontological questions.

Ticket sales go to CoppaFeel breast cancer charity, you’ll help complete Sai’s sponsored Himalayan trek!

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“Everyo n the piss e takes o me bec ut of au vegetar se I'm ian.”

Pick Six

est ard in W Overhe out of a car , rd Bridg fo the most polite , window ss road rage cla middle dam, your a ever: "M ce does not n of way.” impatie y right m p m u tr

Taxi dr ive good th r: "The in students g about ... they can be stupid, bu at least they're t not danger ous"

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Book I’m a big fan of the John Wyndham Sci fi books, especially The Kraken Wakes and Day of the Triffids. Written in the 1950s but somehow have all the energy and intensity of modern thrillers. Like The Walking Dead but with killer plants and such.

Marvellous fun.

Album I’ve got to go for The Velvet Underground & Nico. Every song is like a dream that takes you on a strange journey into other lives and exotic worlds.

When I was a teenager all the lads got into The Beatles which always seemed so tame compared to Lou Reed and John Cale knocking over chairs and creating death marches on the viola. I was happily listening to them in the corner instead with my one friend.

This month’s Pick Six is chosen by Nottingham-born actor, writer and comedian Colin Hoult Colin Hoult’s new show Colin is showing at Nottingham Arts Theatre on Thursday 3 October. For tickets visit iamcolinhoult.com

Why aren’t electricians called power rangers?

Hero Comic artist and creator of most of the Marvel Universe Jack Kirby. He was a no nonsense tough but sweet Jewish American guy who drew Captain America punching Hitler before the US entered the war. He had an incredible imagination and sense of morality but was naturally screwed over by everyone he worked for.

words: Dani Bacon

Computer Game I’ve been playing a lot of Lego Jurassic World with my son which is a great way for us to connect as I constantly tell him off for not getting all the coins.

It’s surprisingly intense. I think he’s had enough but we’re not stopping till we’ve found every goddamn coin!

Notts Spot I used to love the Broadway cinema. I’d hang out there with my college pals and we’d spend all day talking about poems and music and such, drinking tea. Endless wonderful days sat outside in the sun, chain smoking. Then we’d watch an incredible movie we’d never heard of. Sometimes they’d open the bar till the morning and we’d drink and dance. What joy!

Notts Food When I visit my Mum we go and have a jacket potato up Mapperley Top. She loves it up there. It’s got a bit swanky these days but it used to have the best fish and chip shop. I’m trying to cut down on the calories but I’d love a chip cob with mushy peas again. There was also a cafe that had a parrot which felt magical when I was a kid.

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Poets Corner

In association with

Little Grey Urban Bird

Little grey urban bird with a stump for a leg You fly down to the platform and you beat around my head You never looked so at home The redbrick is so red I'm sorry to intrude but my train is pulling in You know the light could fill you in Like the dove on Christ's shoulder Become a symbol of heaven with a twig in your beak and two untouched feet But you wouldn't be an urban bird in a forest of concrete Tessa Duell

nottinghampoetryfestival.com

UNDERCOVER ARTIST This month’s cover artist Steve Cole tells us more about his stunning photography of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name is Steve Cole. I have been a keen photographer for around fifteen years and shoot mainly local scenes when the time and weather allows. I now live in Long Eaton, but Nottingham born and bred.

What is the story behind the cover?

This image is one that holds great fondness for me. Sawley at sunrise can be a stunning location, especially if the light and conditions are at their best. This shot is over a decade old but relatively little has changed apart from the odd boat moored. I love how the waterway leads the eye right into the scene up to the very end, where the power station cooling towers bring the scene to a full stop. This viewpoint is intriguing as it fools the viewer into thinking the cooling towers are literally at the end of the Sawley cut, but the compressed perspective foreshortens the distance that is around two miles from the last boat to the actual power station. The bonus that morning was the calm conditions and the steam rising vertically and with the sky looking dramatic, it made for a great reflection.

What inspires you as a photographer?

Great light and conditions, they can make the difference when it comes to capturing a unique and stand out landscape image. My local landscapes have always inspired me, especially if the light is amazing. I also like to try and be as original as possible, so I tend to shoot nearby locations that are not shot by the masses.

Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past I have started to put a book of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station images together, but I decided to finish it off when the power station completely closes just in case there could be a few more to add into it. This will be my next project to hopefully finish this year.

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

Ratcliffe on Soar How long has it been there? It doesn’t feel like it’s been there that long, was it in the sixties or seventies when it was built? If this place is a big polluter I'm sure there are benefits to shutting it down, but it does feel like an iconic bit of Nottingham will leave us when those lovely towers are knocked down. Couldn’t they have just shoved catalytic converters on the top of them? Do you know what they’re doing with it after?

If they knock it down I hope they clean it all out and put a caravan park on there instead. It’s right on the river and would be nice for the barges.

JT Soar Happy Birthday to them! We’ve been in for a gig and it’s a squeeze in there. But there’s something perfect about it and of course we love the fact it’s in an old greengrocers.

We put a gig on in our shop once you know. We had Dusty Bible and The Canadians play in our yard for our 35th birthday. We had forty people out there and provided a barrel of beer for people to serve themselves. The week later the same band played at the Rescue Rooms, but we know our gig was better.

Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?

The best way of getting started as a creative in photography is to not become obsessed with gear or capturing amazing images to start off with. Gear wise if you know how to use a camera - including phone cameras - and how to compose an interesting image that engages the viewer, what you actually use to capture a moment is mostly immaterial, unless you want to be very creative or print large. Also be patient and enjoy the journey, prize-winning images don’t come around very often. Don’t go chasing social media likes and admiration, it is short-lived and leads to you shooting for likes rather than for yourself.

If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I would love to sit down with Michael Kenna, a world-renowned landscape and fine art photographer, who himself produced a book of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station images many years ago. His images inspired me to shoot moodier black and white and long exposure images of the power station. I never tried to copy any of his images, but I did try and create that industrial mood that he did so very well. I would chat about what he felt when he was photographing the power station, what was his reasoning behind capturing an industrial landmark in such a way, would he have shot his image any differently if he had returned in the last few years.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the Left Lion readers?

One of my power station images “Cool Power” has over 42.5 million views on Flickr. Look out for the book of the Power station, hopefully publishing it within a year See more of Steve’s photography on pages 22-23

Q]@srcnikon

Goose Fair It’s a whole week nowadays isn’t it? I’m all for it. It’s still rammed on weekends, but it being on for longer is better for families and for people like us. We’ll head there on Wednesday night this year and probably go on the log flume, the cakewalk and the Thompsons Helter Skelter (no relation). Then we’ll get some fish, chips and mushy peas on the way home. It's the only event in Nottingham we don’t mind paying a bit more than usual at as it’s such a tradition. leftlion.co.uk/issue176 9

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Nadia on... wealth tax

words: Nadia Whittome photo: Fabrice Gagos

You don’t need me to tell you just how bad things have gotten after fourteen years of Conservative governments.

Anger at the NHS and public services being forced onto their knees, the cost of living crisis and their mishandling of the pandemic are some of the many reasons why the Tories are no longer in power.

Here in Nottingham, we’ve been hit particularly hard.

Our city is the 11th most deprived district out of 317 in England and we have been receiving £100 million less each year from central government.

There’s no question that the new Labour government has inherited a mess from the Tories, and this mismanagement extends to public finances too with the government now facing huge spending pressures. Under the previous governments (which got us into this mess in the first place), the automatic reaction to overspending or unforeseen costs would be to make further cuts.

But further cuts right now will not help to fix our broken society. What we need is more public spending, not less.

Austerity is not an inevitability - there are other choices the new government could make to help bolster the Treasury’s coffers.

Far from being strapped for cash, there is a lot of wealth in our country. The problem is that it’s in the hands of the few: super-rich individuals hoarding extreme amounts of money and assets. For example, there are 165 billionaires in the UK. To give you an idea of just how wealthy these people are, if you spent £1,000 every day it would take 2740 years for you to spend a billion pounds.

For years, we were told that rich people getting richer would benefit us all - that they would be “wealthcreators” and that a rising tide would lift all boats. But trickle-down economics, as this theory is called, has proven to be a lie. An academic study that analysed the economic effects of major tax cuts for the rich across

five decades in eighteen wealthy nations found that the rich got richer but there was no meaningful effect on unemployment or economic growth.

In the UK, previous governments’ ideological obsession with low taxation for the richest few and big businesses has fuelled inequality. Wealth and income disparity fell during the 20th century, but began rising again in the 1980s - when Thatcher was in power. Now, the fifty richest families in the UK hold more wealth than half of the UK’s population combined. If the wealth of the super-rich continues to grow at this rate, then by 2035, the wealth of the richest 200 families will be larger than the UK’s GDP.

There are 165 billionaires in the UK. To give you an idea of just how wealthy these people are, if you spent £1,000 every day it would take 2740 years for you to spend a billion pounds Part of the reason for this is that our tax system is highly regressive. The rich get the easiest of rides, with taxes on income from work much greater than taxes on wealth, despite wages still being lower in real terms than in 2008.

Meanwhile, other taxes like council tax, VAT, and duties on alcohol and tobacco hit the incomes of the poorest households hardest.

What we need is a just tax system: one that closes loopholes, taxes wealth at the same rate as income and ensures wealthy individuals and corporations pay their fair share. And this is popular with the public. In 2020, the Wealth Tax Commission’s survey found that people had a strong preference for any tax increases to fall on wealth rather than on income.

A number of studies have suggested how these taxes could be implemented to boost public finances. For example, the Resolution Foundation has shown how, through modest wealth and capital gains tax reforms, the government could raise an extra £10 billion. Meanwhile, a one-off 1% tax on assets above £2 million, to be paid over five years, could raise £80 billion.

But won’t the super-rich just leave? Not necessarily. In interviews with the richest 1% and 0.1% in the UK, one academic at the London School of Economics found that around a third of participants suggested that inequality should be lower, and many supported higher taxation on themselves to provide others with opportunities.

Meanwhile, evidence from the US state of New Jersey, which introduced a new tax bracket for those earning more than $500,000 a year, found that those subject to the new tax moved in and out of the state at similar rates to those who were just under the tax bracket. Even if a small number of multi-millionaires were to relocate, there’s a strong argument that our public finances would still be better off, and we could implement an “exit tax”, like the US, on those wanting to leave.

So we should not cave in to this fear-mongering.

Taxation is one of the few means we currently have of redistributing wealth, away from those exploiting people or hoarding riches passed down for generations, and using it to better everyone’s lives.

With the foundations of our society broken, it’s time to use wealth taxes to help repair our public services, redesign our economy and tackle inequality.

nadiawhittome.org

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 11

interviews: Caradoc Gayer photos: Nigel King, Indie horse

The indomitable Hockley Hustle is back! Taking place on Sunday 20 October, and showcasing 400 artists over fifty venues, see the city’s music, arts and culture come alive with music, art dancing and creative workshops. With proceeds going to nine different Nottingham charities, the festival has raised £200,000 over its eighteen years. We spoke to some of the people involved this year to hear their highlights from previous years and see what they are looking forward to.

hockleyhustle.co.uk

Tommy Farmyard - Festival Director What were some of your highlights from last year’s Hockley Hustle?

Vee Adu, Liam Bailey, and Jayahadadream were all amazing. Vee and Jaya were accompanied by a string quartet which was lush. This year will be even better: five artists will perform at Antenna with the Rob Rosa string quartet, which will be Jaya, Catmilk, Cappo, Alfie Sharp, and previous LeftLion editor, poet Bridie Squires!

This year there’s more of a diversity of acts, from different cultures, than ever. What’s the thinking behind that?

We try to do that every year really. We think about what's missing from the festival and why it’s missing. We want to encompass as much of our incredible city as possible; Notts is an eclectic beast so we have to keep moving and adapting. There’ll always be some stuff missing, but each year we build on that, and bring in more people and communities. It’s at the core of our ethos: collaboration, positive change and inclusivity.

The Future Hustlers scheme is now in its third year, and still just as popular. How did that start?

We all noticed that there aren’t a huge number of young promoters coming through. A generation of older promoters are still running a lot of city events. We felt the need to galvanise it a little and bring through the next generation, offering and providing support or advice that will help their careers whether they want to be technicians, performers or promoters. Again, it’s what the Hustle is about really: supporting people, supporting charities and supporting the city to make positive change.

Rastarella Falade - Cultural Vibrations How does it feel that fifteen years of Cultural Vibrations will be celebrated at this year’s Hockley Hustle?

It’s good that the milestone is being acknowledged and celebrated because Hockley Hustle is the event that kickstarted my whole career into live music promotions and event management. To be celebrated at the festival makes me feel that my contributions into Nottingham’s arts and culture sector, and dedication over the years, has been recognised.

What does the festival signify for you?

It signifies what it is great about our city. As one of the veteran promoters involved it’s been wonderful to see how it has developed and grown over the years into something that Nottingham should be proud of. It is a true reflection of how vibrant, unified and alive with music and creativity our city really is.

What can people expect from the Global Roots stage this year?

I will be representing a lot of countries and genres on my lineups, including artists from Jamaica, Gambia, UK, Zambia, Congo, Ukraine and India. Afrobeat, hip hop, reggae, bhangra, contemporary folk, bassline, among others are a few of the genres. It’s a fully seasoned and marinated lineup of music from around the world.

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Alfie Sharp - Musician What are your favourite memories of playing past Hockley Hustles?

Definitely playing Wasted with the UFO Orchestra at Pitcher and Piano last year. Insane.

What do you like about the festival?

It’s a brilliant day for music in Notts and bringing together the community to support new local artists. I also get to see all my mates, so that’s cool.

What can people expect from the show in October?

I’ve been privileged enough to take part in something really special this year. Basically, don’t miss it.

How have you been finding the reception for your EP released earlier this year?

Incredible! From local support to national and beyond, it’s been a hell of a year and I’m so grateful for all the attention and love it’s received. I can’t wait to get onto my next project!

Are there any acts you're keen to see at this year's Hustle?

I have a few faves that I’ll be checking out, but there’s some crazy talent in Notts, so the hustle is a perfect opportunity to go out and find it. I always come away with someone new that I end up becoming obsessed with!

Craig Pennington - The Lord Roberts What kind of value do you as a landlord get from participating in the Hockley Hustle?

You get people through your door who might never have been through it before. Even though I’ve now been here five years, new people still come in and like the beer garden and the dance area.

Hockley Hustle also is just a great thing for charity. And Tommy the organiser is just a great guy! Not a bad bone in his body.

What can people expect from The Lord Roberts, if they visit it during the Hustle?

Well downstairs we’ve got the decks and the bar, so there’ll be dance music there, while upstairs I think that there’ll be the drag show-y stuff. But it’s a bit of a guessing game; you never really know until the actual day what’s going to happen. People just come to do what they do!

Sancho Panza - Band What are your favourite Hockley Hustle memories?

Last year was pretty memorable. We were playing a gig near Birmingham the night before and on the morning of Hockley Hustle our driver’s car broke down, and all the train strikes were on. We ended up making it by the skin of our teeth to play Metronome. The show was great though.

Does playing as many gigs as you guys do change the show at all each time?

We always like to mix things up. Recently we’ve got into the habit of writing new songs on stage, especially if someone breaks a string.

What can people expect from the show in October?

People can expect our funky new single Creatures of the Night, out October 25. Other than that, we don’t plan that far ahead. If we bump into someone the day before who can play something like a sax or accordion then they’ll probably be onstage with us.

Any other local acts you’d recommend?

Marvin’s Revenge, Wizards Can’t Be Lawyers, Saffron, Sex Toy Vending Machine, Zak Thrasher, Skits Wizards, Rights for Flies, Sam Shaw and the Real Eyes, PASTE and Goodgoodbye. leftlion.co.uk/issue176 13

TOTALLY HOOKED The term legend can be thrown around a lot in music nowadays, but only a select few truly deserve the tag. From his iconic basslines to his enduring work with Joy Division and New Order, Peter Hook is one-such artist. As he sets his sights on a return to Nottingham to play New Order’s Substance albums in full, we had a whirlwind chat with Hooky about his life in music.

You’re bringing Substance back to Nottingham again, the last time was 2017 – what do you think it is about these songs that has helped them to endure over the last 45 years?

Songwriting is an art that is almost impossible to teach.

If you go to all these music colleges, you don’t see many courses on songwriting. A lot of courses are on playing music, production and road crew, but teaching someone to write a song – which AI has found to its chagrin – is almost impossible.

When you consider the technological revolution that took place in the 1980s, New Order were very well placed with Blue Monday, Thieves Like Us, Perfect Kiss, Temptation, Everything’s Gone Green. We were right there at the forefront of it, using Joy Division’s money to purchase these wonderful machines.

To my knowledge, we were one of the only working class, post-punk bands. A lot of them were middle class, because that was the only way that you could afford the technology. It really was a golden period and a golden sound.

And have you noticed a new generation of fans coming along to the shows and hearing these iconic songs live for the first time?

When I started in 2010, the audience would be full of fat old blokes like me, relishing the old days. Now we’ve got a whole new audience. All that I’m guilty of is loving Joy Division and New Order’s music – and it seems quite strange to even say that.

But I realised in 2010 when I first started playing it again, that there were people who loved it as much as me. And wherever they are and whoever they are, I am delighted to go and play for them, I really am.

The thing is a lot of us youngsters have grown into old duffers, who play these songs to our kids and the kids seem to delight – with the help of a few good cover versions – in celebrating the music just as much as we do.

You mentioned it was a revolutionary time for music and you were really at the centre of it all. Do you remember much about those early days?

It does cross my mind quite a lot, if I hadn’t gone that night to see the Sex Pistols.

Getting inspired to start a band, and then, achieving what I’ve done - not only

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with one band but with two - is quite incredible!

It was an amazing inspiration and yet the inspiration, musically, was actually awful – the Sex Pistols sounded awful! I wouldn’t have thought I could play music, if they hadn't. I didn’t even own a musical instrument at that point! I was simply moved by the attitude.

Those episodes in music that I was very lucky to be at – from punk to post-punk to new romantics. We then had acid house with the Hacienda, we then went into Madchester. You’ve not seen much happen in popular music that hasn’t been influenced by those earlier events.

Peter Hook & The Light have been going for almost fifteen years – when you started revisiting your back catalogue in 2010, did you envisage yourself still touring with The Light more than a decade later?

When New Order split up in 2007, I wasn’t sure that I would ever play music again. I DJed for five years all over the world and it was great to be paid to play other people’s music - but I really missed playing my own. When I started playing it again, I never thought I would be at Nottingham Rock City in 2017 or coming back in 2024. But I found my niche with people that love the music.

You know New Order – I call them New Odour now – they play a very limited snapshot of New Order’s music and don’t vary the set much. The biggest variance in the set that they’ve done is playing Joy Division, as they felt that I had stolen it from them. So that’s great, at least the fans get to hear both of us do it, so there’s that nice aspect to it.

I actually worked out the other day that I’ve been playing with Pottsy (David Potts, guitarist) longer than I’d been playing with Barney (Bernard Sumner, New Order), how weird is that?!

To be able to play those songs with a smile on your face is the nicest thing in the world.

Do you remember much of that last Substance show here in Notts, or have any particularly fond memories of playing in Nottingham?

We played at Rock City that time and it was a big gig for us. When we arrived in the afternoon

for the soundcheck they had all these Hell’s Angels as humpers (bouncers). We were there going through our smart phase, 80s tie and jacket you know. And I remember these Hell’s Angels bullying us on the way past like ‘Don’t scuff your shoes you knob!’

Hearing a full Rock City sing Love Will Tear Us Apart was such an amazing experience at the last Substance show here, I imagine it’s like that everywhere you go – would you say it is your favourite song to play for that reason?

Some guy was asking me if I get sick of playing it and honestly, I don’t. Don’t forget, I didn’t play it for thirty years! I think in thirty years we played it twice and that was because our manager, Rob Gretton, God rest his soul, begged us to for his birthday.

But no, I’m delighted and again, I’m very proud of what we achieved as Joy Division. Funnily enough I was just telling someone that we wrote Love Will Tear Us Apart in two hours. We started Wednesday night and then Ian said to us as he was leaving that night, ‘Oh I’ve got an idea for some lyrics for that – I’ll come in on Sunday’. Because we used to practise on a Wednesday and a Sunday, the practice place was £3 an hour so two days was all we could afford.

He came in on Sunday, he had the words and then we just did it – so from start to finish, it was like two hours.

And my god, it’s still here 45 years later. My wife said to me ‘you’ll be playing that at your bloody funeral!’ and I said ‘I bloody hope so!’

When you look back now on everything you’ve accomplished, does the impact of it all hit home?

I think with New Order, we were very much a cornerstone of that Manchester revolution, that became an English revolution, and eventually took over the world through Oasis, Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses – it was huge, very powerful stuff.

I do count myself as very lucky but also, you’re celebrating something that’s very important to people so you cannot let them down.

I’ll leave that to New Odour!

Peter Hook & The Light will play Rock City on Friday 18 October

interview: Karl Blakesley photo: Ivan Karczewski

To my knowledge, we were one of the only working class, post-punk bands. A lot of them were middle class, because that was the only way that you could afford the technology. It really was a golden period and a golden sound

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Get Crooked words: Sophie Gargett photos: Magda Kuczmik

Among the array of shop fronts in Sneinton Market, one you are not likely to miss is the vividly colourful Megan Crook. In addition to The Textile Guru, her separate fabric and haberdashery store, Megan Crook designs, sews and sells her own range of vibrant and quirky clothing, with a focus on inclusivity, sustainability and fun.

We went along to chat to Megan to hear more…

For any with a magpie eye for texture, colour and craftiness, walking into Megan Crook’s store is a feast for the senses. Prismatic kimonos, chunky patterned knits and luxurious velvet snoods hang on the racks, piles of fabric and reels of ribbon are stacked up around the walls and sewing machines are stationed at the ready - even the mezzanine ceiling is painted in bright rainbow stripes.

The room exudes creativity and cosiness.

As I sit down to chat with Megan, amongst the shimmer and swirls, it becomes clear that her personality and passion are the cornerstones of the business. She recently returned from a 24 day stint at Edinburgh Fringe, plus arts markets in the Derbyshire villages of Wirksworth and Melbourne, which are just three of the fifty or so events she does each year. Like many small businesses, it’s a labour of love, but one that is spreading joy to wearers across the world. “I am a firm believer that what we wear can really elevate how we feel, and what we project, and everyone deserves to feel fabulous,” she tells me.

There are three stands to the Crook empire; the central collection (simply titled Megan Crook) is described as the ‘artistic auntie’, full of cosy patterned knits, kimonos, flowy skirts and maxi cardigans for everyday wear; sister brand ‘Get Crooked’ centres on bright, fun festival wear with an eccentric, out-there edge; and The Textile Guru, a fabric and haberdashery haven located in a separate unit in the market.

16 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

Megan tells me how her love for creating clothing began in the early 2000s when she was a teenager in the United States. “I was a waitress and I used to spend all of my tips on knitwear from the most expensive shop in town,” she explains. “I thought, ‘Oh, I better learn how to knit and I'll save some money’ and then I just spent all of my tips on yarn. And so it began.”

After moving to the UK, Megan worked mainly from home, the rooms packed with fabrics and offcuts. She moved to Sneinton Market five years ago and hasn’t looked back.

“I'm so grateful for this space and what the community here in Nottingham has offered, because I've always felt really welcomed here,” she says. “I think it's nice to be able to wear what you want and people really celebrate it.

They're like, ‘Wow, you look great!’ and it's like it makes them smile rather than giving the side eye.”

Across the racks there are baggy patchwork jackets with satin linings, jazzy unwired crop tops and knitted jumpers in fun patterns. I am particularly drawn to the flares, arm warmers, turbans, and dungaree jumpsuits, all made with soft velvet in a range of muted colours. I can imagine wearing these loungy pieces whilst working from home no more answering the door under a pile of drab jumpers or feeling the need to get changed out of comfy clothes for a video call.

In the post-pandemic age, combining comfort with style is integral in much of today’s fashion, and along with

colour and texture, cosiness and wearability are central in Megan’s designs. “I am really passionate about making garments that feel good. The quality of the fabric and how tactile it is,” Megan says. “The number of customers we get that have sensory issues and want fabrics that are comfortable to wear… Comfort is key. I think it’s really important to make garments you want to live in.”

Fast fashion brands such as Shein and Boohoo, with their glut of ethical and environmental issues, feel like a slightly stale service station sandwich compared to the flavourful feast on offer here. It’s infectious too - after just a few minutes in the store I not only feel the urge to invite more colour into my wardrobe, but also to slow down, and consider treating myself to something ethically and locally made.

“For me, there's different layers to inclusivity. We do have things that are more of an investment piece and that's because they have a higher material cost and they take longer to make, but we also have things that are priced at a budget so that they're more affordable for everyone,” Megan explains.

Along with fair pay for her trusty team of seamstresses, weaving sustainability into the business is another important pillar, from simple measures such as using biodegradable packaging and swapping plastic heavy elements such as sequins for similarly iridescent fabrics, to considering the longevity of the clothing and implementing a zero waste policy on scraps.

Comfort is key.

I think it’s really important to make garments you want to live in “We have absolutely no fabric waste, whatsoever, and I don't know how many other brands can genuinely say that. That’s something I’m incredibly proud of. But it does cost more for us to do that, so we’re constantly going through our offcuts, squaring them off, making patchwork or making scrap bags which we donate,” she explains.

Juggling the demands of a small business in the current economic climate without cutting corners on sustainability, pay and quality is surely a tricky balance, but Megan is determined to keep going. “It is turbulent times for small businesses. Everyone knows it - we hear it from all sides,” Megan says. “But I feel like I have to keep on digging my heels in. I have to prove that there’s a more sustainable way and surely you can run a creative business in fashion with integrity.”

As someone who regularly defaults to darker colours, which can feel a little drab in the winter months, I asked Megan what her advice would be for people wanting to explore using colour a little more.

“I appreciate that it's not in everyone's comfort zone, so I would suggest starting with accessories. Having colour next to the face can really lift the complexion, and then pops of colour throughout your outfit is a great way to add more of it,” Megan advises. “When in doubt come and have a try on session with me instead!”

Visit Megan Crook at Unit 15, Sneinton Market, or browse her range of clothing and accessories online at megancrook.com @megancrooktextiles leftlion.co.uk/issue176 17

Soaring Ahead

words: Phil Booth, Phil Taylor & Karl Blakesley photos: James Birtwhistle & Nigel King

From the headquarters of a fruit and vegetable wholesaler near Sneinton Market to one of Nottingham’s best loved recording studios and truly intimate, DIY music venues - it’s been quite a journey for JT Soar.

When Phil Booth and his business partners Joe and Nick first took over the space at number 2 Aberdeen Street, they saw beyond an empty concrete room with metal grilles and a scooter garage next door. Their vision was to create something truly special: a recording studio, rehearsal and gig space, with a truly barrier-free ethos in all senses of the word.

Now fifteen years later, JT Soar celebrates its decade-and-a-half anniversary since it first opened its doors, marking the occasion with a “two-day, one stage, all killer-no filler line-up” of some of Phil Booth’s favourite bands. Ahead of what is being billed as ‘JT Soar Fest’, we asked staff, promoters, bands and community members to share their favourite memories of JT Soar, and outline what makes it so special.

Jordan Oakley (Pinch Points / Delivery) “As an Australian, I feel so lucky to have been able to go to JT Soar three times over the past few years. Every time we’re there, there’s such a warm community vibe.

My favourite experience would have to be when Pinch Points played there in 2023 with Scene Killers, Instant Bin and Little Landing. We went and had a drink at Neon Raptor who made us a special run of canned beers for the night, which was delightful! The gig itself rocked too. Adam and I stayed at Nick’s house that night and had a very fun time playing Elden Ring until the wee hours, with some snacks and cans from the off-licence!”

Will Robinson (I’m Not From London) “All early I’m Not From London (INFL) releases were recorded in a home studio that INFL's first soundmen/ producers (Phil Booth, Danny Clarke and Mat Thomas) had prior to moving in with Captain Dangerous at JT Soar. Phil led the crew, making the quintessential DIY powerhouse recording studio and gig venue that it is today. With the studio as a business focus, the gigs are more laissez-faire which is why it works so amazingly.

I also had an amazing birthday there, Ponyand, Moonbullet and Dim Bulbs all playing - congratulations to you JT, fifteen years! What a great thing it is you've created.”

Nick Oakden (EFBAS / Myopics / JT Soar) “It's 2013 - a bass player yells 12341234 so fast that the syllables blur together. The band crash into song #34 of their 25-minute, seventy-song set. The singer crawls through people's legs, climbs onto a shelf, and puts a lampshade on his head. He yells wildly, looking down at a crowd that has never seen anything like it.

This is A Page of Punk, and they've come all the way from Tokyo, relying on borrowed gear, promoters with sofas, and the goodwill of a friend with a van. That the show is happening at all is a DIY miracle.”

Sophie Diver (Rough Trade / No Peeling) “What guarantees DIY joy more than the iconic sharpie-collage of a zine-inspired JT Soar gig poster?

18 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

Nothing. So, imagine my excitement of first appearing on a JT lineup in photocopy grayscale glory.

From the BYOB vibe, the lending library, to sharing homemade chilli - JT is good people. The loveliness is reflected in the audience you'll find there too, sometimes sitting cross-legged and always listening intently. I feel like I'm reading scripture, but it's just a poem about pigeons. I still save all those posters.”

Alex Hale (ACHB / All Hale DIY) “JT Soar has been such a large part of my life over the last 15 years, that it would be fair to say I've forgotten more of my visits there than I can actually remember!

Nonetheless, my favourite memory (hazy though it definitely is) is of abusing my status as a JT regular and hosting my thirtieth birthday party there in 2018, booking seven or eight friends to play acoustic slots, then overstaying my welcome with a ninety minute (!!!) headline set. It was a grand, self-indulgent affair, complete with a near life sized cardboard cutout of myself. Not the sort of thing I'd dare try anywhere else… but then again, I wouldn't want to try it anywhere else.”

JT Soar is fertile soil for punks, weirdos and creative freaks of all descriptions. Defend it! Treasure it! Long live JT Soar!

Fan Club Notts “Tacocat and JUNK - Monday 2 May, 2016. Tacocat - fresh from performing at a Bernie Sanders rally, being retweeted by Gillian Anderson and recording an updated theme song for The Powerpuff Girls - took on JT Soar like they were walking on stage at a sold-out arena. It was the first time Fan Club put on an event at JT Soar and we were welcomed with open arms to make the space, with an intimacy that feels like your own living room, our own. The sold-out show whizzed by in a blur of singalongs, sequins, temporary tattoos, zines and glitter.”

Marrit Meinema (Lewsberg / The Klittens / Real Farmer) “I’ve been lucky to have played there with three of my bands and the first time I remember being so happy to play on the floor rather than a stage. It’s a small room but very cosy and the people that come to the shows are so friendly. Phil had cooked a great vegan chilli, and I got to speak a little Dutch with Nat from Stuart Pearce.

Stopping at JT during a UK tour is always a treat and it feels like visiting family - as cheesy as it may sound, it’s the truth.”

Nathy / Martha “Not long after Martha first started, we toured the UK with two US artists - Spoonboy and Delay. JT took a chance on us and booked us a gig.

The night itself was so great, then the next morning Martha and Spoonboy somehow found time to record four songs with Phil before we set off to the next town. They ended up coming out as a split 7” - a great document of that time and how bursting with life the place was, and still is now. Almost a decade later, we went back to the refurbished studio to record our most recent LP, Please Don’t Take Me Back. A nice full circle moment.

JT Soar is fertile soil for punks, weirdos and creative freaks of all descriptions.

Defend it! Treasure it! Long live JT Soar!”

Dan Russell (The Lubberfiend / Horrid / The Hipshakes) “The honour of the third band to ever play JT Soar goes to The Hipshakes, in our expanded ‘bass player moved to America’ formation, featuring my brother and Carl of Bruce and Carl (who also played that night). The excellent Real Numbers headlined with Shaun from Real Losers/City Yelps on drums.

Possibly my first encounter with the affable Phil Booth, with the gig upstairs in a quarter-finished recording studio.”

Amy Leggett (JT Soar / National Justice Museum / Little Landing) “I'm Amy, the door person who you'll meet at every Coffee Beat show. I really enjoy meeting folks and helping them have a great night. Over the years this has meant anything from help with parking, exotic drink suggestions from Murats (local BYOB off-licence), to buying fifty ice poles to abate heat stroke.

My favourite memory is from Halloween 2013 when we spooked up the venue, which included changing the sign to JT Goar! Phil had nudged pyjama adorned (because they were ‘dead tired’) Ace Bushy Stripetease to play Monster Mash. They absolutely nailed it and everyone had a boogie. I'd never had a song dedicated to me before, so that's a special one for me.”

everyone chipping in to help. We all ate together before the gig and hung out together on the street between performances. The gig, like many at JT Soar, reminded me that an alternative to the dominant individualistic, capitalist, soulless, nihilistic model of cultural production is not an idealistic fantasy. It is DIY for real.”

Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo / Group Listening) “I played at JT Soar on the last gig of the last Sweet Baboo tour (2023). It was a 2-for-1 odyssey, playing a matinee and an evening show. Both sold out, a great way to finish a month of touring.

Phil and Amy made me feel very welcome; they fed me (twice), I went to look for a Nottingham Forest boot bag, and I had a snooze in the studio. Love it up there, loads of old synths and weird looking guitars - how I imagine my studio would look. My son is well into Sleaford Mods, so I thought it would impress him that I'd been to JT Soar, and it did - never been so cool.”

Tom Ainsley (Neon Raptor) “This magical corner of Sneinton has had me stumbling in late to a sit-down singalong of Que Sera Sera (awkward first visit!), as well as me - and others - falling down several times during a raucous set by hip New York punks, Big Eyes (painful second visit!).

I once travelled back from Australia just to see a band called Priests and another time we brewed a beer at Neon Raptor specifically for Australian post punkers Pinch Points, who seem to love the venue as much as the locals. JT Soar is a comforting hug, and often that hug is both figurative and literal!”

Fran Vaney (Fan Club / Noisy Hearts DIY) “Queer Fest Nottingham was an annual summer event at JT Soar and my first experience was 2014’s Winter Ball.

Chrissy Barnacle brought a beautiful vulnerability to the room and I bought Block Fort’s CD as soon as their set ended. KINKY closed the night and had the room clamouring for an encore - despite having played their full discography, they obliged with a repeated song. I'd only moved to Nottingham two months prior, but Queer Fest and JT Soar made it feel like home.”

JT Soar’s 15th Anniversary will be celebrated with a special two-day festival at The Old Cold Store on 2 & 3 November.

Marty Toner (Buttonpusher / A-tota-so / Myopics) “One of my all-time favourite shows was our Christmas party with Chiyoda Ku and Ganglions. We had all the bands make their own signature punch for the audience and there was plenty of crowd surfing and party vibes that night. I’ll never forget the absinthe punch and Callum from Chiyoda Ku chomping on the cucumber that had soaked up loads of said punch!”

Matthew Hamblin (Rammel Club) “A gig that typified the main reason I love JT Soar: a sense of community. There were tech issues that were resolved by leftlion.co.uk/issue176 19

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Blooming at Broadmarsh Mr J Pollard leftlion.co.uk/issue176 21

Heart and Coal

The end of September saw the closure of the UK’s last remaining coal-fired power station: Ratcliffe-onSoar. Environment Editor Adam Pickering reflects on the past and future of this instantly recognisable Nottinghamshire landmark, the conflicted feelings that around it, and how it could be re-purposed in the years to come.

What feelings does the end of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, and the possible demolition of its iconic cooling towers, stir in you? Is it sadness and loss, or a sense of excitement and possibility for the future… a clean break from the past?

For people in Nottinghamshire and its surrounds, these towers are a beacon. A geographical marker for many, a totem of impending climate doom for some, and a historic symbol of industrial England. A mess of love, loathing, optimism and regret. A tangle of our past, present, and possible futures. These plain and brutal concrete structures aggregate meaning, history and hope.

Great Britain’s last coal-fired energy generation facility, Ratcliffe produced a sizeable 1% of the country’s territorial greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. Its closure marks not just the end of a major industrial site but the end of the UK’s coal era, in a region shaped more than most by the sooty stuff. After September 30 2024, an island that birthed coal-fired power itself in 1882 becomes, when Ratcliffe is switched off, the first of the wealthy G7 nations to turn off the coal-fired lights 142 years after switching them on for the very first time.

A destination for protest since at least the 1980s miners’ strike, Ratcliffe leaves a lasting impact on Britain's justice system, and the landscape of political power and protest. The site was a focus of some of environmental activism’s first major forays into communicating the catastrophic science of CO2 to the public. Here, we unearth the subterranean seams of state capitulation to the death cult of extractive capitalism and eternal growth on a finite planet.

Our home is marked and scarred by these modern megaliths, but still made more sacred by their presence in our skyline The infamous Spy Cops scandal, in which local environmental activists whose Climate Camp attempted to symbolically shut down the power station, were targeted by undercover police - who also fathered children with activists under false identities - and the ongoing Undercover Policing Enquiry, is a tale set in these lands. For all the abuse suffered, these activists leave a heroic legacy that stretches beyond their initial goal. The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar signals a tentative victory in the climate fight, offering some assurance that the fossil fuel economy is creaking, albeit slowly, to a halt.

Politics aside, the cooling towers that have watched over and provided us with literal power and light for over 56 years, as well as a cultural and physical landmark, are in danger of being demolished.

As the exploratory People vs Power (PVP) workshops hosted by creatives William Harvey and Ryan Boultby demonstrated, few in the local community actually want to see them torn down. Countless ideas for ways they can be given new creative or recreational leases of life have come forth, some even imagine how they could be turned into new, vibrant, floating, ecocentric (and yes, a little eccentric) communities.

“Today, the redevelopment of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station can incorporate more ideas from the community by slowing down the decision-making process.

Halt the rapid redevelopment, creating time and space, re-think a moment of transition and ensure fair representation”, PvP says in the study’s closing remarks.

A local engineer, William Hendry-Prophet, is building a case for repurposing the site for closed looped geothermal energy generation: using heat from underground reservoirs. It’s mostly set up for it, he says, and of course wellconnected to the grid. There is precedent internationally and the geology is being looked into, with ground explorations already undertaken by BP decades ago.

Hendry-Prophet feels that it is a “huge waste to get rid of these cooling towers, and the site as a whole”, a construction which involved so many hours of labour and tonnes of concrete.

Our home is marked and scarred by these modern megaliths, but somehow made more sacred by their presence in our skyline. To write such a short obituary for these world destroyers, totems of progress, providers in the most literal sense of jobs and power to so many, is impossible in words alone. The images here, from Long Eaton based photographer Steve Cole, will evoke far stronger feelings in local souls than words and facts.

Whatever the future holds for the site as its coal-burning days reach an end, Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station’s light will keep shining. Like those familiar plumes, its legacy hangs thickly in the air - in the memories of those who worked there and lived their lives in its shadow, and beyond in the climate mess coal leaves behind.

22 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

words: Adam Pickering photos: Steve Cole

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 23

interview: Gemma Cockrell photo: Polocho

Asking Equestrian

If you’re looking for a fresh and fast-rising guitar band to get excited about, look no further than Newquay-formed quartet Wunderhorse, who released their acclaimed second album Midas back in August. Ahead of a sold-out headline show at Rock City this month, we spoke to frontman Jacob Slater about the ethos behind the record and his past experiences playing live in Notts.

Midas isn’t too overproduced, which a lot of artists fall victim to with their second albums, particularly after successful debuts. How did you stop yourselves from trying to perfect it too much?

I think we learned some lessons from the first one. So much of who we are is us as a live band, and I don’t think that was represented as well as it could have been on the first record.

We wanted to make sure we nailed that this time. Part of playing live is that it’s unpredictable, and things go wrong. We wanted to capture that on the record, which is obviously a bit of a risk, especially in this day and age, which is a bit obsessed with perfection – whatever that means. But it was something we were all united on.

People are often critical of sophomore albums. How did you keep your heads down and block out all of the noise?

I work best, and the band works best, in isolation – not being too overstimulated while we’re working. So, that was definitely part of it. There was some pressure, definitely, but I try to keep those thoughts as far away as possible, and think about what we want to do, and what we are trying to achieve. When we turned up to the studio, we had all of these ideas but most of them didn’t fly. So, we had to write a lot of the record in the studio. But once it started flowing, it became apparent that it was going to work.

How did leaving the modern world behind shape your songwriting and creative processes?

It’s hard to say because you get caught up in the process.

You’re almost too close to it to analyse it. But I think it helped us to keep it concise. Everything we did was in keeping with what was already there. If you start to let outside influences creep in, it distorts your reality slightly. I think being in an isolated place, with no contact with the outside world, allowed us to look at ourselves in a world of our own design. I think that’s why the album makes so much sense now, as a whole, and the songs co-exist really well together because they’re all from the same pool – the same place. They all generated from a weird netherworld we created for ourselves.

The album is ten tracks long, which is in line with the trend which seems to be emerging of shorter track lists lately. Was this intentional?

That’s always been an aim for us, when we’re on tour and

24 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

bored, Harry (guitarist) and I always go through our favourite records, and try and see if there’s anything which shouldn’t be in there, and reduce it down to the really essential tracks.

There’s always going to be people who like certain tracks more than others, but each track should serve a purpose, and do a job that none of the other tracks do, but be in keeping with them at the same time. It’s a balancing act you have to do when making a record.

That was an idea instilled in us by Craig, the producer, who has worked in this business for thirty years, maybe more. He changed the way we thought about music and records. He saw them as a world, not just a collection of songs. It’s its own living thing.

We always try to keep some sort of spontaneity and unknowingness in the set. It keeps it fun for us, and it reminds you that you’re a musician. It reminds you to listen to each other How does this differ to how you approached the first album?

I just didn’t know what I was doing! I still don’t, really, on a lot of fronts. I still have a lot to learn. But that first record, some of the songs I wrote when I was seventeen years old, and recorded when I was 23. So, six- or seven-years’ worth of songs. That was a collection of songs that I had bouncing around my head for too long. I just wanted to get them out.

So, it was a little more disjointed in terms of the writing. This album was from such a short bracket of time, within a few months really. It makes more sense as a body of work.

This time around, the process was a lot more collaborative between yourself and your bandmates. What was that like?

It was good. I’m still writing the main bones of the songs, the chords and the lyrics. Having everyone around as I was doing that, to build on what I was doing as I was doing it, rather than at a later date, and having too much time to think about it – there was no time to think, there was only time to do. The other guys all jumped in really quick, and came up with their parts, and added things that I think, in the heat of

the moment, I wouldn’t have been able to do, if I’d had time to think about it, and tried to take on some kind of musical director role. I think everyone’s innate personalities came through in a way that you can’t fake.

How has this changed your live show?

We try to mix up the live show as much as possible anyway.

I always try to throw everyone off, or one of us will try and throw the others off. One of us will start a song with something which isn’t the song, and find a way into it, or we’ll take an old song – something like Purple – and I’ll just keep playing the breakdown and everyone has to follow along. So, I think we always try to keep some sort of spontaneity and unknowingness in the set. It keeps it fun for us, and it reminds you that you’re a musician. It reminds you to listen to each other. If you’re not listening to each other, it’s all going to fall flat on its face and you’ll look stupid. Which can happen sometimes! You do run that risk.

Speaking of the live show, you’ve played in Nottingham plenty of times before, including Dot To Dot and The Bodega, and now you’re headlining Rock City. What’s your connection with the city?

People always seem to be up for it in Nottingham. We’ve never had a bad show up there. People seem to be hungry for it, which is all you can ever ask for from a crowd. They don’t seem to be a pretentious crowd or anything, which is good – because we can’t stand that!

Beyond this, what other moments on the tour are you looking forward to?

I’ve always wanted to play Brixton Academy, which we are doing, so that’s a big moment for us. Vicar Street in Dublin, too – it’s a hallowed ground, so many of my favourite artists have played there. We played it with Fontaines DC, so now to do it again, a night under our own steam, feels good. Those two will be good. And Barrowland – I’ve never been, but everyone says it’s the best venue in the world. So, I’m looking forward to seeing that.

Wunderhorse’s new album Midas was released on 30 August and their Rock City headline show will take place on 3 October.

@wunderhorse_

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 25

Call box office on 0115 952 6611 14-18 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AL Find us on social media @BroadwayCinema

WHAT’S ON

OCTOBER 2024

Discover our full programme at broadway.org.uk Tickets start from £5

Sign up to our weekly listings email

SEVEN SAMURAI – 4K RESTORATION (PG)

JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (CTBC)

SHAUN OF THE DEAD – 20TH ANNIVERSARY (15) A DIFFERENT MAN (15)

From Wed 2 Oct

From Fri 4 Oct

From Fri 4 to Sun 6 Oct

From Fri 4 Oct

Director Akira Kurosawa Starring Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune

Director Todd Phillips Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga

Director Edgar Wright Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

Director Aaron Schimberg Starring Sebastian Stan, Adam Pearson

Japan, 1954, 206 mins

USA, 2024, 138m

UK, 2004, 99m

USA, 2024, 112m

Featuring some of the greatest battle and action sequences ever filmed, and with memorable performances from the likes of Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is a must-see experience on the big screen.

The hugely anticipated follow-up to Joker takes the story in a direction no one expected: a musical co-starring Lady Gaga. Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, institutionalised at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker, and Gaga appears as Harley Quinn, the fellow troubled inmate Fleck falls for.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as Shaun and his best mate Nick who, after the zombie apocalypse descends, take it upon themselves to get their friends and family safely to the pub in Edgar Wright’s cult horror-comedy classic.

An ambitious New York actor undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.

JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

GLADIATOR – RE-RELEASE (15)

TIMESTALKER (CTBC)

THE APPRENTICE (CTBC)

BLACK DOG (12A)

From Fri 11 Oct

From Fri 11 Oct

From Fri 18 Oct

From Tue 22 to Thu 24 Oct

Director Ridley Scott Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix

Director Alice Lowe Starring Alice Lowe, Tanya Reynolds

Director Ali Abbasi Starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong

Director Guan Hu Starring Eddie Peng, Zhangke Jia

USA, 2000, 155m

UK, 2024, 96m

USA, 2024, 120m

China, 2024, 110m

Twenty four years after its original release, Ridley Scott’s Roman epic returns to the cinema ahead of the highly anticipated release of Gladiator II next month. Former Roman General Maximus sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family.

Director Alice Lowe’s vibrant second feature is a genre-defying romp – a karmic journey that sees its hapless heroine, Agnes, reincarnated every time she makes the same mistake: falling in love with the wrong man. A thrilling tale of misplaced affection, unrequited lust and revenge.

Starring Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, this controversial biopic - hitting screens weeks before the US election - charts Trump’s ascent to power in 1980s New York, through a Faustian deal with Cohn.

On the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a similarly lonely black dog.

THE TEACHER (12A)

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (12A)

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (CTBC)

DAHOMEY (PG)

From Tue 22 to Thu 24 Oct

From Tue 22 to Thu 24 Oct

From Fri 25 Oct

From Fri 25 Oct

MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

ENGLISH AND ARABIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Director Farah Nabulsi Starring Muhammad Abed Elrahman, Nabil Al Raee

Directors Alexandre de La Patellière / Matthieu Delaporte Starring Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon

Director Pedro Almodóvar Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton

Director Mati Diop Starring Gildas Adannou, Habib Ahandessi,

France, 2024, 178m

Spain/USA, 2024, 110m

France/Senegal, 2024, 68m

Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star in Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature film.

Two women rekindle a friendship after years without contact, immersing themselves in their pasts, sharing memories, art, and movies – until Martha has a request that will test their newly strengthened bond.

In this ghostly ‘fantasy documentary’, 26 objects from the Kingdom of Dahomey leave Paris and are returned to present-day Benin, West Africa. How should these art treasures, stolen from ancestors, be received in a country which has reinvented itself in their absence?

Palestine, 2023, 118m The parallel struggles of a Palestinian schoolteacher grieving the loss of his son and an American couple fighting to reclaim theirs from kidnappers propel writer-director Farah Nabulsi’s gripping feature debut, set and filmed in the West Bank.

THE CRIME IS MINE (CTBC) From Fri 25 Oct

FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Edmond Dantes becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years imprisoned, he pulls off a daring escape and, assuming the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.

Thu 17 - Sun 20 Oct 2024

FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Director François Ozon Starring Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Isabelle Huppert France, 2024, 104m In 1930s Paris, opportunity knocks for struggling actress Madeleine after a lascivious theatrical producer turns up dead - and she’s accused of his murder. The spotlight of the trial brings decadent stardom and success – until the truth comes out. A farce with a wily feminist edge. leftlion.co.uk/issue176 26rollicking

Mayhem returns to Broadway for its 20th edtion, bringing the best of international horror, sci-fi and cult cinema to Nottingham.

See mayhemfilmfestival.com for the full line-up and ticketing info.

words: CJ De Barra illustration: Celia Shiels

The hidden history of British Restaurants

Broad Street has been the heart of Hockley for several decades since Broadway Cinema opened in 1990. Today its surrounding businesses offer a diverse range of cuisine for those looking for some tasty snap. However, the space itself has played a bigger part in the community for far longer; CJ De Barra takes us back to the Second World War, when the site was a communal kitchen to feed the hungry during difficult times.

While most in Nottingham will know Broadway in its current iconic facade, the original building was constructed as a Wesleyan Chapel in 1839. With a cost of just £11,000 and featuring four Corinthian columns outside the front of the building, this was an incredible achievement considering the harsh recession that same year.

The space has had many uses over the years, predominantly as a film-related space or cinema. One of the more interesting yet lesser-known uses was as a British kitchen during World War II. The communal restaurants were an initiative by Britain’s Minister for Food, Lord Woolton to help feed struggling communities during the war years.

The overall aim was to improve the health and strength of a nation in a time before the creation of the NHS. They were designed to help those who had been bombed out of their homes or run out of ration coupons, and provide for men whose wives were involved in the war effort or evacuated.

Broad Street was one of many such kitchens across the country but Nottingham’s sixth to open. Some of the other locations included the densely populated areas of St. Ann’s and Sneinton. The local council was under pressure to get the communal kitchens open as quickly as possible in order to have them in place before the city was bombed.

Unfortunately, the kitchen doesn’t appear to have opened until 1942, just missing the Nottingham Blitz in 1941.

Considered the most serious air raid on Nottingham, 159 people were killed and hundreds injured when 95 aircraft attacked the city. It was officially opened on 9 April 1942 by the Lord Mayor, Louis Pilsworth. It was expected that the kitchen would do the most business out of any of the city centres due to its location. The other five previously opened locations were serving between 14 to 15,000 meals per week with new locations in Sherwood, Bulwell and Lenton being considered.

Broadway, or then the Wesleyan school room, was an obvious choice as it was in a good location and was commutable for most. If the nearby kitchens of St. Anns or Sneinton were full, it would not have been a long walk to Broad Street. It wasn’t just the communities that had British Kitchens as some opened at the site of coal mines such as Gedling Pit to feed the miners.

It wasn’t the first time the communal kitchen model had been used by the city. During the First World War, kitchens had been established on King Street with the same purpose.

Winston Churchill was said to be less than a fan of the term ‘communal kitchens’ so he told Lord Woolton the name was, "an odious expression, redolent of Communism and the workhouse. I suggest you call them British Restaurants.

Everybody associates the word 'restaurant' with a good meal."

The kitchen did not require coupons so people could supplement their small food rations to access a good meal.

Prices were kept low with meat and veg 7d, soup 2d, sweets 2d and tea 1d. They were self-service catering setups with customers going to a counter so that food could be kept as warm as possible. This was partially because of the realisation that vitamin C was perishable when food was kept for a long time in hot containers and it also reduced cooking times.

The food could be… interesting at times.

The Ministry created Woolton pie, which made a virtue of vegetables. It contained diced and cooked potatoes, cauliflower, swede, carrots, spring onion, vegetable extract if possible, and a tablespoon of oatmeal It was also possible to get a ‘cash and carry service’ or what we would call a takeaway today. You could purchase a meal to take away with you. This was often split and shared among poorer families. Although in Nottingham it was noted that more people preferred to sit in the kitchens to eat their meals.

The staff at Broad Street would decorate the kitchen for Christmas with whatever decorations they could find. They would also add festive food to the menus such as mince pies and puddings.

By 1943, there were over 2,000 British restaurants and many more set up across Nottingham. The largest was in

Basford which could seat 650 where they hoped to have the facilities to serve 1,500 lunches daily at the centre. On Broad Street, the kitchen also took part in an initiative instigated

by Winston Churchill in 1939 to encourage local people to stay at home instead of travelling far for their holidays. This was an effort to preserve fuel and prioritise travel for the military. It was also hoped that it might boost morale among those who were at home. Special attractions and features were put on locally to give people something to do with the kitchens advertising special lunches and teas for those attending.

The food could be… interesting at times. The Ministry created Woolton pie, which made a virtue of vegetables. It contained diced and cooked potatoes, cauliflower, swede, carrots, spring onion, vegetable extract if possible, and a tablespoon of oatmeal. The vegetables were cooked and cooled, placed in a pie dish sprinkled with chopped parsley and covered with a crust of potatoes or wholemeal pastry. It was served hot with brown gravy.

Despite being very popular with the public, British Restaurants were officially disbanded in 1947 while there were 1,850 left across the country. The government began to withdraw financially which meant they gradually closed although some remained open until the mid-fifties in cities. Some kitchens had made substantial losses but had been viewed as ‘insurance’ in case the worst happened.

This was despite a visit to the Broad Street kitchen by Sir Frederick Sykes, a British military officer and politician who, while praising the kitchen for its airiness and cleanliness, predicted the ‘social experiment’ could be needed for another two to three years.

It’s unclear when the Broad Street kitchen closed but by 1949 newspaper reports it was still open. Much was made of the facilities being impressively modern. This included the use of a washing machine so that dishes could be quickly washed, sterilised and heat-dried. A three-course meal by this time cost 1s 4d.

The church and its school were closed in 1954 with the building converted into a theatre, and in 1990 Broadway Cinema opened, making Broad Street the cultural hub we know today. leftlion.co.uk/issue176 27

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28 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

Having a Laugh Now in its sixteen year, the Nottingham Comedy Festival is back to alleviate any seasonal gloom in November, with comedy talents from across the country scheduled for a visit to our city. We spoke to Festival Director Helen Stead and some of the comedians involved about what laughs we can expect from their performances.

Helen Stead - Comedy Festival Director Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedy festival director?

After I left university I got involved in the local improv comedy scene. I realised how much talent there was in Nottingham but no one was celebrating it. Being recent graduates, myself and a friend decided to do it ourselves and our first festival took place in 2009, fifteen years later we are now celebrating our sixteenth festival.

What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?

The scene in Nottingham is fantastic, it has grown a lot in the past few years. We now have a wide variety of comedy nights and many great local comedians. There is something for everyone in Nottingham, most nights of the week you'll be able to find some sort of comedy going on.

Sum up your show in one sentence…

137 shows in eighteen venues over ten days featuring a wide variety of comedy, something for every taste.

If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be?

With over 130 shows I can't recommend one act over another. So my recommendation is to go and see your favourites and take a gamble on acts you don't know. You never know, you may find your new favourite.

The Mayor (from 'The Mayor and His Daughter') Venue: Fishergate Point Studios Date: Sunday 10 November | 2pm Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?

My daughter and I first heard about comedy three weeks ago. We were digging with our hands in the woods when we came upon a nest of DVDs containing an anthology of clowns - most notably Russell Howard. We then realised that sketch comedy was the answer to our prayers!

What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?

Nottingham is the pond from which slipped many of our favourite comedy influences, most notably John Bird of satirical liars Bremner, Bird and Bremner, but also Su Pollard, Joe Dempsie, and former Barnardo's director Mary Johnson.

Sum up your show in one sentence…

I am the Mayor and this is my Daughter; we have come a long way and we don’t want to upset anyone.

If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be?

The whole Wormhole Weekend will be spectacular, but if I were to mark out an exclusion zone of excellence, I would ensure it contained the whereabouts of The Glang Show.

Harry Ford Venue: The Embankment Date: Sunday 10 November Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?

In 2019, a fortune teller told me, “I see lots of people laughing at you in your future.” There and then, I decided I was going to be a comedian. Later that day, I fell over while running for a bus and realised she had been trying to warn me.

What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?

There’s something about the Midlands that brings out the best in comedians and audiences. Loads of the best new acts have come from Nottingham (on an unrelated note, I was born in Queen’s Medical Centre).

Sum up your show in one sentence…

A prematurely middle-aged twenty-something knitwear enthusiast travels to Brazil to meet a Tinder match in person, and hijinks ensue.

If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be?

Harrie Dyer is one of the most naturally funny people I have ever met and she once gave me poptarts as a pre-gig snack, so I will always recommend seeing her.

Ava Liversidge Venue: Fishergate Point Date: Sunday 10 November Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?

I made a bus driver laugh so hard he crashed the bus. A promoter that happened to be a passenger offered me a paid headline gig on the spot. Never looked back.

What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?

I feel like the scene benefits well from the extensive and well integrated colour coded public transport system that makes it easy to travel within the city and surrounding areas.

Sum up your show in one sentence…

A friend will be provided upon entry, that friend is Ava Liversidge If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be?

Katie Mitchell is an act who is always doing really interesting things. I highly recommend her show, Spine Hygiene on the 9 November.

The Nottingham comedy festival takes place between 1 and 10 November. nottinghamcomedyfestival.co.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue176 29

30 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

literature

As I write this column, it is a balmy morning. A heron, absconded from the nearby Attenborough wetlands, perches boastfully on a steel bench, dipping its beak in a pot of sriracha hummus my hummus.

If you happen to be a Korean/Moroccan birdwatcher, maybe you’d know better than to leave this spicy intercontinental dip within dunking-range of a heron, but today I’ve been too naive, too engrossed in Alan Sillitoe’s famous short story collection The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

Perhaps the heron, above all other birds, embraces the spirit of tapas.

I find life in my late 20s to be a bit like tapas - for the majority of the day I just want a drip-feed of patatas bravas, but people keep telling me that I should try things. I’m glad, at least, that I’ve dipped into Alan Sillitoe - the real deal at last, Nottingham’s poet laureate of ‘up yours’.

My favourite story in this book (aren’t short story collections a bit like tapas, too?) is The Fishing-boat Picture, in which a middle aged postman goes into a local pawn-shop, and finds there a beautiful painting that he gave to his ex-wife back when they were lovingly married.

They’re still good friends, so why hasn’t she asked him for money instead of selling this unique gift?

The answer is a perfectly formed crystal of fiction, but I must warn you not to read it in public if you don’t like surreptitiously wiping the corners of your eyes. And definitely don’t get so busy reading that you leave your hummus unattended.

Q @andrewtucker.uk

illustration: Jim Brown

Get to Know Us words: Jonathan Doering

Award-winning Midlands writer and activist A.M. Dassu is heading to Nottingham to present her panel, Writing while Muslim. We got the scoop behind her inspiring journey…

One of A.M. Dassu’s teachers nicknamed her ‘Zebedee’ - after the bouncing wizard from The Magic Roundabout Zebedee - because her mind just didn’t stop, and indeed she was already penning her first fiction at eight years old. After a useful apprenticeship writing for the Times Educational Supplement and more, her debut novel for middle grade readers, Boy, Everywhere, scooped up awards and ‘book of the year’ features - her follow up Fight Back was then shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie award.

Having lived in London and Manchester, Dassu is now back in the Midlands, talking about her forthcoming event at Nottingham Central Library.

Born in England, A.M.’s heritage takes in Iraq, India, Burma, Pakistan and Tanzania. A bookish child in 80s Leicester - then a beacon of ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity - she loved writing, but didn't think getting published was “something that someone like me could do.”

In many ways Leicester back then was a welcoming haven: “we grew up using one community centre - Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims.” Withstanding prejudice and social pressures, the current situation, she reckons, is less positive: “Obviously it's down to perceptions, but I feel that people have dissipated…. Now you've got a Christian community centre, a Muslim one, a Hindu one…. No one really comes together - unless you're interfaith.”

microaggressions in early job interviews inspired her to challenge prejudice. Not pursuing an English degree “was one of my biggest regrets, because I thought, if I'd studied English, maybe I’d have been published earlier. But my mum said, ‘What kind of writer would you have been? The experiences you've had, the people you've met… you wouldn't have written the books you do now.’”

It's a really special thing to live among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Stay connected and do as much as possible together, as one community, one voice Alongside a burgeoning career in the education sector and becoming a magistrate in her twenties, she was circling towards her true vocation.

As the seed took root, empathy and a desire to make a difference pushed leaves outwards. “When I started, I wrote blog posts… I wanted to say, this visibly Muslim woman is just like you.

She has the same hopes and fears, we aren’t that different. Then later I tried to show the same with the characters in all my books… They experience something extraordinary and through their daily lives you can connect to them.”

So, what would A.M. say to those in Leicester and other diverse cities?

“You're so lucky! It's a really special thing to live among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Stay connected and do as much as possible together, as one community, one voice… Together you can literally change the world, one step at a time.”

Dassu’s writing journey began to flower when she watched a film about refugee experiences - she was seized with the need to tell the stories of displaced people. Her passion lies in stories about shared humanity, and this led her to write for younger readers; Boy, Everywhere focuses on middle-class boy Sami, as he seeks asylum with his family in Britain following a horrific bombing during Syria’s civil war.

Dassu soon moved away to study Economics in London, hitting various glass ceilings and breaking several along the way; she has spoken movingly in a Royal Literary Fund essay about how

“Children are the toughest readers.

Within the first two pages, if they’re not gripped, they're gone… It's a challenge, but they’re open to new ideas and they crave justice. They haven't made their

decisions about people and life. It’s so hopeful to write for children. They give you hope!”

That desire to engage runs through Dassu’s work, including Fight Back, starring Aaliyah, who suffers a terrorist incident with her friends at a pop concert and deals with the racist backlash. “It was inspired by my son.

A boy at his school asked him, ‘Is your God a terrorist?’ He didn't understand why anyone would ask that, and I had to explain where this perception may have come from. I felt compelled to show, we all have far more in common than what divides us. For people to know it's okay, you’re safe, there are many more like us [peace-loving Muslims]. Maybe you should get to know us.”

Empathy is so powerful - yet fear and prejudice can sometimes seem more powerful. Nevertheless, despite tragedies in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, and political divisions in Britain, Europe, and America, “I try not to lose hope…

I remember how Aaliyah in Fight Back found her people. We’re stronger together. It's so important to find community, find the people who are speaking up, who feel others' pain, who want to see change. Always look for the good and don't lose hope. It's when you have hope that you're likelier to push for change.”

‘Writing while Muslim’ is running at Nottingham Central Library on Saturday 2 November, also featuring Farhana Shaikh ( founder, Dahlia Books) and Anam Zafar (award-winning literary translator). Details are available from fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk

amdassu.com

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 31 31

environment

Back to our roots... words: Adam Pickering photos: Adam Pickering & Fraser Youngson

Whether it’s a hunger for connection with nature, or healthier, nutrient rich food, allotment gardening has seen a surge in interest in recent years. In the face of towering waiting lists for council-run plots, Roots Allotments are shaking things up with a fresh approach. Environment Editor Adam Pickering visited their new Nottingham patch to find out what the excitement’s all about.

It’s a blustery day in Ruddington as I arrive at Roots Allotments. Traversing the former agricultural field, chamomile and other wildflowers line the dirt track, and funky, playful signs - ‘trespassers will be composted’, ‘no dig, no chemicals, good vibes only’, greet me in. Hundreds of plots are set out, a sea of cardboard lined rectangles, heavily mulched with inches of compost. It smells wonderful. A large fabric teepee and various seating areas distinguish it from the norm.

The first mention of modern allotments in the UK dates back to the late 1500s. Where common land depended on for subsistence by the masses was privatised during enclosure of the commons, small parcels of land were allotted back to tenants. In the 20th century the World Wars led to a peak in the movement, with 1.4 million plots in 1943. This declined to around 500,000 plots by the 1970s, and 297,000 by 1996.

In recent times concerns about industrial agriculture, food security, and awareness of the benefits of food growing and organic approaches for our health, nature and the climate, have led to a resurgence. By 2022 there were 330,000 plots on UK council owned sites, with 100,000 people on waiting lists - some topping eighteen years. It’s in this context that Roots Allotments sprouted, opening up a new avenue for amateur food growers.

For Nat Hurst, Roots’ Ruddington Patch Manager, the benefits of growing food are obvious; “mental health, physical health, nutritional foods, exercise, our food miles and the environmental impacts of growing your own food, it just ticks all the boxes.” Having formerly done activism and green politics, she came to the conclusion that growing food ourselves was the best way we could have an impact individually.

What makes Roots different from traditional allotment sites? “There's no hedges for a start - most allotments I've been to have them, so they're very private. But the flip side of that is that when you've got your neighbours next to you, you've got this food community. We’ll give you an induction, talk about the basics of growing no-dig, chemical free” - gardening practices which seek to benefit nature and build soil health, espoused by the likes of Charles Dowding whose teachings are referenced on site - “then they make friends”.

“We’re also about making food growing accessible.

About 70% of the people here are completely new, we give them seeds, plug plants, and they get me here as their support to teach them the basics. It's quite daunting taking on a council allotment, you've often got six weeks worth of clearing to do before you’ve even gotten started. Here, you’re ready to grow.”

In the age of supermarket shopping and smartphones, where our hyper-connectedness has cultivated a weird disconnection, Roots’ purpose digs deeper than simply growing food, Nat explains. “A lot of people are coming for the sense of community. We have events, like I did a seed workshop last week, next we've got a thinning out workshop, we’ve got yoga on in the teepee”.

I'm a complete novice, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing, but it's just really lovely to be able to have conversations with people that you probably wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to meet Roots offers a shared tool shed, so you can turn up empty-handed, and your pre-mulched bed gets a yearly compost top-up in the no-dig style, as well as (excitingly, for me) endless woodchip. They’ll even water and weed your patch if you need them to give you some holiday cover. Space is at a premium compared to council plots, but you get a lot of productivity for less precious time put in, and the fees start at a very accessible £9.99 per month. They also offer 25% discount for blue light workers, students, and those on any form of governmental support “We're having a powerful impact on a very fresh bunch of people”, Nat continues. “Having conversations and talking about why we do no-dig and no chemicals plants seeds that will filter out into their lives, and it's a new audience”. Beyond food, they’re growing new, nature-conscious gardeners.

Casting around the site for budding growers, I meet Sarah, who says “I think it's really easy today to just get stuck into technology, and I really value those times being outside. There’s so much negativity around and it can get really depressing and disempowering. Roots’

whole ethos around community and nature friendly gardening is really important.”

Sarah feels like it’s a way she can make a difference, whilst making new connections; “I know that me and my single patch aren’t going to change the world, but when I look around this field, I think, well, community can change the world. I'm a complete novice, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing, but it's just really lovely to be able to have conversations with people that you probably wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to meet. Everyone’s really friendly.”

Couple Steve and Cherie are scouting out their new ‘permaculture’ plot. What’s that all about, then?

“It's a system for working with nature, using what nature does best, which is to create self-sustaining ecosystems, not wasting anything,” Steve explains.

What appeals about Roots in particular? “It’s the community side of it - not just getting people onto the land to grow their own food, but doing it in a way that’s interesting and giving people that training, as well as the no-dig and organic aspects.”

Cherie highlights how representative the mix of people it feels, and Roots’ partnership with local food bank Himmah, who they’ll donate excess produce to. As Cherie puts it, they make efforts toward “connecting with the wider community,” and offer free plots to local schools and other community groups.

Kate and her four year-old son Fred - who prefers to be referred to as ‘Farmer Fred’ - are coming down “pretty much every night” and have got themselves a plot alongside other young families, who have agreed that the kids are free to roam between their plots and pick each other's veg.

I ask Farmer Fred what excites him about growing food, and whilst he’s looking forward to the cauliflowers that are going in today appearing on their Christmas dinner plate, he says “I just love planting seeds and watching them grow.” Kate says it’s “like someone has brought Glastonbury to Nottingham.”

Roots bring a festival vibe to allotment gardening, and it’s a party everyone’s invited to.

Find out more and join in at rootsallotments.com/ ruddington-fields-nottingham

leftlion.co.uk/issue17633 33

34 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

community

Unos, dos, tres, Quantro! interview: Sharon Stevens

One of Notts first sound systems and originally called Iron City, Quantro Tone Sound System started as a hobby for nine bored young friends. They went on to support some iconic names in Reggae and Dub, from Don Sinclair to The Mighty Diamonds, and perform in cities across the country. On the day of their fifty year anniversary celebration at St Ann’s, we heard more from them about that golden era and how they’ve maintained their strong friendships over the decades.

The original members were Lenny, Robert, Kenneth, Leslie, Colin, Winston, and Eric as Iron City. Later, they were Quantro with Keith and Johnny. The 'box men' and bouncers were Desmond, Brown, Austin, Fisherman and Devon with Mr Brown and Trevor Mitchell acting as the trusty van drivers.

Where did Quantro Tone Sound System start?

In 1973, as Iron City. Back in the day, there was nothing to do. Our parents used to have parties, and the children would be upstairs during the party. You couldn't go out into town because of the skinheads, so you had to do your own thing. That's where the idea came from.

We played at many parties for our age group at venues such as the YMCA, Rad Y, Tennison Hall, the Girl's Club, the Boy's Club, The Ark—Youth Club, and Mansfield Road Community Centre.

We made our own boxes and preamps from rescued wood from building sites, transporting them on a trolley. Kenneth would borrow our parents' amplifier from their Blue Spot Gram. We still use the same equipment today—the turntables and the preamp.

In 1974, as we became more popular, we decided we needed a better name, so we had a meeting. We came up with the name Quantro from quad, meaning four, because the quad boxes had four speakers in each box.

It's kept us all together. We have sixty years of friendship How did you get more popular?

We entered a youth competition at Ad-Lib (nightclub). We won and were placed in the older group but the contestants didn't want to play against us. As a result, we ended up playing with Lloyd Coxsone. This led us to be invited to play at other venues and with more established systems.

What was different about this sound system?

We didn't play at Blues house parties; we played reggae and dub. While setting up, we wore overalls, but we played in smart clothing: a shirt and tie, a jacket, and smart trousers. Because of this, lots of girls used to follow us. We were followed by a dance group called Black Velvet. They were a bit like Pan’s People (1970s dance troupe) and used to dance when we played.

Do you still have groupies?

Yes, a few ladies still follow.

How have you managed to continue when other systems have gone?

We were the first sound system to play in the Market Square for Nottingham City Council—I think Bob Chatham asked us to—and we were also the first to play at the Forest, for the carnival.

We met up with stars like Sugar Minot, Dennis Brown, Alston Elise, Peter Spence, Gregory Issacs, Ozzie Gad and the Naturalists, who made special records (dubplates) from us to make us stand out.

We now play for everybody. We don't stick to one type of music. We will play any music for anyone.

What's the best thing about being in Quantro Tone?

It's kept us all together. We have sixty years of friendship. Some of us have passed away or moved away, but we remain friends. None of us have had a cross word.

Sadly, Leslie can't be here to celebrate with us. He planned to join us, and we met just before he passed. His passing was a shock.

What's next for Quantro Tone?

To go abroad. Maybe Africa or America. We were going to go to The Gambia, but it was cancelled due to COVID. Anything else you'd like to share?

This sound system is going strong and won't stop until we stop.

Quantro celebrated their fiftieth anniversary on 21 September at the ACNA Centre, St Ann’s.

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 35 35

Gig Guide

The Unthanks in Winter

FOR TICKETS AND INFO VISIT ALTTICKETS.COM

THU.31.OCT.24

Bob Vylan TUE.05.NOV.24 ROCK CITY

Bloodworm

Seasick Steve

FRI.01.NOV.24

SUN.10.NOV.24

THE BODEGA

Royal Republic ROCK CITY

FRI.01.NOV.24

The Big Sad THE BODEGA

SAT.02.NOV.24

The Hot Damn!

THE BODEGA

SAT.02.NOV.24

SUN.10.NOV.24

Seasick Steve

ROYAL CONCERT HALL

Kneecap

Y&T

ROCK CITY SUN.03.NOV.24

Cradle Of Filth

Fat Dog RESCUE ROOMS

TUE.12.NOV.24

UPSAHL THE BODEGA

WED.13.NOV.24

Lack of Afro

WED.13.NOV.24

Submotion Orchestra

TUE.05.NOV.24

KRUELTY RESCUE ROOMS

WED.06.NOV.24

An Evening With James Toseland METRONOME

WED.06.NOV.24

Sinead Burgess THE BODEGA

THU.07.NOV.24

DEADLETTER RESCUE ROOMS

THU.07.NOV.24

SPINN THE BODEGA

FRI.08.NOV.24

Acid Klaus

THE BODEGA

Warmduscher ROCK CITY

THU.14.NOV.24

Blackout Problems RESCUE ROOMS

THU.14.NOV.24 T SOLD OU

Lightning Seeds ROCK CITY

FRI.15.NOV.24

Mike Viola THE BODEGA

Embrace ROCK CITY

WED.20.NOV.24

The Luka State THE BODEGA

THU.21.NOV.24

Headsticks THE BODEGA

THU.21.NOV.24

Wheel

RESCUE ROOMS T FRI.22.NOV.24 SOLD OU

Kofi Stone THE BODEGA

FRI.22.NOV.24

Massive Wagons ROCK CITY

FRI.22.NOV.24 T SOLD OU

Sports Team RESCUE ROOMS

SAT.23.NOV.24

Hard-Fi ROCK CITY

SAT.23.NOV.24

VOLA

RESCUE ROOMS

SAT.23.NOV.24 THE BODEGA

Joe & The Shitboys JT SOAR

SUN.24.NOV.24

FRI.15.NOV.24 T SOLD OU

Villagers

ROCK CITY

86TVs

They Might Be Giants SAT.16.NOV.24

Black Water County THE BODEGA

SUN.17.NOV.24

Alien Ant Farm & CKY ROCK CITY

THE BODEGA

TUE.19.NOV.24

Millie Manders and the Shutup

Ibibio Sound Machine

RESCUE ROOMS

RESCUE ROOMS

T SOLD OU SAT.09.NOV.24

TUE.19.NOV.24

ROCK CITY

WED.20.NOV.24

SUN.24.NOV.24

THE BODEGA

Monster Florence

Therapy?

THE BODEGA

Mauvey

FRI.08.NOV.24

SAT.09.NOV.24

Sean Koch

W.H. Lung

SUN.17.NOV.24

ROCK CITY

TUE.19.NOV.24

THU.14.NOV.24

THE BODEGA

Wednesday 13

36 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

T TUE.12.NOV.24 SOLD OU

MON.04.NOV.24

THE BODEGA

ROCK CITY

THE BODEGA

Walt Disco

THE BODEGA

Joywave

The Chats

Kim Churchill

The Virginmarys

TUE.05.NOV.24

WED.04.DEC.24

MON.11.NOV.24

WED.13.NOV.24

ROCK CITY

THE BODEGA

ROCK CITY

SUN.03.NOV.24

Bob Vylan

Sleaford Mods

SOiL

ROCK CITY

TUE.05.NOV.24

T SAT.30.NOV.24 SOLD OU

ROYAL CONCERT HALL

RESCUE ROOMS

RESCUE ROOMS

TUE.19.NOV.24 ROCK CITY

SUN.10.NOV.24

Kneecap ROCK CITY

RESCUE ROOMS

MON.25.NOV.24

RESCUE ROOMS

T MON.25.NOV.24 SOLD OU T TUE.26.NOV.24 SOLD OU

IDLES ROCK CITY

WED.27.NOV.24

Nubiyan Twist RESCUE ROOMS THU.28.NOV.24 LD OUT

SO

The Slow Readers Club RESCUE ROOMS FRI.29.NOV.24

Myles Kennedy ROCK CITY

FRI.29.NOV.24

Pip Blom THE BODEGA

FRI.29.NOV.24

Smoove & Turrell RESCUE ROOMS

SAT.30.NOV.24

Pitchshifter ROCK CITY

TUE.10.DEC.24

T SAT.30.NOV.24 SOLD OU

ALBERT HALL

Sleaford Mods THE BODEGA

T SAT.30.NOV.24 SOLD OU

Sprints

RESCUE ROOMS

New Model Army

SAT.30.NOV.24

The Folk Implosion ROCK CITY (BETA) SUN.01.DEC.24

Robert Jon & The Wreck ROCK CITY

SUN.01.DEC.24 (MATINEE SHOW)

SAT.21.DEC.24 ROCK CITY

T SUN.01.DEC.24 SOLD OU

Smash Into Pieces RESCUE ROOMS

MON.02.DEC.24

Vision Video THE BODEGA

WED.04.DEC.24

Nilüfer Yanya RESCUE ROOMS

WED.04.DEC.24

The Chats ROCK CITY

SAT.07.DEC.24

Victory Lap

You Me At Six OUT

SOLD SAT.01.MAR.25 T MON.17.MAR.25 SOLD OU T TUE.18.MAR.25 U O OLD S

ROCK CITY

THE BODEGA

TUE.10.DEC.24

The Unthanks ALBERT HALL

SAT.21.DEC.24

New Model Army

Bearded Theory Festival

ROCK CITY

T WED.29.JAN.25 SOLD OU

Neck Deep ROCK CITY

T SAT.01.MAR.25 SOLD OU T MON.17.MAR.25 SOLD OU T U O TUE.18.MAR.25 SOLD

You Me At Six

THU.22.MAY.25 SUN.25.MAY.25 DERBSHIRE CATTON HALL

ROCK CITY

FRI.14.MAR.25

Levellers Collective

ROYAL CONCERT HALL THU.22.MAY.25 - SUN.25.MAY.25

Bearded Theory Festival DERBSHIRE CATTON HALL SUN.25.MAY.25

Dot To Dot Festival VARIOUS VENUES

SUPER EARLY

BIRDS SOLD

SUN.25.

MAY.25

OUT

Dot To Dot Festival 2025 VARIOUS VENUES

Another Notts superstar worth checking out is soulful pop sensation LYVIA, who also just released her debut EP, Maid Marian Way. The EP takes its name from the famous road in Notts' city centre where LYVIA can often be found recording her viral videos for social media. Now taking the energy of those raw takes to the studio, this debut release showcases her unique blend of pop melodies, spoken word rap and R&B swagger, with plenty of heart and relatable experiences in the lyrics too. Every song here is a highlight as well, from the spellbinding and piano-laden opener Barriers to the infectious groove of Rock With Me, through to the stripped-back and sincere Homesick. Whatever you do don’t sleep on this one and if you like what you hear, catch her headline show at Rescue Rooms on 16 October.

Karl Blakesley

Molly Hindley Lovesick (EP) Over the course of four rich tracks, local singer-songwriter Molly Hindley (now based in South London) strives to explore love through all its many phases. An ambitious goal but Molly achieves it thanks to some strikingly thoughtful, self-aware writing and beautifully poised delivery. Title track Lovesick is sparkly with a lilting feel, giving the perfect foundation for Molly's sublimely soulful vocals which range effortlessly from sultry to striving. Older is moving and introspective, sung with startling directness; Jack, Tom or Levi! sees a move to a fresh indie sound, an acoustic-guitar gently but firmly pushing the song along; and finally Took her home provides a gentle and incredibly beautiful closer to the record, while containing a clear lovelorn message. This is a well-rounded and EP of sparkling, nuanced music - a fabulous piece of art. Phil Taylor

Music Reviews

LYVIA Maid Marian Way (EP)

Sunflower Thieves Driving Lessons (Single) Detailing the anxieties of growing up triggered by a therapy question pondering the narrator’s childhood, Driving Lessons is a hypnotic slow dance across a tightrope of escapism and unease. Made up of childhood friends Amy and Lily, Sunflower Thieves’ sophomore single from upcoming EP, Same Blood (30 October) follows a similarly folk-tinged, lo-fi pop formula to lead single How Was America, again occupying a compelling place in a post-Phoebe Bridgers realm. The lush and occasionally minimalist production is supplemented by rich harmonies and introspective, honest lyricism; a wobbling vocoder accompaniment in the bridge seems almost desperate to resolve, texturally emphasising a yearning for contempt, a perfect contextual summary. Delicately moving synth accompaniments bolster acoustic guitars, plodding among a primarily mid-tempo movement; these swirling ideas, rigid in movement, are reminiscent to me of how anxious thoughts can encircle one's consciousness, cementing the effortless beauty of the duo’s songwriting prowess, which surely will be supplemented by this month’s show in Nottingham and their subsequent EP release. Tommy Robertson

Cappo S.T.A.R.V.E. (Album) Across the nine tracks of the ‘semi-autobiographical’ S.T.A.R.V.E., Cappo (Dr Paul Adey, who holds a PhD from NTU) delivers a richly-layered commentary on society's ills from an intensely personal perspective, drawing on literary tradition as well as hip-hop history and trip hop inspirations. It's a thoughtful, intelligent record: at times deeply introspective (Slow Poison), and at other points open and hard-hitting (Wi(n)dow). There's raw storytelling (the TERRACE interludes; Strongbow) and cinematic drama (Jar), always infused with earnest vocals, careful beats and subtle melodic flurries. The overall sense is of something immensely brooding and dark: we're invited to plumb fathomless depths, with Cappo as our, well-qualified, intellectual guide. Phil Taylor

ALT BLK ERA Straight to Heart (Single) From MOBO and Heavy Music Award nominations to storming festival sets at the likes of Glastonbury and Download, there is absolutely no stopping ALT BLK ERA’s momentum right now. Now with their highly-anticipated debut album Rave Immortal due for release in January, the alternative sister duo have released the second taste of the upcoming record. The synth-soaked track highlights the continuing maturity of their songwriting, with Straight To Heart seeing Nyrobi open up and reflect on her agonising battles with chronic illness. It’s an anthemic yet emotional cut, one that sees the young siblings at their most vulnerable. Powered by an addictive beat and dreamy vocal melodies, it’s a song that’s sure to resonate with anyone who has ever felt “loneliness, being abandoned or neglected.” Karl Blakesley

If you’re from Nottingham and want to get added to our list of music writers, or get your tunes reviewed, hit us up at music@ leftlion.co.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue176 37

37

music Crazy Little Sing Called Pub interview: Lawrence Poole photo: Steve Edwards

From relieving stress and tension to releasing endorphins, it’s no wonder more than two million people across the UK sing regularly in choirs. But singing classic anthems like James’ Sit Down and The Killers’ All These Things That I’ve Done in a pub with a bunch of strangers? Well, that’s a new one. At local event Crazy Little Sing Called Pub the impact has been undeniable, with hundreds gathering each month to take part.

We caught up with event founder Abi Moore to find more about this communal phenomenon.

You’re originally from Lincolnshire – what brought you to Nottingham?

That’s a very good question - I can live anywhere doing what I do, because I’m a self-employed musician and I’ve moved around a lot. I had a bit of a quarter-life crisis where I did a load of research into the arts scenes in lots of cities in the UK and I narrowed it down to Edinburgh, Liverpool or Nottingham, and I decided on here. I’ve lived here for almost ten years – I generally move around after two years, as I’m a bit of a nomad, but Nottingham has ticked all the boxes for my cultural and arts life!

You started out with a choir called Totally Vocally…

I did. Originally it started out in Grantham and during COVID we had to split everybody up because people came from across the East Midlands. There was a point which made it really difficult as you weren’t allowed to cross county borders. So I had to set homework and they’d meet in groups of six and rehearse outside. People could hear us and asked how to join, so it still had an upside. It’s only got bigger and now we have two groups.

I understand the idea for Crazy Little Sing Called Pub came to you when you were in bed…

It was something that I’d seen being done in different countries. I went to see an Australian group, Pub Choir, on tour in Nottingham. It got me thinking ‘What do they do differently to my own choir?’ and I came away thinking ‘nothing’ and ‘why am I not teaching this in a pub?’. I’ve been teaching people to sing for fifteen to twenty years but some people find that a pressurising environment. By putting it in an environment they feel comfortable with, it’s changed everything.

The Bama Lama Sing Song night in Nottingham has proved that singing in a big group in a familiar environment is definitely a popular idea too…

I’ve also been to Bama Lama Sing Song a couple of times and I was surprised with how varied the age group was and how many men were there. It was something about having a pint in your hand, bringing a few mates – if you hate it you never have to come back! I do try to create a nice environment leftlion.co.uk/issue176 38 38

and even if you think you can’t sing, you can come along anyway and, as there’s so many people, you’ll never be heard on your own.

The first event was at the Malt Cross and 150 people attended. Were they receptive to your initial suggestion for them to host it?

Very much so. I love the venue, with it being a Victorian music hall and that mezzanine level is so great. It also has a projector screen and a stage halfway up the wall so you can surround yourselves with people. They’ve had a lot of success with Beer and Carols nights in December too. The difference between that and Bama Lama Sing Song is they do lots of songs, whereas we just learn one. It did promote a bit of terror between the Malt Cross staff when we told them we do one song for the whole two hours, which sounds like the most boring thing you’ve heard in your life. However, because we build up the harmonies, it’s actually quite interesting to watch, and the time flies!

Something about having a pint in your hand, bringing a few mates – if you hate it you never have to come back!

The next few months will see you perform at Hockley Hustle, Malt Cross and The Big Shed, I heard you have plans to take it outside of Nottingham, too?

Yes, we’re booked here in Nottingham until Christmas and we’ll always come back as this is our home and where we started. However, we’d also like to try new places. We had requests from Southampton, Bournemouth and Edinburgh, but it might make sense to try places like Lincoln and Birmingham first. I’m also talking to a few venues in London too.

Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir has had such great press with the work they’ve done and they starred at Splendour. Would that be something that would interest you too?

I’d love to! Doing our first outdoor one at The Big Shed gave me a lot of confidence… so it’s given me the thought to do festivals and I’ve purposely left space for that next year. If we could play Splendour it would be a dream come true!

You’ve done songs by James, Crowded House and The Killers… How do you go about choosing your tracks?

Often I have an idea of what will work for singers who are not singers who don’t regularly harmonise with others. Firstly, it has to be rousing - an anthem, and epic that people love. The songs are announced in advance as people are eager to know what they’re going to be singing.

There's a lot of research into the impact communal singing can have on wellbeing. Have you had much feedback on this?

Yes, and it’s actually quite tear-jerking to hear things like that. I can get so caught up in it that I can forget the impact it’s having. I’ve had some lovely messages - someone saw their friend on the video footage and said ‘You won’t know this, but their partner died last year, they’ve hardly been out of the house... I’ve just seen them smiling their face off on your video’. It’s just the sweetest thing to hear the solace they’ve got from it. Singing communally is really something special - there’s not many things in this life which connect you to fellow human beings you don’t know. It’s so rare and the end product is so rewarding.

James’ lead singer Tim Booth saw your performance and tweeted praise too…

Yeah! I was over the moon with that – it’s so cool.

He shared it with his X following and that video had 30,000 views.

Crazy Little Sing Called Pub takes place at Hockley Hustle on Sunday 20 October (venue TBC), the Malt Cross on Sunday 17 November and The Big Shed on Thursday 19 December 2024. Tickets can be bought at crazylittlesing.com

Q @crazylittlesing

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 39

food Bean to Bar

words & photos: Lucy Campion

Few foods have the emotional pull of chocolate. Just one bite of your favourite bar has the power to transport you back to the care-free days of childhood on a wave of chocolate-fuelled nostalgia. But what are the origins of this beloved sweet treat? Right here in Notts you can learn the story of bean to bar at Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates based in Sneinton Market. Lucy Campion went along to one of their chocolate workshops to discover more.

With the UK scoffing an estimated 536,000 tonnes of chocolate every single year, it’s clear that we’re a nation of chocolate lovers - however, that doesn’t mean we all have the same tastes and preferences.

From whether you prefer milk, white or dark, to which bar you pick for your lunchtime meal deal, there are many choices to make when it comes to the chocolate we eat, yet many consumers still overlook one of the most important: sustainably made versus the massproduced product typically found in supermarkets.

Luisa’s award-winning vegan chocolate store is your one stop shop for sustainable chocolate in Nottingham. As well as making and selling incredible chocolate, owner Luisa hosts a number of workshops at her Sneinton HQ, inviting people to take a peek behind the wrapper, find out exactly how her chocolate is made, and of course try lots of delicious samples.

I opted for the ‘The Ultimate Bean-to-Bar Experience’, a two hour workshop (and the most popular with customers) which provides the opportunity to try a few chocolate making techniques before moulding a box of bars and truffles to take home. Underpinning the workshop is Luisa’s wealth of knowledge on the modern practices of chocolate-making across the world, from the growing and harvesting of the cacao beans themselves, to the roasting, grinding and tempering of the chocolate.

40

Luisa’s bean-to-bar workshop takes you on a journey across continents, as you uncover the secrets of ethical chocolate making. ‘Bean to bar’ is the process at the heart of Luisa’s chocolate, which starts with cacao beans in the Solomon Islands, Madagascar, Colombia and Peru, sourced directly from local farmers. Luisa and her business partner Martin have visited many of these farmers, helping them to perfect their farming process to produce superior cacao and high quality chocolate. In return for their work, the cacao farmers are paid up to 69% more than standard Fairtrade prices.

Despite what Roald Dahl had us believe as children, chocolate is not the product of oompa-loompas and eccentric men with highly questionable childminding abilities At the workshop Luisa also reminisces on her personal journey from textiles and food tech teacher to opening her own independent business at Sneinton Market Avenues in 2018 and becoming a full-time chocolate maker.

Despite what Roald Dahl had us believe as children, chocolate is not the product of oompa-loompas and eccentric men with highly questionable childminding abilities. The real origin story of sustainable chocolate is just as captivating as a children’s tale and far more inspiring.

While it may be Luisa’s name above the shop door, the venture would not have been possible without her business partner and chocolate connoisseur Martin.

His long-standing career in the chocolate industry once saw him supplying the likes of Cadbury’s and Thornton’s, before he eventually moved away from what Luisa playfully refers to as “the dark side of chocolate.”

It’s a story of cacao farmers across the world, learning how to hone their craft to grow the finest beans for chocolate making. It also tells the tale of two people with a passion for chocolate, sharing a vision to bring sustainable chocolate to Nottingham and working together to bring it to life.

The bean to bar workshop is a guaranteed eyeopener when it comes to the stark contrast between sustainable chocolate and supermarket offerings, not just in ethics but in taste and quality. Don’t worry though, you won’t be hurled from the venue for confessing a weakness for the occasional Cadbury’s

Wispa or Twirl. In Luisa’s words, “we don’t preach, we educate” and the warm and open atmosphere at her workshops reflects this judgement-free approach.

As well as learning about chocolate making, the workshop also gives you a closer look at the process in action with an exclusive tour of Luisa’s store and makery.

Of course, no chocolate workshop would be complete without tasting. The tasting part of this experience is a treat for the senses, as Martin and Luisa guide us through a selection of Luisa’s best-selling chocolate bars, encouraging you to savour the flavours and identify the different notes within each bar.

My biggest revelation from the workshop has to be that cacao beans grown in different countries can have wildly different flavours. In fact, there are more naturally occurring flavours in cacao than wine. These differences were especially apparent when sampling Luisa’s award-winning dark chocolates - weeks later, I’m still trying to understand how the 72% Philippines chocolate could taste so strongly of berries without having a single berry in it!

While I admit I do still nip to the nearby Tesco to get my chocolate fix sometimes, I now like to keep a stock of Luisa’s chocolate at home. You really can taste the difference and that alone makes the additional cost per bar worthwhile, but knowing the story of Luisa’s chocolate has made me more determined to support sustainable chocolate practices and the invaluable work that goes on behind the scenes of this independent business.

Head to luisasveganchocolates.co.uk to find out more about the chocolate tastings and workshops on offer, or drop in to their studio at Unit 7, Avenue A, Sneinton Market, NG1 1DT. Follow @luceinnotts for more reviews on where to eat, drink and have fun in Nottingham.

Q]@luisasveganchocolate

leftlion.co.uk/issue176 41

42 leftlion.co.uk/issue176

Zhug-a-Zhug-ah! words & photos: Julia Head

FOOD

The phrase ‘hidden gem’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but Zhug is the type of underrated spot that truly deserves the title. One of Nottingham’s best-kept secrets, we’re almost reluctant to share this with anyone else, but in the spirit of championing our local independents (we don’t gatekeep here at LeftLion HQ!), this eatery is too good not to mention…

This family-owned indie can be found on Bramcote Lane, a stone's throw from leafy Wollaton Park. If you frequent the park to get your steps in, this is probably your best bet to fill up on some wholesome Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food after your stroll.

In case you’re wondering about the name: Zhug is a green hot sauce originating from Yemeni cuisine. It’s flavoured with coriander, cardamom, cumin, parsley, and plenty of heat from chilli peppers. It packs a punch, and they make the sauce on-site, incorporating it into many of their dishes—plus, it’s available for purchase if you want to take some home.

Zhug is the kind of place that, whenever I visit, I take a long, hard look at myself and wonder why I don’t go there more often. The menu is filled with all the colourful and fresh foods I love, like mezze, where you can dip into the silkiest homemade hummus in town—a bold claim, but I stand by it. They also

serve homemade thick and fluffy pita pockets stuffed with Lebanese-spiced chicken, Mediterranean gyros plates, and crispy falafel. The giant roasted cauliflower with lemon sour cream or tahini is always a showstopper, too.

One thing that’s important to me—and I’m sure many others—is that the food is cooked fresh to order and packed with flavour, and that’s definitely the case at Zhug, no doubt about it One thing that’s important to me—and I’m sure many others—is that the food is cooked fresh to order and packed with flavour, and that’s definitely the case at Zhug, no doubt about it.

I’m not someone who particularly

cares for gluten-free foods, because I, in fact, love gluten. I live for gluten.

I need gluten. But I couldn’t help noticing that their menu is really inclusive, offering plenty of glutenfree options, as well as vegan and halal dishes. They also have a fully stocked bar, so you’re welcome to enjoy a tipple with your food.

It’s not often that I get to sample new dishes in Nottingham that I’ve never tried before, so one of the desserts on their menu took me by surprise: knafeh. This traditional and popular Arabic dessert is made with spun pastry called kataifi, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup called attar, and typically layered with a mozzarellalike cheese and other ingredients like pistachio. The first time I tried it, the jury was out, but the second time, the dessert started growing on me. So, in my experience, be brave and give it a try - you may discover something new in Nottingham that you love.

Q @zhug_food

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Reasons to be Cheerful Green Heart Over by Nottingham Central Library, below the ruins of Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, the new Green Heart parkland opened last month, offering a lovely new space to welcome people from the train station into the city centre. With a wetland pond, dozens of sapling trees, rugged sandstone pathways, and a rainbow of wildflowers, we’re looking forward to seeing it blossom. Ignore the naysayers, it’s bloomin’ lovely.

Gladrags again Night time revellers old and new piled into the iconic Palais upon its reopening last month.

The launch night saw the light up dance floor back in action as DJs played tunes from the 60s to the 90s. The Palais first opened in 1925 as a dance hall and billiard saloon and was bought

by DHP (Rock City, The Bodega) earlier this year. The diverse calendar of upcoming events features nights dedicated to ABBA, Northern Soul, 90s dance, Halloween and more.

Paralympic Paragon Congratulations to the Nottingham athletes who competed and brought home medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics! Sophie Unwin took home bronze, silver and gold medals in road and track cycling alongside pilot Jenny Holl, with the pair breaking a world record. Zhao Shuai took home a medal of every colour in table tennis, while Tim Jeffery won bronze in rifle shooting.

Excellent job!

r Toliet Humou

H T U TR OR

LEG END? TH E CA S E OF Oasis and Way Ahead Tickets

After weeks of rumour and speculation, Liam and Noel Gallagher announced on August 27 2024 that their legendary band Oasis was back in action for the first time since 2009, and set for a reunion tour in Summer 2025. The UK went into a total frenzy in response, and for good reason.

For many, Oasis represent a tipping point, a time when rave and party culture, an incoming Blairite government, and two working class lads clawing their way to the tip-top of the UK music industry, encompassed an optimistic time when it felt like nearly anything was possible.

Things of course didn’t turn out as well as hoped. Ticketmaster’s use of dynamic pricing, upping ticket prices by as much as 250% in response to high demand, compounded with hours-long waitlists and glitching websites, has soured the good feelings of many who, at first, couldn’t have been happier about the reunion.

The internet has of course provided new, underhand ways for corporations to exploit music fans, but ticket-demand exceeding supply is nothing new, especially when it comes to Oasis. According to a certain local legend, the original ‘Oasis-ticketing-disaster’ happened right here in Nottingham, back in 1996.

The setting for this tale is Way Ahead Tickets, the now-closed independent record store and ticketing shop, which today operates as See Tickets. Back in ‘96, Way Ahead sold tickets out of a small store on St James’ Street, while overseeing just about the whole of Oasis’ What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? UK tour.

In the pre-internet days of physical tickets, it was a big job to distribute tickets for these shows, but Way Ahead managed it. The Oasis concert at Knebworth Park however, for which a staggering 250,000 tickets were on sale, was a whole other kettle of fish.

Way Ahead tackled this enormous job by making additional sales over the phone. Unfortunately this meant that people would redial and redial Way Ahead’s number until they were lucky enough to be put through.

Moreover, two and half million people, according to the BBC, applied to attend the Knebworth show, and according to a source close to LeftLion, the resultant technical meltdown brought down Nottingham’s whole phone exchange for as long as an hour. With the addition of some enormous queues outside the shop, it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t have wanted to be in the shoes of a Way Ahead employee that day.

Can you guess the answer to this Notts themed riddle?

Riddle me this...

Callers come and go To muse and to grieve Though you’ll never see them The residents never leave Next door’s for recreation But here’s a place to rest And though some may be made of stone It’s home to some of Notts best

Did you solve last month’s riddle?

The answer was of course Xylophone Man.

lavs? you laugh in the Something made quips to editorial@leftlion.co.uk t Send your funnies

Nottingham’s phone exchange eventually got back up and running, and the show went ahead as planned (it later became the subject of the 2021 documentary Knebworth 1996). Nowadays, of course, it seems that Noel and Liam are still upending the systems that govern the UK music industry and entertainment, whether that be via their ever-controversial personas or their phone-exchange-and-internet-breaking popularity.

Maybe all of the resulting chaos is for the better? Perhaps, from now on we’ll all be looking at big corporations like Ticketmaster with much more of a side-glance. We’ll have to wait and see.

words: Caradoc Gayer

Check in next month for the answer. leftlion.co.uk/issue17645 45

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BEST OF THE MONTH An Audience with Sir Paul Smith When: Tuesday 15 Oct Where: Nottingham Playhouse How much: £25

Mayhem Film Festival When: Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 Oct Where: Broadway Cinema How much: £5.94 or £85

Beeston-born fashion designer and national treasure Sir Paul Smith will visit the Nottingham Playhouse this month, where he’ll be interviewed by journalist Richard Williams and answer questions from the audience about his extraordinary career spanning over fifty years. This is a rare chance to hear all about the goings-on of global fashion from one of the most wellknown local names in Notts history. If you’re as proud to call Notts home as Paul is, this will probably be the event for you.

Mayhem Film Festival will be once again held at Broadway Cinema this month, screening the best international horror, sci-fi and cult cinema from around the world. Including both features and short films sent by submission, the festival will also involve masterclasses, premieres and previews, setting itself up as a unique and memorable night, perfect for film aficionados across the country. If you’re in need of a good scare or to visit another world for a while, then visit Mayhem to enjoy an unquestioned highlight of Broadway’s stacked events calendar.

Sinfonia of London (feat Sheku) When: Friday 18 Oct Where: Royal Concert Hall How much: From £16

Hockley Hustle When: Sunday 20 Oct Where: Everywhere How Much: £16.50

After a long career of wowing audiences across the world and winning an MBE for his services to music, Nottingham-born cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason will be returning to his home city this month, but not alone. He’ll be accompanied by the all-star Sinfonia of London, comprising section leaders of many of the UK and Europe’s greatest orchestras. Together, the performers will present some intense and stirring symphonies over the course of a grand and memorable evening.

Nottingham’s most eclectic music and arts festival will again fill the streets for a colourful and vibrant day filled with the best of multi-genre Notts talent. 2024 marks a pivotal year in the history of Hockley Hustle, not only will there be a celebration commemorating the fifteen year anniversary of three popular promoters (Cultural Vibrations, Acoustickle and V Rocket Sound), but the festival will also be running a promoter mentoring programme with over 300 creatives.

Forbidden Halloween When: Friday 25 - Saturday 26 Oct Where: Motorpoint Arena How Much: £29.75

Nottingham Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival When: Wednesday 9 - Saturday 12 Oct Where: Trent Bridge How much: From £16 This year, The Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival is back, as Nottingham’s flagship celebration of ale and cider which has taken place in the city for nearly half a century.

Brewery bars represented will include Castle Rock, Blue Monkey, Black Iris, Bang The Elephant, Lincoln Green, Thornbridge, Nottingham Brewery, Lenton Lane and Shipstone’s. There’s also live music, lots of food and merchandise stalls and more besides.

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This two night show will be headlined by one of the UK’s hottest electronic talents, Ben Hemsley, plus DnB acts like Hybrid Minds and Wilkinson.

With house and techno comprising the order of the evening on Friday and with Saturday being a no-holdsbarred drum and bass spectacle, this event will make Halloween 2024 a totally unforgettable one for Notts ravers.

Nottingham Pagan Market When: Saturday 26 Oct Where: Sneinton Market How much: Free Interested in learning about myth, nature, and spirituality?

Whether you are fully fledged in the realm of Paganism or just curious, come along for a day of art, music, theatre, and more.

Stalls will be selling everything from profiteroles to skull candles, handmade jewellery to spell boxes, and crystals to mushroom growing kits. This year the market will also be taking over the main Sneinton Market square with a brand new space to explore: the ghost spiral!

Young T and Bugsey When: Tuesday 29 Oct Where: Rescue Rooms How Much: £16.50 On a packed tour of their second studio record Beyond Rea5onable Doubt, the globally acclaimed, Brit-nominated Notts rap duo Young T and Bugsey are returning to their native city this month. After gaining recognition in 2016 with singles such as Glistenin’ and No Mickey Mouse Ting, the pair were nominated for Best Song at the 2021 Brits for Don't Rush.

The Rescue Rooms Show is set to be extra special for the duo as their first home city gig since 2018.