#197 JULY 2026
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Credits
Featured Contributor
Carous-al Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk)
Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk)
Editorial & Marketing Assistant Caradoc Gayer (caradoc.gayer@leftlion.co.uk)
Music Co-Editor Phil Taylor (music@leftlion.co.uk)
Editor Head Designer Sophie Gargett Natalie Owen (sophie.gargett@leftlion.co.uk) (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)
Music Co-Editor Karl Blakesley (music@leftlion.co.uk)
Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley (fashion@leftlion.co.uk)
Becki Jayne Crossley is an author and writer who has made Nottingham their home for the past decade. Her debut novel Tart, a queer YA romance, was published in summer 2025 (read more about that on p.34!), with their next release coming in January. Becki is passionate about LGBTQ+ stories for young people that reflect the realities of coming out, and writes to fill the literature gap they experienced growing up. As well as writing fiction, they love reviewing local theatre, playing computer games (badly), and occasionally painting things with questionable skill.
Q @becki.writes 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)
Environment Editor Adam Pickering (environment@leftlion.co.uk)
Literature Co-Editor Grace Sanders (literature@leftlion.co.uk)
Literature Co-Editor Katherine Monk-Watts (literature@leftlion.co.uk)
Food Co-Editor Julia Head (food@leftlion.co.uk)
Food Co-Editor Lucy Campion (food@leftlion.co.uk)
Photography Co-Editor Sam Tariq (photography@leftlion.co.uk)
Photography Co-Editor Dani Bacon (photography@leftlion.co.uk)
Screen Editor Emily Davies (screen@leftlion.co.uk)
Sports Editor Reuben Moynihan-Case (sport@leftlion.co.uk)
Community Editor Frances Danylec (community@leftlion.co.uk)
Investigator of... parks Matt Blaney
Distribution Dom Martinovs Ben Chapman Poppy Wildman
thanks to all our contributors... Cover Art Pink Menace Editorial Interns Esme Caygill-Coombs Writers Hal Hewlett Lise Shipman Jennifer Rajasekar Freya Peters Nadia Whittome Becki Jayne Crossley Sam Nahirny Lauryn Wilson Matthew Collin Julian McDougall
Kel Eckley Bee Green Emily Grey Tan Sze Wei Millie Webster Nadzieja Kolodziejski Aarya Handa Claire Spencer Kieran Lister Kieran Jenkins Natalie Braber Photographers Nick Dunmar Lux Gagos John Coffey
Molly Standley Ian Brown Jade K Vowles Ding Musa Jules Lister Finn Serck-Hansen Karl Russell Nick Turner Jonathan Woodliffe Alan Fletcher Charlie Hindaugh Dom Martinovs Helen C Green Nick Archer Luke Nathan
Jo Hill Sandra Bartley Rich Davies Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge Illustrators Emily Catherine Lily Keogh Sophie Stevenson Jack Howe Dana Ilinca Jenny Mure Lucy Holt / @ pastedminddesign Sklaha / @sklaha.arts Alicja Biała
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contents
Pride and joy Chairperson of Notts Pride Leigh Ellis talks about the foundations of our city’s annual celebration of unity and acceptance.
12
18
When We Were B Boys A documentary about how breakdancing took over 1980s Nottingham is turning ten this year. Co-directors Claude Knight and Luke Scott reminisce on making it.
21
Artists, Lovers, Outsiders There’s a new exhibition of art and photography at Nottingham Castle which follows the historical love story between two Scottish artists. Curator and author Damian Barr, tells us more.
15
Altered State Writer Matthew Collins discusses the vital role Nottingham played in 90s rave culture, as described in his new book Altered State.
27
16
Long live the Queens! At this year’s Nottingham Pride there’ll be some talented local drag artists seen in action. We catch up with some of our city’s best known performers.
33 To improve the underrepresentation of women in public spaces, the city is getting
Write Queer Creative writer and workshopper Richard Gidlow tells us about his queer writing collective – from their supportive culture to their pigeon mascot Marvin.
37
22 24
Future Sound of Nottingham Meeting the two winners of Rock City’s annual competition for up-andcoming artists, Two2’s and Omari Marsalis.
Out of Time The roles that Nottinghamshire played in the life of playwright Noel Coward, from the rich lady near Oakham who looked after him as a boy, to the openings of many of his plays. Remaking Marian
a new Maid Marian statue. Its creator Alicja Biała reflects on her process.
To paddle or not to paddle? Notts-born champion canoeist Beth Gill is supplementing sporting success with research at the Uni of Nottingham into the health of our local rivers.
and Tell 38 Show Everything you need to know about Side Door Social – the vibrant ‘show and tell’ for Nottingham creatives, which happens every other month at the People’s Hall.
Editorial Hello people of Nottingham, and welcome to July. It’s been hotter than Hades recently and I’ve been feeling a slight delirium in the midsummer haze. The world keeps turning, but it feels like the weather is telling us to slow down and get some relaxation in, so I hope as you are reading this you are chilling in a park or sunny beer garden with a refreshing beverage. I’m really pleased with the fabulous concoction of articles we have for you in this issue. With Pride coming up at the end of the month, we’ve gathered some stories from the LGBTQ+ community past and present, from hearing about a Queer writers group (p.22), to hearing from the festival organisers (p.12), and learning how to deal with hecklers from the Gladrags drag queens (p.16). Being a big Noel Coward fan, I was thrilled when our History Editor CJ unearthed some tales of his time in Notts (p.27) and (perhaps due to the heat) I’ve had Mad Dogs and Englishmen in my head ever since. On page 24 we hear from the winners of the
Future Sound of Nottingham awards Two2’s and Omari Marsalis. We’ve also gone back in time to explore some of the city’s music history - from its brief time as the UK’s unofficial breakdancing capital in the 80s (p.18) to the rave culture of the 90s (p.15).
where's this? Duty of resistance
Finally, for all you art lovers, there’s some great exhibitions and creative events in town at the moment, which you can read more about in our art and community sections. Recently, I thoroughly enjoyed taking a walk around the shady grounds of the Castle and exploring its cool grand galleries. There’s currently a great exhibition of modernist art by mid-century Scottish painters and lovers Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde, which you can read more about on p.21 As always, a big thanks to all of our contributors, without whom LeftLion wouldn’t be a thing, and to our patrons, who help keep us going. Stay cool. Until next time.
Sophie Gargett
Last month: “Triple threat” Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
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 5
A whole Summer of FUN!!
4th - 7th August
25th July- 31st August
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For this month’s Pick Six we turned to Notts born screenwriter, playwright and actor William Ivory ahead of his play The Market Deeping Model Railway Club, which comes to Nottingham Playhouse between Monday 6 - Saturday 25 July. nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
What are Scotland going to do? Apparently their fate is doomed. Last night they lost to Brazil, but they’ve got more chance of disco dancing with the Princess of Wales than winning that. But no, we don’t have any interest in the World Cup. We want England to do well, but we don’t give a damn. It's too tense to watch. Years ago we had flags of all the nations in here, but we didn’t think about it this year. Statues Who is Maid Marian? What does she look like? Are they going to make her look like a film star? There’s quite a few statues in Nottingham. Queen Victoria on the Embankment… but that used to be in the Square. Not normal men or women though. We’ve got Clough, but he was a celebrity. What about Stella Rimmington? She was head of MI5 and went to the girls High School.
“No one told me my chakras were going to be repossessed!”
Noel Coward
Older gent in the pub: “I did find out the difference between death metal and thrash metal, but now I’ve forgotten agai n.”
Pick Six
World Cup
Brief Encounter is one of the best films ever made. That was Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. The acting is super, and it’s the music, and the things you don’t see that make the film. Did he write Mad Dogs and Englishmen? That one is dead right, isn’t it.
Personal Hero: Joe Strummer Fifteen years old, living in Southwell – hardly the front line of the punk rock explosion. But then at the library (ditto), flicking through the LPs you could loan out, I saw a black and white cover featuring three savage looking lads. Career Opportunities, Janie Jones, White Riot. Written by Strummer and Mick Jones. I grew to love Mick (and Paul) but was Joe’s man from the start. I worshipped him. He made me believe passion could fire a revolution.
Notts Spot: Nottingham Playhouse It opened when I was three months old on Wellington Circus. Mum and dad encouraged me to see ‘anything’ there. I obliged since in the 70s nudity and violence were almost de rigueur on stage. Then, in 1975, I saw Trevor Griffiths’ Comedians, starring Jonathan Price. I knew that I wanted to be a writer and responsible for electrifying the room.
Book: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Hard. Conrad’s Nostromo, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe, DH Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers and Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell, have all had a profound effect on me. And Money by Martin Amis, of course. Not to mention the Professor of Modern Literature at NTU, Rory Waterman’s latest collection: Come Here to this Gate. But Jeanette Winterson’s 1990 novel has EVERYTHING. It is scabrously funny, moving, sexy and brilliantly profound. She is a genius.
Local historical figure: Alan Sillitoe nearly said Ross Bradshaw, who runs the Five Leaves Bookshop. Before that, he worked at the Mushroom Bookshop (to a young lad – a terrifying but thrilling place of revolution, counterculture and beautiful women doused in patchouli oil). Ross, genuinely, should have a statue – he’s been the historical heart of culture in the city for an age. In the end though, Sillitoe – he’s decidedly less fascistic than Dirty Bertie, and he wrote in a book of mine: TO BILLY WHO WITH HARD WORK, DETERMINATION, AND THE LOVE OF IT, WILL BECOME A WRITER.
Sports team: Notts County Notts County, or the newly promoted back-where-theybelong-bring-on-the Stags Magpies, have been my team for 55 years. My cousin, Tony (from a split family – two brothers Forest fans) decided I needed to be instructed in the True Faith from an early age, so took me off in his plumber’s van to see them one Saturday afternoon, not telling anyone, not even my mum! I still think of Luke Williams’ Pies and them getting back into the League at Wembley in 2023 as my greatest Magpie memory.
Restaurant: Everyday People Because the Tonkotsu is bloody lovely and so are the waiting staff. Also, the puddings at Kushi-ya are hard to beat and falling out of the Bell drunk on pork scratchings and fizzy beer is a Nottingham tradition not to be sniffed at, too (NB… what IS this real ale nonsense? I’m starting KAFKA – Kampaign for Kegged Ale; a frothy pint of SHIPPOS at the push of a button – as it was when I used to go to the Bell regularly…).
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Poets Corner Baggage My therapist didn’t remove the baggage She just showed me how to pack it better. I went with overflowing carrier bags stuffed with thoughts and feelings And emptied them out onto the floor of the room And said This is what I have. This is everything. I don’t know what I need. Unphased, she thanked me for bringing it all. And we sat and sorted. Things for my immediate journey. Things for future journeys. Things I could safely put away for now. And although things were only roughly folded, in piles I began to see how I could better carry it all. Kel Eckley
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s Reason to be
Cheerful
The news is normally negative but here's some good things that have happened in Notts recently...
words: Caradoc Gayer In the big leagues Sneinton Market tabletop games business Warp Miniatures recently won the Judges’ Choice Award for Best Miniatures Range at the UK Games Expo 2026 – one of the world’s largest tabletop gaming conventions. The award was given for ArcWorlde: Gremlins! – a faction they’ve released as part of their game ArcWorlde. Run by couple Alex and Wingshan, Warp Miniatures has existed for thirteen years, but its bricks-and-mortar store, close to the LeftLion office, has only existed since November. Go say hello, and check out their range of products! Collective effort After eighteen months of fundraising and negotiations from local people, Lenton community hub the Marcus Garvey Centre has reopened, after its sudden closure in December 2024 due to health and safety concerns. Its future at that point was pretty uncertain, and its potential loss a problematic prospect, considering how important the centre has been for decades: having provided day services for the elderly and hosted innumerable live music and other events since the eighties. The efforts of locals raised over £50,000 and allowed for all necessary work and repairs to be done.
UNDERCOVER ARTIST We spoke to this month’s cover artists Raffa and Benji, a.k.a. Pink Menace about Pride, collaborative art and grassroots queer groups in Notts… Tell us a bit about yourselves… We are Raffa (Ike the Tike) and Benji, partners in life and art! Together we are Pink Menace, a queer creative collab endlessly busy printing prints, marketing markets, workshopping workshops, and planning all kinds of queer mischief! Pink Menace was born in 2025, just after the Supreme Court ruling on defining biological sex – we hosted our first fundraising workshop, screen printing t-shirts with our unapologetically trans designs. We now have a full time studio in The Carousel, which hosts our workshops, and where you can grab our freshly printed t-shirts from! What is the story behind the cover? For us, Pride means community, loudness, and unapologetic, radical defiance. There are only five characters in our illustration, and they met each other at Pride. They might be different, but they support one another by any means necessary. To each: what they need – from each: what they can provide. They will celebrate with all of those outcasted, and deemed deviant and unworthy. The background is made out of a collage of flyers, stickers, posters from Nottingham queer events (including SLUR Fest; Nightmare! Nightmare! Kill! Kill!; Monarchy Madness, and Man Club), representing the vast amount of grassroots queer groups and activities that we have happening in the city. What inspires you as artists? We are inspired by the beautiful weirdness of human bodies and experiences. Trans and queer bodies are regularly front and centre of our work. We try to inspire action through our designs, drawing inspiration from the movements of the past and present, intersecting the struggle for queer and trans rights, environmental, class justice, and always speaking out against imperialism and war. Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past… We recently moved into DreamLand Studio and started tattooing from there. On our first day, we raised £500 for gender affirming care. Check our Instagram and get in touch if you would like a tattoo! Late last year, Benji and Maritsa from Moonbuns decided they didn’t want to only showcase queer art within Pride month, because we know that Nottinghamshire has an incredible cohort
of queer artists, and so we started organising Nottingham’s Big Queer Market. These were a massive success, with our last market hosted at Backlit Gallery – featuring eighty queer artists, creators, and designers, as well as free drag life drawing! It was wonderful, seeing everyone out in their best queer garbs. Our next market will have photographers capturing you looking your best! It is on July 24-25 at Backlit Gallery – see you there! Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative? It is difficult, but the secret no one tells you is you do not have to do it alone! Pink Menace’s secret ingredient is… being a duo. We have complementary skills and are able to make it work by sharing the load and playing by our strengths. While Raffa is perfectly happy being the doodley-printey-painty goblin locked in the studio – but avoids all things social media like the plague, Benji takes on promotion, social media, organising, and everything that requires talking to people – and of course, tries to keep Raffa on a deadline. Keep immersing yourself in what feels right, keep engaging and creating, and things will fall into place. If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about? In Bologna – where Raffa lived for a while – there is a collective who run an annual street poster art festival called CHEAP. Every year, hundreds of illustrators, graphic designers, and visual artists submit their art for a chance to be printed and pasted on the city’s massive public boards. Their themes are poignant and relevant, making bold political statements by design (excuse the pun). We would love to sit down with them and learn how such a festival takes form! Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers? We are currently fundraising to support transgender young people to continue to receive medical care following the cessation of their current healthcare provisions in July 2026. You can find out more information, as well as how to support us, on our instagram. Find Pink Menace at the Nottingham Big Queer Market on 24-25 July at Backlit Gallery.
Q @pink___menace
Bridge over troubled water Nottingham City Council have opened the first major bridge over the River Trent in seven decades. Made possible by extra funding received from the government’s ‘Transforming Cities’ program, the Waterside Bridge connects Sneinton and Lady Bay, West Bridgford. It’s a very worthwhile development that’s set to dramatically improve people’s daily lives, ensuring that commutes to work, and visits to leisure spaces like Holme Pierrepont and the City Ground are far easier and much more enjoyable, while also encouraging travel by foot and bike.
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Nadia on... THE NEW GUIDANCE ON SINGLE-SEX SPACES words: Nadia Whittome photo: Lux Gagos
In recent years, trans people in the UK have faced a sustained and coordinated attack on their rights. Since last year’s landmark Supreme Court judgement, which ruled that the legal definition of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act is based on ‘biological sex’ (by which they mean the sex recorded at birth). These attacks have gained ammunition, with trans women facing exclusion from women’s spaces, and trans men from men’s spaces. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the UK’s equalities watchdog, responsible for translating equality law into practical written guidelines for organisations and service providers. Its latest guidance, the Draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, laid before Parliament on 21 May, sets out what the Supreme Court’s judgment looks like in practice. I believe that the judgment, and the EHRC’s hardline interpretation, have resulted in rules that are contradictory, unworkable and harmful for trans people. The Code states that if an organisation chooses to include trans people in their services, those services can no longer be described as single-sex. The Code also says that trans people should not be allowed to use facilities, such as toilets and changing rooms, for the gender they live as, and in some cases also for their biological sex. Instead, trans people are being told to use alternative provisions. Not only do such ‘third spaces’ enforce segregation and risk outing trans people, there is also no clear answer to what happens when they don’t exist. While the Code expects service providers to consider alternative provisions, there is no requirement to provide them, meaning trans people risk being denied access to everyday services with nowhere else to turn. The Code does provide some guidance to membership associations, such as women’s groups, on how they can remain trans-inclusive, but it fails to offer clarity and confidence to service providers seeking to do the same. As a result, these guidelines will exclude trans people from services and facilities that they have used without issue for a very long time, putting them (and anyone perceived as trans) at increased risk of discrimination, harassment and violence. The government’s own equality impact assessment of the Code acknowledges that the impact on trans people will
likely be wide-ranging and negative, and that trans women could face ‘disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault’. The assessment also warns that ‘women who are considered masculine may face greater scrutiny’, and that disabled people will face adverse impacts. The Code ushers in an era of enforced segregation for trans people, and the responsibility for enforcing this will fall on everyday organisations, such as businesses, charities and public bodies. They will be expected to make judgments about people’s biological sex based on, in the Code’s own words, “the individual’s physique or physical appearance, behaviour or concerns raised by other service users”. Given that there is no reliable or dignified way to determine someone’s biological sex from appearance alone, these judgments will likely heavily rely on gender stereotypes.
A logic that allows individuals and organisations to scrutinise whether someone sufficiently ‘looks’ like their sex is one that threatens any person who doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes In a recent session of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, I asked the chair of the EHRC to specify which aspects of ‘physical appearance’ might be used to identify someone’s biological sex, but she provided no further clarity and instead spoke about using ‘common sense’. This is no way to write legal guidance and will result not only in trans people being harassed and excluded, but also cis people who do not conform to gender stereotypes. I believe that the law must change – making it clear that trans women are women and that trans men are men. When making its judgment, the Supreme Court sought to interpret Parliament’s intention of what it meant by ‘woman’ when passing the Equality Act in 2010. I do not believe for a second that the Equality Act – a landmark piece of equality legislation, passed by the last Labour
government in the wake of the Gender Recognition Act – was intended to result in the blanket exclusion of trans people. This Labour government must therefore work to amend the Equality Act. Yet we cannot wait until then to push back against these harmful changes. We have a responsibility to trans people, who are already living with the profoundly damaging consequences of the Supreme Court judgment, to resist guidance that risks pushing them out of public life. That is why I have been working with trans-led organisations and colleagues to challenge the Draft Code. In June, I tabled a motion to disapprove the Draft Code. This motion is currently the only available mechanism by which MPs can reject the EHRC’s Code of Practice; if debated and passed within the forty-day scrutiny window, it would prevent the EHRC from issuing the Code and bringing it into force. This is unfortunately unlikely, but it is important that as many MPs as possible sign the motion to show their support for protecting trans rights. At the time of writing, 146 MPs – more than one in five – have signed the motion to disapprove the Draft Code, making it one of the most popular motions in Parliament in recent years. I have also asked the government to allocate time for debate on the motion, but so far I have not received a positive response. An attack on trans rights is an attack on us all. A logic that allows individuals and organisations to scrutinise whether someone sufficiently ‘looks’ like their sex is one that threatens any person who doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes. Our rights rise and fall together because when equality law is weakened for the most marginalised groups, it is weakened for all of us. I want to assure my constituents, and trans people in Nottingham, that I will continue to do everything within my power to fight against the erosion of trans rights. If you or anyone you know needs support, I would encourage you to get in touch with the brilliant trans-led organisations already doing this work in our city, including the Nottingham Pastel Project and the Notts Trans Hub. Future generations will judge us by what we do in this moment, and I hope that together, we can show them that we stood on the right side of history. nadiawhittome.org leftlion.co.uk 11
words: Becki Jayne Crossley illustration: Sophie Stevenson
Later this month Notts Pride is set to take over the city once again, bringing a celebration of colour, unity, diversity, and acceptance. Local author Becki Jayne Crossley met Chairperson Leigh Ellis who has been organising the festival for the past ten years. They covered how parades, protest, and vital services come together at the festival… “We’re here, we’re bolder, we’re brighter and we’re visible,” says Leigh Ellis, chairperson for Notts Pride, as we sat down to discuss this year’s celebrations and why they are more important than ever. “We spend too long asking for permission, and we shouldn’t be. We’re part of Nottingham and we contribute to it, and we have the right to celebrate that.” With roots all the way back to 1997, Pride in Nottingham has had homes on Broad Street, Nottingham Castle, Victoria Embankment, Forest Rec, and the Arboretum. Under the new committee formed in 2013, Notts Pride was brought back to its original home in Broad Street – a deliberate move to honour its history. “Broad Street is steeped in LGBTQ+ history,” says Leigh. “It was a place of sanctuary for people that were affected by HIV and AIDs, right up until the late 2000s, before Healthy Day Nottingham was closed down and it became the Centre for Transgender Health.” “We wanted to make that part of the history for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire,” Leigh continues. “And that wasn't an easy feat, but our hope was that as a result of bringing Pride back into the area, we'd start to see local grassroots events, organisations start to emerge from that. There are more support groups at a grassroots level now – more people wanting to get involved in Pride.”
One thing we've always been good at is celebrating – ourselves, our fabulous performers, our drag queens, and those people that are allies to us This year's theme – ‘Bolder and Brighter’ – ties in to Notts Pride’s key pillars of visibility, education and celebration. Leigh tells us how these manifest as part of their plans each year. “Visibility speaks for itself – our iconic Pride march. We get thousands of people marching. We often have people already at the stage area while people are waiting to move at the back of the march!” “The education element was never intended to educate people about LGBTQ+ life, it’s about specific education for our LGBTQ+ community,” Leigh continues. “We want them to know what support is out there and available to them. We have over sixty stalls at our market covering everything from education and employment, to adoption and mental health support. We want to make sure that we cover the breadth of what’s available to people.” Education at Pride holds a personal significance for Leigh. “When I went to Pride in 2011, I didn’t know that we were in a position where LGBTQ+ couples could adopt, and that set us on our own adoption journey. I was really, really grateful to that. And I just really wanted to pay that back.” “And celebration, of course, is our Pride stage,” Leigh says. “It’s about bringing the community together and celebrating in
difficult times, as we are in now. One thing we've always been good at is celebrating – ourselves, our fabulous performers, our drag queens, and those people who are allies to us.” Paying for Pride has become a contentious topic in recent years, with many objecting to putting a price tag on the celebrations. So, how important is it to Notts Pride that the event remains free? “For me, it's essential,” says Leigh. “Your financial status shouldn't determine whether you can attend and join a Pride event. That is really hard to keep going in this current climate. We never know whether we're going to get the funding, the sponsorship, the support to do that. But again – it's one of our key pillars: to keep it free for people in Nottingham, while we have the responsibility for Nottingham Pride.” In keeping Pride free for everyone, there’s a careful balance of getting enough sponsorship to make the event happen versus keeping Pride authentic and community-focussed. “Sometimes you think, how will we do it this year?” says Leigh. “How do we get people the opportunity to have their voices heard, and how are we going to afford to do that? It always causes a few sleepless nights.” When looking at sponsors for Pride, the committee is careful about choosing organisations to be involved. “We really only want sponsors that are in the area that support the local economy and employment, and that have staff network groups in place,” says Leigh. “We look at what goes on throughout the year in terms of their social responsibility within Nottingham.” “We limit it in terms of the amount of sponsorship we ask for,” Leigh continues. “So we’re not in a position where we’re selling credit cards or having flags with bank logos. But you have to draw a balance – otherwise we end up in a position where we can’t deliver an event that’s safe for people. And it’s really important that people feel safe. There’s a lot of infrastructure work that goes on behind the scenes – we literally have to shut the city down – to keep everyone safe and keep the key essence of protest.” “Some people ask me, do we still need Pride? Because, yes, there’s lots of equalities and things we can do now that we couldn’t back in the 1980s. But I always tell this story of being in a march in 1992. I always remember catching the eye of one person, and his look just said: ‘you people are disgusting’. It stays with me forever.” “So when people ask me if we still need Pride, I say take a look at the comments whenever Notts Pride is announced. They’re exactly the same as the comments made in 1992. It hasn’t changed. There are still people that feel that way. And that’s why it’s really important that visibility is key, that people are seen.” “As we move towards the thirtieth anniversary of Pride in Nottingham, we really want to capture that history. It’s not an easy journey, it can be messy – you’ve got to roll your sleeves up and get in there. That’s what we’re trying to do. The intention of Notts Pride is about our history, what’s happening now, and our future.” Notts Pride takes place on Saturday 25 July. The parade starts at midday at Listergate. Celebrations continue in Sneinton Market, with various other events happening at Hockley venues and beyond. nottspride.co.uk
Theatre Royal, Nottingham Tue 13 - Sat 17 Oct trch.co.uk | 0115 989 5555
ALTERED STATE words: Matthew Collin photos: Alan Tash Lodge
In his book Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House, journalist Matthew Collin documents the cultural explosion sparked by the potent combination of house music and MDMA, which catalysed a remarkable upsurge of creative activity, from London to Glasgow, Manchester to Belfast – and Nottingham. Matthew tells us what made the city integral in this powerful cultural movement. “Nottingham in the nineties was the place that bridged the north-south divide. It was the crossroads where people came together.” Veteran nightlife impresario James Baillie is talking about Venus, one of several fabled clubs he ran in Nottingham over three decades. Venus was known for its exhilarating music and sheer hedonistic abandon, enticing Britain’s nocturnal tribes to travel across country each weekend to this ecstatically-charged sweatbox in the heart of the Midlands, making the city a cultural beacon as the rave era peaked in the nineties. Nottingham-based rave collectives like DiY, DJs like Graeme Park and club promoters like James Baillie played key roles in the transformation of the UK’s nightlife culture. Park, a gifted mixer, was one of house music’s prime instigators in the UK with his zeitgeist-defining sets at The Garage (later renamed The Kool Kat). He founded one of the first UK house record labels, Submission, and became an inspirational figure for a golden generation of Nottingham DJs, including his Kool Kat successor Allister Whitehead. Venus was a central node in what became known as the ‘Balearic Network’ of clubs and DJs around the UK in the early nineties. Helmed by the ever-innovative Baillie, a fashion-conscious ex-miner who previously ran the Barracuda and Eden, its innovation was to host guest onenighters from stellar clubland crews from other cities: Most Excellent, Flying, Love Ranch, Kinky Disco, Boy’s Own, Better Days and many more. “It had an extraordinary energy. Perhaps the coolest spot I’d been to, but really unhinged too,” Most Excellent’s Justin Robertson has recalled. “Musically it had some of the best [resident] DJs – Timm [Sure] and Laurie [Carter], Paul Wain, Christian Woodyatt – all at the top of their game and fearless in their selection.” After Venus, Baillie would continue to expand the city’s musical horizons at The Bomb. Simultaneously, DiY Sound System were at the centre of the emerging free party scene, nurturing a “convergence of the urban club scene with the travelling festival movement,” as Harry Harrison recalls in his fascinating rave-era memoir Dreaming in Yellow. DiY also helped to infuse Midlands dance culture with the idealistic spirit and anarchistic zeal for action, whether or not it was illegal. Sporadic outlaw warehouse parties staged by promoters like Baillie, DiY and The Duck Call fanzine crew provided the scene with illicit thrills, while eclectically-minded events at venues like the Marcus Garvey Centre brought influences from reggae, punk and hippie space-rock. Justin Turford of Nottingham-based DJ duo Truth and Lies recalls early nineties events where “On-U Sound bands like Revolutionary Dub Warriors and Tackhead, anarcho-hippie outfits like Back to the Planet and underground crusty psychedelic bands would play on the same bill as DiY DJs.” How did Nottingham become such a nexus of creativity?
14 leftlion.co.uk
Apart from the efforts of its nightlife innovators, both location and history played significant roles. Nottingham is on the cusp of north and south, and local cultural instigators have long been happy to travel around and pick up useful influences from creative centres like London, Manchester and Sheffield. It’s ethnically diverse; a relatively large city but small enough for people to connect and collaborate easily, and it has two universities bringing in fresh blood each year.
How did Nottingham become such a nexus of creativity? Apart from the efforts of its nightlife innovators, both location and history played significant roles Nottingham also has “a history rich in nonconformism,” Harry Harrison says. The city’s traditions of grassroots radicalism date back centuries, from the Luddite rebels, the Chartist movement and voters’ rights rioters who torched the Castle in 1831 to the anarcho-punk squatters, anti-fascist campaigners and anti-nuclear marchers of the eighties. This background certainly shaped DiY: in Dreaming in Yellow, Harrison explains how the crew coalesced out of amorphous groups of “punks, squatters, students and ex-students, anarchists, vegans and other non-conformists”. Nottingham also has a diverse clubbing history, which established a solid basis for the nineties scene. Before The Garage opened in 1983, its Lace Market venue had been the Ad Lib club, which hosted reggae, funk and post-punk industrial nights. For a long time, The Garage itself had an indie room as well as a hip US importled dance-music floor, allowing subcultural styles to intermingle and cross-pollinate. The venue that later housed Venus was once The Asylum, Nottingham’s postpunk alternative zone, where mind-expanding bands like Clock DVA and Tuxedomoon played. Over at Rock City in the eighties, DJ Jonathan Woodliffe was championing upfront Black American dance music. Woodliffe oversaw soul nights and jazz-funk all-dayers that attracted electro-funk and hip-hop crews from all over the Midlands and beyond, as well as Futurist nights showcasing synth-poppers and punk-funkers like Nottingham’s own Medium Medium. Woodliffe, who went on to help nurture the audience for
early house in Nottingham, has argued that the city was way ahead of London in embracing the Chicago sound: “We were the ones that grabbed it and went for it.” After Rock City hosted the 1987 Chicago house tour with Marshall Jefferson and Fingers Inc, Jefferson said the crowd had the most fanatical energy of anywhere they played. “They were losing their heads out there,” he marvelled. Another underground dance scene was also flourishing in the eighties, little documented but highly influential on several key pioneers in the early days of acid house: HiNRG. At Nottingham’s premier gay club, Part Two, DJs were beat-mixing uptempo electronic dance music before house even came to Britain. All of these influences came together in the nineties, when Nottingham was the place where all roads met. Graeme Park sums it up perfectly when he describes the “raw energy and innocence” coursing through the city’s dance scene at the time. Fired up by electronic rhythms and glowing with the wonder of new discovery, it felt like anything might be possible. ‘Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House’ by Matthew Collin is out now, published by White Rabbit Books.
Q @matthew._collin
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metronome.uk.com Huntingdon St, Nottingham, NG1 1AP @metronomenotts
iews interv
een : Bee Gr
Here in Notts we’re often blessed with the talents of some top notch drag artists – most perform as part of the well loved Gladrags collective and club night. For Pride 2026, on Sat 25 July, many of the queens we know and love will be seen in action for the grand afterparty at The Palais. In preparation, Bee Green catches up with five performers who are on the lineup…
Who inspired you to be a queen? As a theatre kid and lifelong card-carrying whoopsie, I’d dabbled in drag for parts and pleasures over the years, but when it started increasing in popularity due to a certain show on telly box, a group of friends and I decided to give it a bit more of a bash than just popping a wig on. Turns out they were immune to the drag bug, but for me it was terminal. Best way to deal with a heckler? Dealing with hecklers is a bit like being an insurance claims manager. It’s assessed on a case-by-case basis and how much I'll make you pay depends on how much damage I think you’re responsible for. A little quip on my bumper, it's a slap on the wrist and a ‘silly you’. Derail the show – you’re catching the bus, mate. ”I couldn’t perform without…?” Three pairs of false lashes and at least one courtesy coat of nail polish on. Those finishing touches are vital to me for The Fantasy™ to reach full penetration. What does pride mean to you? I say this a lot, but I feel that Pride is about protecting queer futures by honouring queer pasts. We cannot take for granted how hard it was to get where we are, and we can’t be complacent that where we are as an entire community is far from good enough. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but with the wrong people in charge, our rights can and will disappear. There is no LGB without the T and the Q, thank you very much – I wish everyone who’s pulling the ladder up after themselves a very happy bashing their shins on coffee tables for the rest of their lives. Q @artholethom
Who inspired you to be a drag artist? Sasha Velour really changed the game for me, showing us the power of storytelling and defining our own version of beauty. Favourite thing about Notts? Having worked at almost all our local heritage sites I’d say the history and folklore, as drag artists we are the champions of the Rebel City. Best way to deal with a heckler? Enquire about the size of their anatomy, compare and contrast it with mine. I always win. Favourite movie? I am a proud Broadway Cinema member so this changes regularly... Sinners was REALLY fierce, our Rocky Horror 50th anniversary screening was amazing, but I always come back to Bridesmaids when I need to laugh. “I couldn’t perform without…?” An audience. Actually though, being away from everyone in lockdown was awful. I tried doing digital drag shows but I’m a stage performer not a YouTuber – it didn’t give me the same buzz. What does pride mean to you? A commitment to serving our community – as a member of the Notts Pride committee we volunteer countless hours to bring a safe, well-organised and inclusive celebration to Nottingham. Q @liv_presents
Who inspired you to be a drag artist? My mum! She works as a nurse but growing up I would see her play the lead role in the Panto! Out of drag I’m quite an introverted person, so I enjoy the idea that I can create elaborate, performative personas to entertain people and go to work the next day like nothing happened. I’m basically Batman in heels and a wig if you think about it. Best way to deal with a heckler? Feel sorry for them and move on. Clearly me living authentically and being proud of who I am is enough to bother them! Stay bothered! I’m not! One song to perform forever? Black Velvet – 100%! The song conveys such an attitude that I love to embody on stage. Favourite movie? Everything Everywhere All At Once! Love a deep psychological film that makes me question life. That’s why Finding Nemo is my second fave. What does pride mean to you? When I celebrate pride, I’m celebrating the decision to live my life authentically. Despite the hardship queer people have to go through, we still make the decision every day to not hide who we really are and show people who aren’t being their true selves, that it’s fun to live freely and there’s so much love in the world. Q @she.so.vayne
Who inspired you to be a drag artist? As cliche and Gen Z as it is, honestly it was Drag Race; specifically queens like Raja and Alaska. I remember seeing all these different queens express themselves in different ways that I realised there's so much freedom in drag. Lady Gaga has also always been my idol – I remember seeing all her videos and red carpet looks when I was little and aspiring to be as bold as her; she's basically a drag queen. Favourite thing about Notts? Hopkinsons! It's a shop full of independent artist's creations, vintage stuff, antiques, clothes, jewellery, art, taxidermy – literally everything. I spend hours there and there's always some really fierce drag finds. Best way to deal with a heckler? Give them all the attention they're clearly desperate for, a big shoutout in front of the whole crowd and watch them go bright red as they realise that they shouldn't interrupt a loud-mouth in a wig! Favourite movie? Silence of the Lambs – eery, quotable and sooooo many metaphors. *Hannibal Lecter hiss* Q @itsbellabestia
Who inspired you to be a queen? Me. I’ve always been a performer, starting in musical theatre. As a visibly gay guy I never really got the lead male roles as they were all straight stories and the women had all the best songs. When I started singing in the cabaret show in the bar I was working at while studying musical theatre, I was mostly on stage to fill time while the drag queens were changing. Then I was cast as Angel in RENT and realised that being in drag was a lot of fun and a brilliant way to express yourself creatively. Marilyn Sane was born. No scripts. No directors. Just me and anything I wanted to do. Favourite thing about Notts? Notts is such an open book when it comes to culture. There’s everything here and if you can’t find it then you can make it. We have such a thriving and constantly evolving artistic heartbeat in this city and it’s still got some indie charm which has been bled dry from other cultural city centres. Best way to deal with a heckler? Ask them to clarify for the room. They quickly lose their gall once given the time and attention they so eagerly demanded. A heckler is basically a dog chasing a car. It has no idea what to do with it if it ever caught it. What does pride mean to you? Pride means visibility. When I was growing up, every romantic development for a queer adolescent was tinged with shame. First kisses were sordid secrets. Crushes were something you tried to convince yourself wasn’t happening. Pride is about showing, inside and outside of our community, that none of us should be living with shame, that there’s nothing to hide.
Q @marilynsane
Catch the queens on the main stage at Pride and at the Gladrags Official Notts Pride Afterparty on Saturday 25 July at The Palais. Tickets now on sale. @gladragsnotts
Gig Guide
FOR TICKETS AND INFO VISIT ALTTICKETS.COM
MON.13. JUL.26
A Thousand Horses BODEGA
WED.08.JUL.26
Sumo Cyco
The Flatliners
THU.09.JUL.26
FRI.28.AUG.26
BODEGA
Anthony Green BODEGA
Hot 8 Brass Band
UT SUN.12.JUL.26 SOLD O
Bat Sabbath ROCK CITY (BETA) MON.13.JUL.26
A Thousand Horses BODEGA
SAT.25.JUL.26 RESCUE ROOMS
MON.13.JUL.26
Dead Pioneers + Petrol Girls RESCUE ROOMS FRI.17.JUL.26
Crash of Rhinos BODEGA
SAT.18.JUL.26
SAT.29.AUG.26
Day Fever Festival
ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND
Smoove & Turrell BODEGA
SAT.18.JUL.26 SUN.19.JUL.26
Splendour Festival
ROCK CITY
SAT.29.AUG.26
Day Fever Festival
Allegaeon & GOROD
Francis of Delirium
WED.09.SEP.26
FRI.18.SEP.26
RESCUE ROOMS
Downward ROUGH TRADE
WED.09.SEP.26
GHOSTWOMAN
ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND
BODEGA
SUN.30.AUG.26
Primal Scream
Foolhardy Folk Festival
ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND TUE.01.SEP.26
Anna von Hausswolff RESCUE ROOMS WED.02.SEP.26
Little Grandad BODEGA
FRI.04.SEP.26
King Prawn BODEGA
UT FRI.04.SEP.26 SOLD O
WED.09.SEP.26
ROCK CITY
THU.10.SEP.26
ATLAS
RESCUE ROOMS
FRI.11.SEP.26
Alfie Sharp BODEGA
FRI.11.SEP.26
Ally Venable RESCUE ROOMS
SAT.12.SEP.26
Gaerea
RESCUE ROOMS
BODEGA
FRI.18.SEP.26
SAT.19.SEP.26
The Sisters of Mercy Little Barrie BODEGA
SAT.19.SEP.26
Toby Lee RESCUE ROOMS
FRI.07.AUG.26
MISSIO
The Afghan Whigs THE PALAIS
WED.23.SEP.26
Good Kid THE PALAIS
FRI.25.SEP.26
TUE.08.SEP.26
Stiff Little Fingers Model/Actriz ROCK CITY
RESCUE ROOMS
SAT.12.SEP.26
RESCUE ROOMS
Mimi Barks ROUGH TRADE
WED.16.SEP.26
Havok
FRI.18.SEP.26 SAT.19.SEP.26 ROCK CITY
SUN.20.SEP.26
SUN.13.SEP.26
RESCUE ROOMS
RESCUE ROOMS
The Sisters of Mercy
SAT.19.SEP.26
BODEGA
Hot 8 Brass Band
MON.07.SEP.26
ROUGH TRADE
ROCK CITY
TUE.08.SEP.26
THE PALAIS
Mimi Barks
BODEGA
SAT.25.JUL.26
The Molotovs
SUN.13.SEP.26
GIFT
Altered Images
BODEGA
ARBORETUM GARDEN BAR & BANDSTAND
Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE
THU.17.SEP.26
Soledad Brothers
THU.23.JUL.26
SUN.30.AUG.26
RESCUE ROOMS
WED.09.SEP.26
New The Jacques / The Constellations BODEGA Sukis / Pistol FRI.25.SEP.26 Daisys BODEGA Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey SUN.13.SEP.26 ROCK CITY Boyce Avenue
WOLLATON PARK
Foolhardy Folk Festival
TUE.18.AUG.26
Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey FRI.25.SEP.26 ROCK CITY
Fear Factory
UT SAT.26.SEP.26 SOLD O
Poets Of The Fall THE PALAIS
MON.28.SEP.26
Lauren Auder BODEGA
FRI.02.OCT.26
ROCK CITY
RESCUE ROOMS
The Quireboys
WED.09.SEP.26
Primal Scream ROCK CITY
WED.07.OCT.26 THE PALAIS
WHE N WE WERE B BOYS
words: Caradoc Gayer: photos: Karl Russell, Finn Serck-Hansen, Nick Turner, Jonathan Woodliffe
This year marks the tenth anniversary of a documentary about a less widely recognised part of Nottingham history. NG83: When We Were B Boys, follows a particular few years in the mid 80s when, through happenstance, Notts became the UK’s unofficial breakdancing capital. In advance of two events celebrating the anniversary of the film, two of its co-directors: Claude Knight and Luke Scott, reminisce on making it. In summer 1983, a crew of New York B Boys danced in the Old Market Square to promote a milkshake called WFLA, videoed by an accompanying filmmaker called Danny Cornyetz. Among the watching crowd was local Claude Knight, then aged sixteen. Decades later, Claude, and fellow Notts local Luke Scott, reached out to Danny, who still had the original footage to show them. “They went all around the UK, up north, and to Nottingham,” says Claude. “I remember talking to [Danny], and I said, ‘Do you remember Nottingham?’ he said, ‘Newcastle?’, and I said, ‘No, Nottingham.’ He then remembered, and he said that, out of all the places, that was what the New York guys talked about the most. It was like a riot: there were about three, or four hundred people, all packed into Old Market Square.” When they met Danny, Claude and Luke were creating a documentary which would be titled NG83: When We Were B Boys, in collaboration with filmmaker Sam Derby Cooper. Released in 2016, it's today an award winning film that’s considered a local classic but the idea for it came from very ordinary circumstances. In the 2000s, Claude and Luke became friends
via their warehouse jobs, bonding over Claude’s many tales of Nottingham’s vibrant, Hip Hop past. Then, inspired by the work of filmmaker Shane Meadows, an idea was seeded… “I remember watching This Is England, and the first bit which says ‘1983’. I thought, ‘What was I doing in 1983?’ I was into breakdancing and Hip Hop,” says Claude. “I said to Luke that it would be great to do a sort of short story about when the New York breakers came to the Market Square… we could do a little film.’ He said ‘Why don’t we do a documentary.’ We thought it’d be dead easy. It took us seven or eight years!”
The Nottingham lads – we always had an attitude, and thought we were better than everyone else at dancing That Old Market Square performance in 1983 was a cultural earthquake for Nottingham. Many young people, like Claude, came away from it determined to participate in Hip Hop, and lots of
them decided that they would learn to breakdance. DJ Jonathan Woodliffe picked up on this, and started putting on Hip Hop jams at Rock City. This quickly snowballed into a national phenomenon with Notts becoming an unofficial breakdancing centre of the country, attracting many national crews, among which were the likes of later drum and bass legend Goldie, and future Take That star Jason Orange. When Claude and Luke started making the film, they tried to capture the sheer scale of what happened. “We interviewed a lot of people who used to travel to Nottingham, because Rock City Saturday afternoons used to be a focal point for the UK Hip Hop scene. You’d have people travelling in from London, Manchester, Birmingham, everywhere, to come visit the jams,” says Luke. “It got too big – we put together a rough cut, and there were too many talking heads for the audience to follow. So we went back to the drawing board, and focused on a smaller number of characters, who complimented each other.” As a result, NG83 became a small scale film with big themes. Claude and Luke
gave a small group of dancers and MCs, who back then were part of the scene, the space to retell their stories from that strange, but beautiful few years. Even decades later, each person interviewed in the documentary was still filled with personal stories and love for Hip Hop. Watching it, you certainly get a sense of why, exactly, Nottingham embraced Hip Hop with open arms. “Nottingham has always had a good music scene. I used to go to funk, soul, and jazz all dayers which were from one in the afternoon till ten at night,” says Claude. “The Nottingham lads – we always had an attitude, and thought we were better than everyone else at dancing. I don’t know if it’s small city syndrome, but we were a bit lairy and thought we were the best.” Claude rapped alongside The Rock City Crew who, with their rivals The Assassinators, put Notts on the breakdancing map. The craze got so big that Claude and the Rock City crew supported US Hip Hop and RnB legends Grandmaster Melle Mel and Chaka Khan for their 1985 show in London – one of many performances that B Boys from Nottingham got to do across the country, and even abroad. NG83 features lots of
footage of these shows. “A lot of the archive stuff that you see in the film is from old Betamax and VHS videos which had been copied and passed on to different people, with a shelf life of 25-30 years – depending on how they’re stored,” says Luke. “So, it was a race against time to preserve all this stuff and digitise it. It was out there, but just under people’s beds, or in a locker. There was quite a lot of detective work.”
A lot of the archive stuff that you see in the film is from old Betamax and VHS videos... So, it was a race against time to preserve all this stuff. It was out there, but just under people’s beds, or in a locker Released in 2016, NG83 saw huge success. Claude and Luke would go be interviewed on platforms like the BBC and The One Show, and would take the film to be shown at the New York Hip Hop Film Festival, where it won Best Documentary. Claude and Luke think that the fact they limited the personal stories they were telling to seven was a factor in its success – though it's a Nottingham story, the themes are universal, so “it travelled very well.” Yet, though it celebrates those happy years in Nottingham, the film doesn’t exactly have a happy ending. After a few years, the breakdancing craze burned out, and Nottingham B Boys who’d devoted their lives to it found themselves lost and adrift. Some got into substance or legal problems or even passed – the issues which breakdancing had kept them from, due to the lack of opportunities back then in Nottingham for disadvantaged kids.
It’s been ten years since NG83 was released, and watching it still feels sad for Luke and Claude, not least because, since its release, various Nottingham B Boys and MCs, some featured in the documentary, have passed away. Among them was Tommy ‘Sly’ Thomas, who is central to the film. He passed in 2023, having spent his life immersed in lots of subcultures, like roller skating, reggae soundsystems, Hip Hop, and drum and bass. “The news was quite sudden – first hearing he’s in hospital with cancer then hearing he’s passed away,” says Luke. “He was such a larger than life character – and the times we spent making the film, then driving around the country promoting it, and going to screenings with it – there were so many stories and memories of being around him. You can’t believe he’s not going to be around, and pop out of the woodwork like he did.” But happily, to mark the tenth anniversary of the film, there’s going to be two different events – a Broadway Cinema screening on 10 July and a Rock City Hip Hop jam on 25 July, which will bring the community back together. In advance of the occasions, Claude and Luke have partnered with Maggie’s, a local palliative care charity, so that the proceeds from this celebration of Notts culture go back to the community. “We’re having a Rock City Hip Hop jam, and then we’re having a screening at Broadway, because Broadway is a charity – they said that they’ll donate the tickets to our cause. It’s very poignant, because the film has characters in it who passed away,” says Claude. “It’s sad but it will be a good celebration, for the film, and their memories as well.” The NG83 10th Anniversary Screening will happen at Broadway Cinema on Fri 10 July. It will be closely followed by a Q&A. The NG83 Hip Hop jam will happen on Sat 25 July, at Rock City. Tickets can be bought from the Broadway and Rock City websites.
R E N T F RO M
£1 ,0 0 0 P CM*
Artists, Lovers, Outsiders words: Sophie Gargett photo: Alan Fletcher
The latest exhibition over at Nottingham Castle tells the story of Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun, two Scottish artists, lovers, and outsiders, whose mark on mid-century Modernist art has largely been overlooked. Sophie Gargett caught up with curator and award-winning writer Damian Barr, whose fictional biographical novel The Two Roberts sheds light on a love story that was hidden for decades. The year is 1933 and travelling from the rural town of Maybole, Ayrshire, a young aspiring painter called Robert MacBryde is on his way to art school. On the train he meets a dark curly haired boy – another Robert – who happens to share his destination. A crossing of paths that would go on to define their lives and work, from that day on the two men would never separate. Author Damian Barr’s novel The Two Roberts follows MacBryde and Colquhoun through the highs and lows of their tumultuous life together; from their early attraction as struggling art students, and the alluring days of commercial success in London’s creative demi-monde, to their later years of struggle and destitution. Accompanied by an exhibition of over one hundred works, Barr paints a rich picture of these two men, attempting to see what lies behind the easel. For Barr, the novel was a way of ‘righting a historical wrong’ by shedding light on a story largely hidden from time – while the Roberts were known as staunch companions and creative partners for the majority of their lives, their relationship was rarely referenced explicitly. Discovering more about them, Barr felt a “personal kinship”. Like him, the Roberts were gay, Scottish, and working class – so why hadn’t he come across two of the most prestigious artists in Scottish modern art, who lived only half a century before himself? “There’s a joke about them being called ‘MacBraque and MacPicasso’ in their lifetime,” he explains. “They were so famous and briefly so rich. They were celebrated and very important to other artists at the time, but it's almost like they've been cut out of their rightful place in social, cultural, and art history.” This erasure of Queer stories is nothing new – for centuries people in the LGBTQ community themselves have had to conceal their truth as a form of self-protection, and still often do. Moments within the novel highlight this, such as when the Roberts meet an older gay man who tells them “never write anything down, and never speak to the police.” The pair share love notes and sketch portraits of each other in the safety of their own home, but burn much of it for fear of being exposed. For many of their gay friends, detection would lead to ostracism at best, blackmail, violence, or imprisonment at worst. From what remained – newspaper clippings, anecdotes, and a ‘coded acknowledgment’ of their relationship hidden in details
of their paintings – Barr pieced together their story, imagining their lesser known early years and more private moments. Acknowledging the element of creative license integral to writing such a story, Barr explains: “Their story is traditionally told as a tragedy, and I wanted to focus on it as a love story, so I want to show the beginning of that. So I had them meet on the train to Glasgow School of Art because I was so impatient for them to fall in love – but that's some of my romanticism slipping in.”
A lot of bohemians were Queer, and they were the engine of modern British art While inseparable from early on in the novel, there is a considerable amount of time before either of the Roberts act on their feelings. In these early years, we get to know their contrasting personalities which go on to define their relationship dynamic. MacBryde is upbeat, funny and curious while Colquhoun is cautious, testy and introverted. MacBryde acted as the homemaker and cheerleader, securing exhibitions and sales through his bubbly personality, while lovingly giving Colquhoun, the more successful of the pair, time to both paint and brood. “Bobby makes less work because the circumstances aren't conducive. He's the domestic god that keeps everything happening, and the person that takes Robert's work out into the world, because Robert can't,” Barr says. After their studies in Glasgow the pair travelled on a scholarship to European cultural centres such as Paris and Venice. They then found a home in London’s bohemian districts of Soho and Fitzrovia, mixing with other Queer painters such as Frances Bacon and John Minton, and writers including Dylan Thomas and Elizabeth Smart. In this midcentury cultural melting pot, fewer eyebrows were raised over two men living so closely, and as the Roberts hosted parties and explored their sexuality further, they found both friends and success in the city. “A lot of the bohemians they met were Queer, and they were the engine of modern British art,” says Barr. The exhibition walks attendees through the life and creative oeuvre of the Roberts, from their own paintings and sketches,
to photographs and pieces by their contemporaries. Colquhoun specialised in portraits, while MacBryde was a master of still life – a rule they largely kept to for their careers. Despite the different subjects, there are similarities in their styles – a jauntiness in the playful movement and bright colours, and a conflicting sense of mystery present, as if something is lurking just out of the frame. Barr likens MacBryde's paintings of food to social media posts of today, giving a glimpse behind closed doors, the domestic setting providing hints about a person’s life: “I see class, because these are humble vegetables. They're fresh, because they will be eating them and they don't have the luxury of waste. Then also he's making it for Robert. Robert's hovering off stage all the time in those still life paintings.” Colquhoun on the other hand conjured “strange figures: sad women, beggars and boys – all figures broken by forces greater than them,” as Barr writes in the exhibition. The deep midnight blues and silvery masked faces of Women in Ireland (1958) give a stark and haunting representation of grief, while the truly imaginative Masked Figure Venetian Carnival (1950) is somehow both cheerful and unsettling in its distorted, indifferent presence. In 1962 Colquhoun died in MacBryde’s arms, at age 47. The popularity of their work had declined as American pop art had begun to dominate the visual arts, and many of their friends had been lost to suicide and destitution. Neither lived to see homosexuality decriminalised in 1967 (and certainly not in Scotland where it took another thirteen years). “It’s very recent and painful, and it’s not purely history,” Barr explains, noting the homophobia he has encountered while touring with the book. “It’s not every event, but it doesn’t have to be to make you anxious. It’s a change I’ve seen, and it’s important for people to know.” It seems like a precarious task to write a novel around two real-life figures, but Barr brings the Roberts to life with great care. Sharing a rare glimpse into Queer domesticity in the 20th century, he encourages readers to ask questions about our public and private selves, who is allowed the freedom to live authentically when less than a century ago, so many did not. Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun: Artists, Lovers, Outsiders is exhibiting at Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery until Sunday 6 September. nottinghamcastle.org.uk
interview: Katherine Monk-Watts illustration: Jenny Mure
Open to the LGBTQ+ community and allies, Write Queer is a monthly collective who share and progress their writing, while connecting with other writers in a supportive environment – online, or at Nottingham Central Library. We speak to organiser Richard Gidlow about the sessions, zines, Notts Pride, and the unspoken heroes of pigeons. Tell us about the origins of Write Queer… Write Queer began in 2022 as a project tied with Derbyshire LGBT+. David Beer and Georgina Wilding from Nottingham Central Library invited us to launch a writing group for LGBTQ+ individuals. Their advice and support helped Write Queer grow. It now includes a popular monthly session that often sells out, plus an online option. How can people get involved with the writing sessions, both online and in-person? You can find links to join on our Instagram, QR codes, and posters across Nottingham. We offer concessions for those unemployed or on low incomes, but full-price tickets are also available. We have a Write Queer manifesto of respect, openness, creativity and encouragement in a judgementfree space. Our in-person sessions include delicious bakes – big thanks to Ives for those! What is the writing process and format for each session? I structure sessions around themes and requests from the group; metaphors, genres, power dynamics, approaching intimate scenes. We’ve tried scriptwriting, monologues, and duologues. I’ll lead with a group discussion to spark ideas, followed by dedicated writing time and sharing. For June, we’re focusing on Pride: what it means and how to celebrate it, while exploring themes like Queer dystopia and utopia. Tell us about your fabulous zine collections (and your upcoming spooky-themed zine!)... The zine started because of our work with Greebo. For those who don’t know, a zine is basically a DIY magazine – it’s all about punk creativity, and giving people a chance to share their voices, feelings, and experiences. Our first zine, Write Queer Collection, was a general collection, edited by the writers themselves, and was crowdfunded to cover printing costs – any money we make goes straight back into the community. Our incredible designer, Alicia Turner, put it all together. For the second edition, we had funds to offer free submission opportunities, opening it up to writers beyond Write Queer – even from America! Our third, Hauntings, launches in October, just in time for spooky season! It explores
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themes of fear, ghosts, and what haunts us. We’ll even judge submissions blind. If you’ve got something to share, definitely apply… You’re a writer yourself. How has organising the Write Queer workshops helped you shape your personal writing journey? I’m an English teacher. It all started with First Story – an organisation that placed a writer-in-residence at my school. I studied English Lit with Creative Writing, but I struggled with insecurity about my writing. The intense workshop styles felt intimidating, and my relationship with writing faded for a while. Then, First Story gave me chance to join workshops myself – even offering a scholarship to study Creative Writing at Cambridge ICE. A guy who didn’t do brilliantly in his A-Levels was now doing a third of a master’s there!
I’ve often felt like an outsider, so I thought, why not create something where I can find my people? There wasn’t really anything like Write Queer out there, so that’s how it started But I wanted to give back. As a Queer person, I’ve often felt like an outsider, so I thought, why not create something where I can find my people? There wasn’t really anything like Write Queer out there, so that’s how it started. Right now, I’m doing a part-time master’s at Nottingham Uni – writing poetry responding to Section 28. How does Write Queer support each writer’s progression and writing growth? It’s all about making the space feel safe, and humorous. A lot of it is about really seeing people, then suggesting something that might nudge them forward. There was a writer terrified of performing at the Derby
Traveller’s Count of Poetry 2026. They were shaking, honestly. We talked it through, I gave some tips, watched them smash it, and they won! And it wasn’t just about winning. It was about trying and owning it – still standing there, still writing, still showing up. Last year, I stood on the Nottingham Pride acoustic stage, reading one of my poems – a sad one. I paused midreading and looked around. There were ten local writers up there before me, all sharing their work. The room was packed, people listening outside the doors because there wasn’t enough space. And I thought, ‘This. This is it. This is exactly why we do this’. It’s not about me. It’s about us. It’s enough to make me emotional. Speaking of Notts Pride, do you have anything exciting planned for this year? We’ve got so much planned! We’re at Sneinton Festival on Saturday 11 July with a slot in the afternoon. Then, on Thursday 23 July, we’re hosting open mic night at Central Library. It’s open to everyone – no experience needed. I’m reaching out to local Queer groups and organisations for a mini market to bring everyone together. And on Saturday 25 July, we’re at Nottingham Pride! We’ll have a stall with zines, accessories, and because we love pigeons, some feather-themed bits. Plus, we’re back on the acoustic stage again! Tell us about Write Queer’s mascot: Marvin the Pigeon! Pigeons are so misunderstood. Politically, they’ve served a purpose with carrier pigeons delivering messages, only to be discarded when they were no longer ‘useful.’ It’s like an allegory for how society treats Queer people. But pigeons always come back. No matter how many you try to get rid of, more appear. We’re still here, and we’re not going anywhere. Write Queer Writing Sessions take place in-person at Nottingham Central Library 4:30-6pm every third Monday of the month and online 6-7:30pm every fourth Monday of the month. Issue 1 and Issue 2 of Write Queer Collections are Q now available. @write.queer
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Future Sound of Nottingham: Meet the Champs interview: Sam Nahirny | photos: Jade K Vowles
interview: Sam Nahirny photos: Jade K Vowles
Last month the Future Sound of Nottingham awards took place once again, giving seven artists the chance to battle it out on Rock City’s main stage. With a diverse line up of exceptional talent, ranging from folk and alternative rock to soul and grime, the audience and industry panel placed their votes for who should play at this year’s Splendour Festival. We spoke to winners 2Two’s and Omari Marsalis to hear where they came from and how they’re feeling about opening Splendour. How did your musical journey start, and how has it evolved into what you’re doing now? Two2’s: We’ve all had our own journeys, but we first met at a grime set curated by Snowy and JJ for MCs under 22. That put us in the same room. We started hitting the studio, got a few songs down, put a name on it – and the rest is history. Omari Marsalis: I grew up in a community recording studio – my dad, Nick Stez, has produced in the Notts scene for thirty plus years. I didn’t start making music myself until I was fifteen or sixteen, but I’d been soaking it up watching him, Out Da Ville, and Jah Digga create. It’s gone from emotional expression to the first thing I think about when I wake up.
Grime’s a working-class genre, often seen as aggressive, but it’s really just an expression of inner-city life. We bring positive, energetic tones that feel fresh and current In a few weeks you’ve smashed Rock City, been crowned FSN champ, and you’re about to open Splendour. How are you feeling? Two2’s: Spirits are really high. You can have months where it feels like nothing’s happening, then all of a sudden you gather momentum and these opportunities just appear. Rock City and Splendour are so iconic in Notts culture – being this proud of where we’re from, it’s so validating to be part of it. Omari Marsalis: I’m buzzing – ecstatic, honestly. Performing at Rock City was amazing, and to now be opening the main stage at Splendour… my mind is blown. Why did you enter FSN, and how did it feel when you heard your name read out? Two2’s: A good friend sent us the FSN sign-up post and after a quick convo it was a no-brainer – Rock City main stage is one of the most iconic stages in the country, and a chance to showcase our genre to new audiences. Hearing our name? Speechless. We were honestly preparing to lose, so we were more nervous for the announcement than the show itself. Being the first grime act to win shows what we do really has an impact. Omari Marsalis: My friend and producer sent me the post. I knew I’d have a chance, but with the talent in Nottingham I had to do something different – which is why I assembled the band, RosesUnderTheMoon. When my name was called it took a minute to process; it hit me when I saw my band react. A family was built. How has Nottingham shaped you and your musical style? Two 2s: Notts is diverse, beautiful and creative, but it doesn’t come without its problems – our experiences here, good and bad, shape what we make. Grime’s a working-class genre, often seen as aggressive, but it’s really just an expression of inner-city life. We bring positive, energetic tones that feel fresh and current.
Omari Marsalis: Massively. It gave me my identity and authenticity – from the words I use in my music to who I am as a person. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it? Two 2s: It’s how grime from Nottingham should sound in 2026 – energetic and bubbly but also lyrical and raw. It’s hard not to bop your head, and the chemistry between us makes it a fun listen. Omari Marsalis: Heartfelt storytelling full of rhythmic passion – it’ll inspire you and make you feel seen. If you could curate a dream line-up of your influences to play with, who’s on the list? Two 2s: Us headlining, then a bill pulled from all our influences: Damian Marley, Westside Gunn, Rage Against The Machine, Busta Rhymes, Vybz Kartel and MoStack. Omari Marsalis: 6lack, Wretch 32 and J Cole. And who are your favourite Nottingham artists at the moment? Two 2s: APD, Kyeza, Snowy, Pubzy, Shadow and Window Kid, to name a few. Omari Marsalis: JTYH and Izo. What have you got out at the moment, and what’s on the horizon? Two 2s: We just released a project with the very talented Felix Dubs – Starting 5ive is on all streaming platforms now, so go check it out. After Splendour we’ll be back in the studio, ready to flood the scene again. Omari Marsalis: Three songs from my Rock City set are out – Let Em In, Human and Four Seasons. My new single Mari, Where Ya Been? drops 8 July, with more to follow, plus a debut project, UnderTheMoon Volume 1, with producer Tom Hodson later this year.
When my name was called it took a minute to process; it hit me when I saw my band react. A family was built What would you say to someone on the fence about entering FSN next year? Two 2s: Do it — don’t think twice. We submitted, some of us half-forgot about it, and then they announced us in the final. Don’t miss out on an experience that costs you nothing. Omari Marsalis: Do it! It’s so worth it. Any last words for LeftLion? Two 2s: Keep streaming Starting 5ive ft Felix Dubs, and come down to K2 on 1 August for a night of madness – a sick 140 line-up with some exclusive guests! Omari Marsalis: Follow my Instagram @ omarimarsalis to keep up with all my releases. Future Sound of Nottingham is produced by Nusic – nusic.org.uk
Q @omarimarsalis | @two2snotts
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Out of time: Noel Coward in Notts
words: CJ De Barra illustration: Jack Howe
Noel Coward is remembered as a playwright and actor most often associated with the West End and London. Yet, his work has been performed for decades on stages across Nottingham’s leading theatres, with his film adaptations regularly screened in our historic cinemas. The Midlands also became something of a retreat for him. Here’s the role that our part of the world played in his life… Coward was just a teenager when he met the painter, Philip Streatfeild, in 1913. It is thought that Coward’s mother introduced them while she worked as a cleaner at his studio on Glebe Street in London. Despite the age gap, the two went on vacations together, and Coward became his protégé and, as some have speculated, his lover too. When World War One broke out, Streatfeild joined the Sherwood Foresters as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1914. Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis in the trenches in France and died at home in 1915 at the age of 35. As a wellconnected society painter, Streatfeild brought Coward into his world – introducing him to literature and other notable homosexual men. Before he died, he wrote to his friend, Mrs Eva Astley Paston Cooper, to ask if there was any way she would consider looking after the young, ‘delicate’ Noel. Cooper invited Noel to her home – a large Victorian mansion called Hambleton Hall, near Oakham in the Midlands. Hambleton had been built as a hunting box in 1881 by Walter Marshall, but it passed to Eva in 1899. Eva was an eccentric woman in her fifties, who turned her home into a glamorous salon where she invited theatrical, creative, and often homosexual men to visit for drinks and discussion. Coward however, even later in the 60s, would refuse to confirm his sexual orientation publicly – observing, “There are still a few old ladies in Worthing who don’t know.” Eva wasn’t worried about homosexuality. She was described as “totally unshockable” by those who knew her. Her granddaughter said, “She collected rather weird friends.” Her ‘weird friends’ included Malcom Sargent, C.K. Scott Moncrief and James Lee Miller, all of whom attended the social gatherings. Coward was not so gushing when describing Eva – “Mrs Cooper was gay company. Her principal pleasure was to lie flat on her back upon a mattress in front of the fire and shoot off witticisms in a sort of petulant wail,” he said. Though this never stopped him from visiting. He claimed that he wrote the play Hay Fever about her in 1925. Towards the end of the 1920s, Nottingham theatres had a run of Coward’s plays at Theatre Royal and The Palace in Newark.
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It’s quite possible that this is where he was staying during that time. The first play he wrote was The Vortex, which premiered in 1924 and featured themes of drug use and adultery. In casting, Coward appointed Nottingham-born, camp, female impersonator, Douglas Byng to play the character of the vicar. Byng brought the house down with the musical number, Even Clergymen are Naughty Every Now and Again. Coward and Byng worked together in many plays and sketches. Most notably, Oranges and Lemons, where Byng played one of two old ladies going to bed on New Year’s Eve in a boarding house. Rumour has it that Byng and Coward both had an affair with the bisexual Prince George, although Noel described it as a “little dalliance”.
Coward however, even later in the 60s, would refuse to confirm his sexual orientation publicly – observing, “There are still a few old ladies in Worthing who don’t know.” When asked by a reporter about what Coward was like to work with, Byng replied, “Marvellous! He was always very nice to me. He could either be very grand and shoot you down in flames, or he could be very sympathetic and understanding.” Coward’s most risque play, Design for Living, premiered in 1932 in New York, and was made into a film the following year. The play, which was about a woman in love with two men, starred Fredric March, Gary Cooper, and Miriam Hopkins. It is still thought to have homosexual undertones today, which makes it even more remarkable that it was made, given homosexuality's illegality at the time. It was shown at the Empress Theatre on St. Ann’s Well
Road in 1934, with the cinema billing it as a “dramatic and distracting play of a woman who loved two men… completely… simultaneously…” Audiences loved it and couldn’t get enough, so it ran for six days. The press was less amused. “Not a very pleasant subject, even for a farce, which most of this play is,” the Nottingham papers wrote. Coward came to Nottingham in 1942 with a series of his plays: This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit and Present Laughter. This was billed as a ‘return’ although it was not specified when he was last here, though it was likely to be the 1920s, as he stayed with Eva. Reviewers said that while the subject matter of Blithe Spirit was “somewhat grim”, the play was “brilliantly written stuff.” Audiences were perhaps in no mood for the dark, though comedic storyline, which featured a scene gone wrong, as World War Two had started in 1939. Cinemas and theatres were an escape from death and destruction at this stage – not a reminder of it. At the same time, Eva threw open the doors of Hambleton Hall to create a recovery home for wounded soldiers. It came to be known as ‘Heaven on the Hill’ by those who stayed there, until she passed away in 1944. The house still has a room called ‘the Noel Coward room’, though it is now a hotel. Blithe Spirit had the record of being the longest-running play in the West End, but it was knocked off the top spot by Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap. Mousetrap had its world premiere at the Nottingham Theatre Royal, as Christie stayed at the County Hotel next door in 1952. Coward sent Christie a telegram to congratulate her on the success. He wrote, “Much as it pains me, I really must congratulate you on The Mousetrap breaking the long-run record. All my good wishes. Noël Coward.” In 2011, the telegram was discovered wedged in a piece of furniture. Mousetrap is still performed today. The play is the inspiration for the name of the new bar, The Mousetrap Social, which has just opened across the road from Theatre Royal.
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art
marian re-made interview: Lauryn Wilson image: Backlit Gallery
Ahead of the unveiling of Maid Marian Way’s new statue, artist Alicja Biała talks to LeftLion about her creative process, community involvement and why representation of women in public spaces matters. The council selected you to make the Maid Marian statue that’ll be unveiled in July for Maid Marian Way – could you tell me how you were picked? It was a closed competition. The council partnered with Backlit and invited six artists, including me, to compete for this opportunity. If we accepted, we sent in our tailored portfolios. Then we received a brief that began with quite a detailed explanation of what the public wants. I submitted three different proposals, they narrowed the artists down to three, and then we had to develop a more concrete proposal, including a budget, technical drawings and samples, to present to the council in person. It was a long process; it took a little over a year. What was your process for making the statue? The main aspect I noticed about the brief was that it was incredibly broad; people didn’t necessarily have a single vision of what Maid Marian represents, so I thought of doing something community-based and open-ended so it could have multiple interpretations. It wouldn’t be a realistic statue with a very rigid intention; it would be something that could be filled in with all the desires and attachments mentioned in the brief. With Backlit, we invited over a hundred local people to workshops who brought different foliage from different plants from Nottingham and around. Some people would bring plants from their gardens, so each one had a personal story. Then, based on those plants, we created wax moulds for a long process called the lost wax technique, in which you pour molten metal into the mould, so each part is cast in
bronze and then welded together into one 2.3m tall statue of Maid Marian. Could you tell me more about your workshops with Backlit? I put public engagement in my proposal, so we decided to run workshops in the Backlit gallery and created different slots where everyone was welcome. I presented the project to every single group and held three different activities: one with drawing, painting and making cutouts of Maid Marian, another for airdrying clay, and another for creating waxes. After the workshops, I was left with a large collection, and I took many of the pieces to turn into metal for the sculpture components. The remaining ones are still at Backlit, and on 17 July, we will open an exhibition with all the parts from the workshop. I also recorded a video documentation of every single piece that the people of Nottingham had done during the workshop. It was such a wonderful space, and it’s really fantastic to see so many people sign up to participate.
I wanted young girls to look at it and think, “This represents me in so many ways” Was there any particular version of Maid Marian and her folklore that inspired your piece? I wanted to create a new version! One that was a living statue, not Cate Blanchett or a fox from a Disney movie. I was trying to escape these representations and propose a very different narrative that’s embedded in the spirit, folksiness and storytelling. The city wanted me to point towards the May Day tradition that is linked with Maid Marian, so I designed an elaborate headpiece for her. She is very much a May Queen. Statistics show that only 2.7% of statues in the UK are of non-royal women. Is it important to you to represent women in statues?
It is. I did another one two years ago, and we’re unveiling it soon – it was touching on the same thing: we just do not have a representation of women. It’s a global problem; everywhere you go, you don’t see women represented in public spaces or most of the time they’re just going to be nymphs or beauty figures, not people who are appreciated for their achievements or abilities. I think this is why I didn’t try to make it abstract, because we need a physical representation. Maybe not one-to-one because you can’t make a portrait of a person when you don’t know what they looked like, but I still really wanted to make it clear that the statue is of a woman. I wanted young girls to look at it and think, “This represents me in so many ways.” I completely think it’s so important. The unveiling of Alicja Biala’s Maid Marian will take place on Friday 17 July. For more information head to Backlit’s website. backlit.org.uk
Exhibition review: folklore and fitness Two very different exhibitions are currently displayed at the Nottingham Contemporary. In one, classical sculptures intersect with modern fitness culture. In the other, a Brazilian artist creates an imagined folklore…
Physical Culture, the Nottingham Contemporary’s newest offering, seems like an exercise in demystification. The exhibition is a fully functional gym, with weights replaced by the heads of classical sculptures and other art pieces – eyes, artists models, legs. When I visited on opening night, the functionality and oppressive atmosphere of the exhibition, between stark lighting, thumping music, and a demarcated running track linking its two gallery spaces, rendered the space pointedly gym-like. Our attention is split between faces and bodies. We’re invited to subdivide bodies into parts – eyes, limbs, flexion and extension – following the rote workouts of the trainers and hyperfocused illustrations of the artists who each
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populate the exhibit. Artist Augustas Serapinas created Physical Culture first as a student at the Vilnius Academy of Art in 2012, and it has been exhibited internationally since then. Serapinas’ experience with formal art study was what kindled the link between the repetitive, practiced attention to the body in figure drawing and bodybuilding. Serapinas imagined the exhibition as a critique of educational practices – “The first gym I created [...] was full of student works - casts, assignments, pieces left behind”. Participants engage repetitively with the weights of history and culture, becoming acolytes of the cult of the body. But, since 2012, the issue at hand has bulked up. The intersection of bodybuilding and philhellenism has taken on a life of its own as a political symbol in the hyper-online conservative movement through incendiary figures like Bronze Age Pervert and Mike Ma whose ideas have filtered into the mainstream. But while that shadow hangs over the exhibition Physical Culture struggles to extricate itself from mythic parallels of art, sculpture and fitness on which it was first drawn up. Elsewhere in the Contemporary lies And the soul is for the birds: a solo exhibition of the work of Brazilian painter Chico da Silva. The exhibition is arranged like a fairytale bestiary, a dimly lit assortment of untitled pieces depicting strange creatures with sharp teeth and skin in textile patterns. Many of these paintings are fringed with foliage – like a series of vignettes interspersed through an expansive, amphibious forest. In these hallucinatory environments, creatures are either actively grappling, or simply considering each other, teeth bared, with jaws and tongues exploring the neutral space between the two beasts. Occasionally, da Silva’s usual side-on
words: Hal Hewlett photos: Ding Musa | Jules Lister
perspective falters, and a creature will sport two eyes rather than one. Early on in the gallery, I found myself particularly struck by Jellyfish and Piranhas. The piece depicts a shoal of piranhas, sawtoothed mouths dumbfoundedly half-open, swimming in the wake of a massive jellyfish, as it unthinkingly moves through the rough pattern of the top of the frame. The jellyfish looks strange and eldritch, a network of varicose strings coursing through its bell that emerge from a pair of crazed eyes. Towards the edge of the bell, blues and reds create a series of arches reminiscent of a big top circus tent to which the piranhas are attempting to gain access and, in the midst of the grappling, biting creatures that decorate the walls, it is difficult not to find this extremely serene. Chico da Silva’s And the soul is for the birds and Augustas Serapinas’ Physical Culture are exhibiting at Nottingham Contemporary until Sunday 6 September 2026. nottinghamcontemporary.org
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“ B E AUTI F U LLY, I M AG I N ATI V E LY C R E ATE D, A N D CU R ATE D, WITH A N E X TR AO R D I N A RY S O U N DTR AC K ” - NORTH WE S T END
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drawn through time
words: Jennifer Rajasekar photos: Nick Dunmar
Lakeside Arts’ latest exhibition, Drawn Through Time, takes what many might consider the simplest of artistic practices – drawing – and transforms it into something far richer: a way of navigating history, memory and imagination. From the moment visitors enter the gallery, it becomes clear Drawn Through Time is not an exhibition to rush through. Each room encourages a deliberate way of looking — it’s less a conventional exhibition and more an unfolding conversation between artists, separated by centuries. The work of Penny McCarthy, whose graphite drawings explore how historic artwork continues to evolve, forms the conceptual anchor of Drawn Through Time – compiling Renaissance masterpieces, contemporary drawing, and personal reflection into a coherent ensemble. Facing her work is one of the exhibition's greatest treasures: Titian's sixteenth-century woodcut The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea. McCarthy has painstakingly reconstructed the composition through drawing – producing a work of sustained, considered engagement. The opening galleries' graphite drawings embody this philosophy, one work capturing an elusive fog drifting across the Venetian lagoon, rendering it into tangible form with thousands of patient marks. Another depicts dust collecting on a laptop screen, transformed into distant galaxies; microscopic into cosmic.
James Pyman's Dracula-inspired illustrations, rather than depicting horror directly, focus on deserted buildings and quiet landscapes. Like the Gothic novel itself, what remains absent becomes equally haunting Sunlight interacts with graphite, obscuring surfaces alongside delicate glass casts of tree branches. Created by burning away the original wood during the casting, the sculptures
manifest the notion of preservation and loss as inseparable. Walking deeper inside, the atmosphere changes – brightness giving way to darker, more intimate spaces and unfurled motifs. James Pyman's Dracula-inspired illustrations, rather than depicting horror directly, focus on deserted buildings and quiet landscapes. Like the Gothic novel itself, what remains absent becomes equally haunting. Using printed historical imagery, Jonathan Owen meticulously displaces figures from their surroundings. And yet, there is a strange inhabitance to his compositions – an understanding that history is defined as much by erasure as by what survives. Emma Kay's hand-drawn world map is created entirely from recollection. Continents drift off-kilter and coastlines distort; inaccuracies which reveal the deeply personal nature of memory. The map becomes a portrait of how knowledge is carried, forgotten, and reconstructed over time. Billy Hughes’ drawings reinterpret found photographs, manuals and religious imagery. Without context, ordinary illustrations and meanings become ambiguous – the exploration furthered using AI generated interpretations to spur painstaking hand-drawn works, a bridge between traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. The exhibition concludes with George Shaw, known for chronicling the Coventry estate he hails from. Inspired by Renaissance landscapes but rooted in working-class Britain, his woodland paintings emerge familiar yet uncanny, unearthing the land’s layered history. By now, the exhibition's title illustrates itself. These artists are drawing time itself – preserving fragile histories while imagining futures. The exhibition encourages audiences to reconsider drawing as a method of perception – one line, memory and careful observation at a time. Visit Drawn Through Time at Lakeside Arts’ Djanogly Gallery until Sunday 26 July. lakesidearts.org.uk
artworks words & images: Emily Grey
For this month’s Art Works we spoke to Emily Grey, member of art collective Moonbuns, who talks about creative connections and nourishing the soul. This is my newest piece titled Mother, Mother, a work-in-progress for over three years, about generational trauma and learning to uphold boundaries. It started as an outlet for processing raw, emotional pain and became a mirror for my therapy journey. Initially the expressions were rageful and agonised, completely stark in black-and-white, with no breathing room between the figures.
by a museum, collaborating with local independent businesses, running stalls at markets (including our beloved Ay-up), fundraising for Palestine, hosting Queer markets, and we are even developing a video game! (The next ‘Notts Big Queer Market’ is on 24-25 July at Project Gallery, Backlit featuring 70 artists and free drag life drawing – visit @moonbuns.exe on Instagram for more info)
Over time I introduced geometric shapes and pushed for exploration, without focussing on outcome. I kept moulding it closer to what felt authentic at that moment, until I felt ready to share. A common motif within my work is golden threads, symbolising connections in life – heritage, loved ones, the world around us, parts of ourselves. These links seem invisible but can build or bind us, and deserve honouring and understanding.
I’m inspired by artists including Mucha, Sargent, Ahad (@wiresandtrees on Instagram) and Thanh Nhàn; as well as local artists, Dan Watson my partner and incredible illustrator working for Games Workshop, Iulia Matei who inspired me to start making prints of my work, Pink Menace (this month’s cover artist!) who are always working on cool projects and creating politically resonant illustrations, and so many more.
A common motif within my work are golden threads, symbolising our connections in life - heritage, loved ones, the world around us, parts of ourselves
One of my earliest projects was a series of portraits done whilst asking questions about their experiences and beliefs – changing style, colours and medium as I went. I aimed to capture people's essence, and it was rewarding to see their eyes light up, like, ‘that’s me!!’
A balance that I’m constantly relearning is that in order to create sustainably, I also need to nourish my soul with delight too; smelling the rich earth whilst potting a plant, loving on my cats, playing DDR at the arcade with my friends, or choosing I’m Queer, non-binary and Vietnameseto go on a walk with an old friend around Chinese, born in London from a family The Park. We need input and output to of refugees. I studied Game Art & live fulfilling lives. Creating things with Animation and moved to Notts to work as a our soul is necessary, and so is nourishing professional artist for a mental health app. it. Don’t let a machine or corporate greed Unfortunately, after five years I was made take that away from you. redundant due to AI, ironically taking a huge toll on my mental health. Find Emily’s work and more at the Nottingham Big Queer Market on Friday 24 Soon after, I cofounded Moonbuns, an - Saturday July at Backlit Gallery. artist collective that has achieved a ton of rad stuff – being commissioned Q @emilygreyart
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literature
s d a e R y t Big Ci
Young adult book reviews
The Nottingham City of Literature free book giveaway campaign (29th June-12th August) features five compelling Young Adult titles, selected by young people, for young people…
Tart by Becki Jayne Crossley Bloomsbury YA Tart by Becki Jayne Crossley finds queer teenagers, Dan, Libby, and Neha navigating through hostilities in bullies, family and self-doubt as they make their way to selfdiscovery and expression. Where Tart lacks in cliché misunderstandings, it fully makes up for in elevating its simple coming-of-age premise to an emotionally rich story in the heartwarming department. One can’t help but be sweetened up by Libby and Neha's growing relationship as they find safety in each other against the town’s mistreatment. Alongside the blossoming romance, Crossley drops hints of mystery around Dan’s incident, leaving readers to piece together the nature of his and Libby’s relationship. In balancing these elements, Tart whips up a bittersweet rollercoaster — a story that will satisfy any young exploring readers. Tan Sze Wei The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh (Bloomsbury YA) Zoulfa Katouh’s second original YA novel The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue follows grieving Syrian American teenage artist Jihad Dabbagh, as she longs to fulfil her lifelong dream of attending a prestigious art school Opus. But following her mother’s sudden tragic death, she loses her sense of colour. Jihad’s greyscale view of the world is not helped when she attends an exclusive new high school, where her name and faith are weaponised by bigoted staff and Islamophobic bullies. Drawing from her namesake’s resilience, Jihad reclaims her Syrian heritage and fights back against prejudice with her paintbrush, “taking in every colour” as she rediscovers the powerful healing behind art, family and friendship. Zoulfa Katouh’s lyrical prose lingers, leaving hues of hope long after the last page. Katherine Monk-Watts Searching for the Remarkable in Things by Natalie Lucy (ZunTold) “It’s finding out about this whole family history. With its terrible secrets”, says thirteenyear-old Clover, an empathetic voice in Natalie Lucy’s YA debut novel: Searching for the Remarkable in Things. Following the death of her mother, Clover discovers more about herself and her heritage, stitching together a delicate connection with her estranged father, while navigating deep secrets regarding a mysterious box containing letters which date back to 1851. Unusual structure, gripping mystery, and poetic storytelling present the modern-day impacts of enslavement in a unique and emotionally brutal way, weaving old letters into a modern-day plot to knit this beautiful blend of historical fact and fiction, personal trauma, and historical injustice. This is an informative, touching and immersively thrilling story, which invites you to piece together parts of its mysterious patchwork. Millie Webster 29 Locks by Nicola Garrard (HopeRoad Publishing) This impressive debut novel follows Donny's journey through poverty, crime and uncertainty as he travels along the canal system. Reminiscent of Alex Wheatle's Liccle Bit, the novel offers an honest portrayal of working-class life and the challenges faced by vulnerable young people. Garrard creates an authentic and engaging narrator whose struggles make the story both emotional and thought-provoking. A key theme is resilience: despite the setbacks and hardships he faces, Donny continues to seek a better future. The novel's hopeful message is captured in its final words: "even if it don't look like luck, even if bad luck seems more closer, its only because it’s hiding better luck you going to find round the corner." Nadzieja Kolodziejski Charlotte Grote: Solver by John Allison (Scary Go Round Books) A chaotic insight into post-school life for an eldest daughter, graphic novel Charlotte Grote: Solver tracks Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Grote’s journey on the well-trodden path of existential confusion in early adulthood. “The greatest feat of strength is withstanding social pressure”, we are told – Lottie’s best friend, Claire Little, and the careers adviser, Glenn Durgan, join hands to find new glory for her, away from the shadow of a former teen detective. Allison eschews far-fetched heroes, opting for a Sheffield-centric focus that spotlights community warmth. Charlotte is a seldom seen type of female protagonist: cynical, witty and erratically self-assured. The plot jerks from side to side at times – perhaps to echo life’s systemic messiness – which does not detract from this comedic read and fine entry point into graphic novels. Aarya Handa
To find out more about how to get involved with this year’s Big City Reads, and for clues on where to find the five books, keep an eye on @nottmcityoflit social media!
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nottinghamcityofliterature.com
SPORT
words: Julian McDougall photo: Rich Davies
THE NOTTS ARE GOING UP! As the season comes to a close our Notts County FC columnist gives a run down of the team’s successful 2025-26 season, whilst also trying to cram in as many literature and poetry references as possible… August: A month of three acts At Newport, in the curtain raiser, we are losing to a team we have completely dominated. But we equalise. Jodie Jones scores and then goes off as the new manager Martin Paterson brings on so many subs it’s difficult for fans to understand who anyone is or what we are trying to do. Next, we lose three games in a row and it seems entirely clear that the new coach, tactics, recruitment and generally everything are bad, broken and doomed. However, we then start to see improvement and green shoots. A home win against Shrewsbury, then a draw (Bromley) and then an away win (Tranmere), and the kind of end of match battling performance that was never happening last season. Finally, we get to transfer deadline day. As Samuel Beckett wrote in Waiting For Godot: “Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.” Except, most of us are relieved that our main striker Alessana Jatta is still with us. September: The rarest of times? A mid table season? Maybe we all need it. Ordinary mind. Zen Notts. A classic ‘not turning up’ away at then league leaders Gillingham, but then a swashbuckling 4-0 win over Crawley at The Lane. Away to Crewe, our nemesis destination – we lose again. Mid-table – neither one nor the other. September was a ‘wondrous strange’. October: All good, until it wasn’t A month where we are unbeaten. It starts with a 3-1 win at home to Oldham and is followed by a smash and grab 1-0 win away at Barnet. Possession is nice, but winning is better. Then we’re off to Swindon, with the hosts knowing they would go top if they beat us. But we lead twice, and in the end it’s a draw. Back to Meadow Lane and the visit of Cambridge, who frustrated us, until our ‘real time pitch-side technical data team’ advised Paterson to bring on three subs who changed the dynamic and allowed a brace from the paradox himself Jatta.
36 leftlion.co.uk
November: So many questions As has become our tradition, we exit the FA Cup at the first round to non-league Brackley. After that it’s a month of more questions than answers. What are we now? What is our goalkeeper Kelle Roos? Do we still
hate Bristol Rovers? We win away to Cheltenham, draw at home to Harrogate and lose at home to Colchester. Then we win again 0-1 in Bristol, despite a 35th minute sending off for young Spurs loanee Tyrese Hall. Paterson’s post-match interview is a postmodern hyper-reflexive homage to himself. Deconstructing the conditions of his own possibility he says: “That win was nothing to do with me, that was all the players. But maybe I deserve that as well. But I’m not coming off anything, I need to work harder.” December: So near and yet so far This idiom is attributed mostly to an 1850 Alfred Tennyson poem – an elegy to grief. 175 years later, his enduring phrase can nonetheless reasonably apply to how December went for the Pies. This month was not quite the broken wheelbarrow, but more the nagging sense of a loose axle when it had seemed to be fixed. Two wins (at home to MK Dons and away to Grimsby), one defeat (away to Chesterfield) and two draws in tough games against promotion rivals (MK Dons and Walsall). January: All was good, since New Year's Day An abject home performance and a 0-1 home defeat to Accrington offered a shaky start to the year. But after them everything goes right for us. At Crawley, the returning Jodi Jones is viscerally sharper and curls in a superb opening goal. Jatta scores the second. Notts fan James Belshaw makes his debut and only a deflected free kick in the 94th minute denies a clean sheet to “one of our own.” Margaret Atwood has a poem called February featuring the line “get going on a little optimism around here.” That sounds about right. February: The eternal recurrence of a gnat’s chuff A month of three home wins (Gillingham, Barrow and 5-0 thumping of Tranmere), two losses (away to Shrewsbury and home to Grimsby) and a draw (away to Bromley). The top of league two is once again as tight as a gnat’s chuff. My understanding of the genealogy of this colloquialism is that it can refer to miserly behaviour or a state of very fine margins and restricted movement. When others drop points, Notts fail to capitalise. But when Notts drop points, others fail to widen the gap. Both can be true.
March: The ides of March The month begins with an extra time winner from Jodi Jones at Walsall in front of the away fans. A header. Scenes and limbs. We follow this by losing at home to Chesterfield in a game where midfielder Ollie Norburn makes national news by getting sent off for throwing a boot. We hammer Accrington away 0-4, despite playing no strikers. Then we beat Cheltenham at home 5-2. A 3-0 away loss to an inform Oldham is followed by beating second-bottom Harrogate 0-2 away. The tightness at the top of the table continues, as it’s not just us losing. The ship is steadied. April: Play offs again We lose against promotion rivals Salford, Cambridge and Barnet. We beat Newport and Colchester. In this season Notts were the sixth highest spenders on player budget and finished 5th in League 2. According to our model of sustainable growth, this is progress. Boring. Economic science. Predictable. There is nothing poetic, romantic or despairing to write about this. It just is what it is. May: Ole Ole Ole Ole Where to even begin? In the semi-final first leg against Chesterfield, we scored – on the break – from a press. What happened next made no sense to Notts fans who have lived the rollercoaster ride: Notts defended and defended. At home for the second leg the thing nobody even came close to thinking about was a 0-0 draw. But that’s what happened. Then we go and win 3-0 against Salford at Wembley. Notts County won the play offs without conceding a goal. Under the stewardship of Martin Paterson, and using the ‘real time data analytics model’ on the touchline which I was so sarcastic about at the start of this season, Notts turned up for the play off final against Beckham and Neville’s project and played, in every way, the perfect game. Edwin Way Teale once wrote “All things seem possible in May.” Well, they certainly do now! See you next month in League One. You can read our regular Notts County, Nottingham Forest and Mansfield Town FC football columns online from August onwards at leftlion.co.uk/sport
environment
TO PADDLE OR NOT TO PADDLE?
words: Freya Peters illustration: Dana Ilinca
Beth Gill has seen many things in the River Trent: e-scooters, bins, floating plastic. But, the thing that interests her most is invisible to the naked eye. When not training and competing as a world champion canoe athlete, she is researching microbial contamination, and the health risks that it poses to communities using Nottingham’s rivers. Beth told us more about her research and why it’s important. Having trained at Nottingham Kayak Club multiple times a day for over ten years, Beth Gill knows the city’s waterways intimately. Focused on the health of canals and rivers, the research project she is working on is part of a collaboration between the Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham, and the Environment Agency. “We're really interested in bacteria that's getting into the waterways. This could be via our own waste; it could be agriculture and general runoff,” says Beth. “We're then looking to see which of those bacteria, and how many, are becoming resistant to antibiotics.” “We see the beautiful side to it – the mist over the water, the herons flying off it – all those moments you really want to capture as a picture. But we also see some of the negative sides that as humans we’re inflicting on the waterways.” Beyond the large litter items that Beth has seen in the river during her training sessions, there is also a well known phenomenon among water users in Nottingham: ‘Trent belly’.
Nottinghamshire to participate in her study.
– questioning some choices…”
“People sign up to the project, we send out a sample pack. They take a 50ml sample from whichever waterway they have an interest in or they're spending time on and send it back to us with a what3words location. We run it through the lab and then put the results onto an online map for people to see.”
Never one to give up easily, Beth committed herself to the craft and has now built a career which has not only seen her travel the globe, but also become world champion.
With so many waterways in Nottingham, including the Trent, the canal, and the River Leen, Beth says that many people in the city are closer to a waterway than we realise. Not only does she want people to understand what impact they have on the waterways, but she also wants more people to get out there and use them. “If my research gets someone on the water part of a water based club, phenomenal,” she says. “If my research inspires someone to go into science and academia, or into microbiology, that's phenomenal for me.”
Getting the community involved Those regularly spending time on the Trent report has a profound impact because that unexplained stomach bugs, likely the result of river contamination from bacteria and viruses. Some have even been hospitalised. Beth’s study looks at which starts the conversation. We can't see microbes – small organisms like bacteria – are in the water, and what the potential implications of this are. a lot of the things in the waterways, Antibiotic resistance is one of the risks she is so it's making those invisible investigating: a rising global issue, which could have long term implications. Pharmaceuticals can contaminants more visible enter the water in agricultural and human waste, potentially creating conditions for bacteria to mutate and become resistant to common antibiotics. Beth tells me that currently research in the field of antibiotics can’t keep up with resistance, so having more information about how and why these pharmaceuticals are getting into the river could help organisations to make those necessary changes. However, she doesn’t want this research to be about pointing fingers. Instead, she wants to get people talking. “I don't want my work to just stay within the walls of the University,” says Beth. “Getting the community involved has a profound impact because that starts the conversation. We can't see a lot of the things in the waterways, so it's making those invisible contaminants more visible.” With this in mind, Beth is calling on the people of
Canoeing changed the trajectory of Beth’s life. She grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne playing hockey at an international level. But, when the opportunity to try canoeing as part of a Talent ID programme presented itself, she didn’t hesitate.
Beth won the short course event at the 2022 Canoe Marathon World Championships. This came after a particularly turbulent time in her life which involved the first of two shoulder surgeries, and changes to her training support. “I was proud, not just of the achievement, but about how we'd got there. It was not down to just me, there was a whole host of people. We built this phenomenal training group at Nottingham Kayak Club where everyone supported each other. There was just mutual respect in an entire group of twenty plus, who that year ended up racing for their country. That is something that I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of.” Beth is no stranger to overcoming challenges. After a string of international medals in both sprint and marathon canoeing, she set her sights on the 2024 Paris Olympics. But it was not to be. A shoulder injury meant that she could only watch from home while recovering from surgery. “Sport is full of wonderful moments, but it has some pretty dark times as well. For me, it's how you come out the other side of those and what you learn about yourself from those experiences, and take forward.” The LA 2028 Games are the new goal. For Beth, balancing these sporting aspirations with her research is about enjoyment and being purpose driven.
“My philosophy on the world is to open as many doors as possible,” says Beth. “And whichever one excites you the most, you go through that one, and then you start again.”
“I'd say my personality is goal driven and has been in whatever I go after,” she says. “I have a goal with the PhD to have a positive impact on the communities within Nottinghamshire and further afield. In my canoeing world, I want to continue to achieve international medals and just keep improving day in, day out and enjoying it. So as long as I'm enjoying both and finding that balance between the two, that gives me a real purpose.”
This approach saw her move to Nottingham and transition from hockey to canoeing, at the age of nineteen.
For those keen to get involved in the study, the window for providing water samples is open until 31 July. Head to the link below to get involved.
“All my friends continued to compete in the sport which at the time was the sport I really loved. They were going abroad and competing at a high level, while I was falling in and out of a boat in a wetsuit
collaboratoryresearchhub.ac.uk/ contamination-in-nottinghams-rivers leftlion.co.uk 37
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Show& Tell
Ever wondered what to do with those almost-finished creative projects, or have you just been seeking opportunities to share personal passions? Side Door Social, a new Nottingham social enterprise, is probably what you’re looking for. Their founder Si Beales and creative director Bo Beales tell us all about it. What is Side Door Social and how did it come about? Si: It’s a space to exhibit half-formed ideas, projects, and passions – to inspire visitors to submit their own passion projects. It's ‘work in progress’, but something that you want to showcase, talk about, or want some help with.
there. Josh is hugely passionate about the building and making sure it’s primarily for public use. It was, after all, the original venue of the Nottingham School of Design (founded in 1843) and it makes sense to return it to its purpose of showcasing innovation and creativity.
When I was the Chair of Creative Brighton, which was quite a few years ago, we had all these wonderful projects and community groups. I used to go to an event called ‘Glug’, and it was brilliant because it was in this old basement and very informal. It had a variety of different disciplines exhibiting – you wandered around and took it all in. There might be somebody doing some coding, somebody creating artwork, or someone talking about their latest project. It had a freedom to it. I think the biggest thing I took from that is allowing people to learn and have fun in a freeing and non-judgmental space.
It’s a beautiful Georgian Building, in need of extensive restoration. There isn't electricity, water, or a toilet. But we’ve been creative in making it functional for Side Door Social. Local businesses like Broadway support us with the use of amenities. We have generators, so there is some lighting and electricity. We’ve just secured funding for a PA system and projection screen, so it’s coming along nicely.
When Bo and I started talking about creating something like this for Nottingham, it was very much about developing something that is not commercial. That’s not to say it might not be leading there, just that it’s not the main focus.
If you’re passionate about cooking, or textiles, or whatever, so long as it’s your passion, and you want to showcase it, Side Door is the place to do that Bo: For me, I had already been thinking about this kind of thing. My friends were coming out of uni, and talking about how they had done these kinds of events like Si described. But then it kind of stops. And I knew people that had graduated years before and they were great artists, but they weren't really making anything, because you lose the purpose if it isn’t linked to your career. Or they were creating passion projects but not getting exhibition space, because it can be hard to get. And that’s frustrating. Side Door Social solves the problem of finding a space to exhibit work-in-progress projects. I know quite a lot of people who went to the first event just to see what it’s about. They are now creating a project specifically to show at the next one. Let’s talk about the venue of Side Door Social – The People’s Hall. It’s a very unique space. Si: Yeah, we were introduced to Josh (Packham) from the Nottingham Historic Building Trust, after finding out about other projects going on
community
interview: Lise Shipman Illustration: Sklasha | Lucy Holt
In terms of inclusivity, if anyone is thinking about coming along but might be having second thoughts, especially if they have no experience of art or creativity; is Side Door Social for them? Bo: I think over half of the people that were at the first event probably weren't (from art school or had formal teaching). That's the whole point, really. I was chatting to quite a lot of people on the day who were like, ‘Oh, my mate has some work on display here, so I’ve come to support them. I don't really get art, but this is really great.’ And then they talked about what they like about it, and I was like, ‘Well, it sounds like you get it!’ Si: And I think the best thing about exhibiting (at Side Door Social) is it doesn’t have to be arts focused. If you’re passionate about cooking, or textiles, or whatever, so long as it’s your passion, and you want to showcase it, Side Door is the place to do that. Do you have any other future plans for SDS and The People’s Hall? Si: We definitely see future collaboration between my own agency – Side Door Studio – and The People’s Hall. We are also excited about the potential of bringing back the Penny Lectures, which would be amazing. We would look to create a programme of lectures, and people would come along, bring their own food, or whatever, and it would be just a nice space to listen and learn. But for now, we are looking forward to hosting our next social, which might involve being a bit more outdoors – something that spills out onto the street! Side Door Social happens every other month on a Wednesday evening, at the People’s Hall. The next event is on Wednesday 8 July at 18:00. Tickets available at Eventbrite. For more information on how to submit to Side Door Social visit their Facebook page, Instagram, or email hello@sidedoor.studio
Q @sidedoor.social leftlion.co.uk 39
FOOD
ramen worth raving about words & photos: Lucy Campion
Shobu is walk-in only and it is easy to see why – the place was almost full when I arrived at 6pm on a Wednesday. Get there early if you want your pick of seats. From the street outside, Shobu looks pleasant yet unremarkable, but inside the atmosphere is inviting and the decor unmistakably Japanese. Rows of glowing lanterns above the bar and a hand-painted mural sweeping across the wall give this small, modern restaurant plenty of character and nods to its origins. I was seated at the side bar, a great choice for solo diners like myself. It was snug but suited the relaxed, cosy feel of the restaurant.
Ramen done right is a delicious medley of flavours and textures - tender meat, soft noodles, crispy seaweed, bamboo shoots and a Hanjuka egg with a beautifully jammy yolk Many people overlook Japanese food based on the misconception that sushi is all there is to offer. Shobu’s menu proves otherwise, featuring a mix of popular and lesser known dishes, including skewers, gyoza (fried dumplings), donburi (rice-based bowls) and kozara (small plates). No maki, nigiri or sashimi in sight. Ramen done right is a delicious medley of flavours and textures – tender meat, soft noodles, crispy seaweed, bamboo shoots and a Hanjuka egg with a beautifully jammy yolk, all coming together in a rich, creamy broth. It is comfort food for when you
While ramen might not be the most obvious choice for summertime, living in Nottingham means out of season weather is practically guaranteed and this little Japanese restaurant on Friar Lane is the perfect antidote to a dreary day.
crave something warm and hearty but with more culture and sophistication than a beige buffet at home on the sofa.
Shobu has several different ramen options, with pork, chicken and tofu available. I ordered the Hokkaido butter miso ramen, and the addition of garlic and butter (two of my favourite flavours) made this the best ramen I have ever had. Watching the butter melt into the noodles was extra satisfying. My sides of choice were the beef short ribs gyoza (a signature creation) and chicken karaage. The gyoza came topped with parsley sauce, adding a tangy freshness to the deep flavours of the beef. ‘Karaage’ refers to the way the chicken is cooked – bite-sized pieces marinated, coated in starch and deep fried. The result is succulent meat with a crispy exterior. I am not typically fussed about chicken but I would scoff this daily if my bank account allowed it. I never skip dessert if tiramisu is involved, especially when the waiter promises a tasty twist. The traditional coffee was swapped for hojicha, a Japanese green tea. Salted caramel, which you salt yourself with a sprinkling from a tiny side dish, added a playful touch. The base was soaked with hojicha, the tea seeping out with a gentle press of spoon to pudding. Whether you wait for a rainy forecast or step out of the sunshine for a couple of hours, Shobu’s exceptional ramen and memorable menu make it a stellar spot for foodies whatever the weather. Find Shobu at 39 Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6DD.
Q @shoburamen
FROM THE KITCHEN
With Simon Carlin, Owner and Head Chef at Kushi-Ya What person has been the biggest influence on your cooking and why? I look up to some famous chefs like David Chang and love what he does but probably the person with the most influence would be my old head chef from my Iberico days Jacque Ferreira. He introduced me to Japanese cuisine and showed me how important standards and workmanship are in a kitchen. Describe your venue in three words? Laid-back, delicious, friendly. What’s the best-selling item on your current menu and why? We have some favourites which will probably never leave the menu, like our prawns sando or pork shoulder. But the number one seller has to be our furikake prawn toast. Big shout out to the guys in the kitchen who prep hundreds and hundreds per week! What’s your personal favourite item on your current menu and why? My favourite thing currently is probably our fried mochi skewer. We make fresh mochi everyday which is loaded onto skewers, deep fried, then covered with house crispy chilli and lashings of parmesan. Something so simple from just water and glutenous rice, but has great flavour and texture. What / where was the best meal you have ever cooked? Probably just simple meals and home every week with my family. Seeing my boys enjoy their food and ask for more is just about the best it can get. Other than your own place, where do you eat out most in Notts? I don’t eat out loads but my family favourites are Taquero for Mexican tacos or Everyday People for amazing ramen and small plates. Who are your five ideal dinner party guests alive or dead? And what’s on the menu? David Chang, Joe Marler, Stevie Wonder, Christopher Hitchens, and Judi Dench. We would have kebabs cause everyone likes a doner.
with Craig Pennington-Hayes, Owner of The Lord Roberts Tell us something interesting about your pub/bar… We are the only pub in Nottingham City centre which has a dog called Robert on our sign. What's the best thing about your job? I think the best thing about my job is giving the LGBTQ+ community a safe space to be themselves. What's the worst? The worst thing is paying the ridiculous taxes that this government has introduced. What's your best selling drink? Cruzcampo, followed very closely by Guinness. What's your most expensive drink? The most expensive drink is Grey Goose. Describe your bar in three words… Warm. Inviting. Inclusive What's your personal favourite tipple? My personal favourite is an Aperol Spritz. Who's the most famous person you've had drinking in your place? That’s a difficult one, as we’ve had so many… ermmmm…. Craig Revel Horwood. What's the best thing a customer has ever said to you? The best thing is when customers say that this is the best pub in Nottingham. I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so it's always nice to hear. How would you persuade someone who's never visited your bar to entice them in? By telling them that the only rule in the Lord Roberts is – don’t be a dick! It’s full of lovely friendly people, so you’ll fit in! Find The Lord Roberts at 24 Broad St, Nottingham NG1 3AN.
Find Kushi-ya at 14a Low Pavement, Nottingham NG1 7DL.
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LIFE BEHIND BARS
Q @kushi_ya
Q @thelordrobertspub
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FOOD
...A LITTLE FRENCH INDULGENCE Monday to Thursday 11am to 4pm 6th July to 4th Sept BOOK YOUR TABLE TODAY* H 01159 116 116 575 Mansfield Road | Sherwood | Nottingham | NG5 2JN
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music news and reviews
MUSIC REVIEWS
Emzae & Paytron Saint 7 Stories High (Single)
Q @paytronsaint/ @emzaemusic
Built from a live jam session, this collaboration between Derbyshire rock outfit Paytron Saint and DIY singer, songwriter, producer and multiinstrumentalist Emzae feels like a match made in heaven. Perfectly capturing the anxiety, over-stimulation and quiet dread of modern life, it’s a slow-burning alt-rock track about the need for some escapism. These themes are emulated in the song’s colossal sonic backdrop, as gentle guitars steadily build before erupting into a towering wall of distortion and pounding drums. However, it’s the dual vocals that are the star of the show – their contrasting styles wonderfully bouncing off each other, merging in the back end into a compelling and cathartic harmony. With the band and Emzae clearly having a strong creative chemistry, here’s hoping this isn’t the last collaboration we get from these two local artists. (Karl Blakesley)
Vona Vella Carnival (Album)
Q @vonavella Vona Vella are making waves well beyond Nottingham, and the band’s second album, Carnival, is testament to this. The red coloured vinyl version is beautiful in its own right, even before you get to hear the album’s 13 tracks whose diversity demands your attention. Throughout, there’s innovative guitar breaks and dreamy poppy
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melodies with whispered suggestions of Belle and Sebastian and The Coral. The title track is reminiscent of all the fun of the fair, Izzy and Dan’s vocals blending pleasingly with Dexter Howell’s punchy guitar riffs. Claud Melton's bass is prominent throughout the wonderful Bass Driver, helping it live up to its name, while Izzy's vocals evoke Cerys Matthews. You Can Be So Ugly is a quintessential pop song, with gentle vocals, jangly guitars, and Jake's drums forming a tune worthy of Top of the Pops. The same is true of Coming By, both songs being catchy earworms. Bottled and recent single Bear Trap are two more standout listens on an album where every track is a gem. (Claire Spencer)
ALT BLK ERA Our World (EP)
Q @altblkera These are exciting times for ALT BLK ERA, whose rise to fame has gone stratospheric in a very short space of time. This release, launched on the back of their recent award nomination at this year’s MOBOs, promises to propel sisters Nyrobi and Chaya to even greater heights. The EP contains elements of rock and metal captivatingly fused with EDM, continuing the boundary-pushing musical ideas showcased on debut album Rave Immortal. Also released on clear 12inch vinyl, Our World is a collection of five tracks that together make up a concise statement of the girls’ worldview. Tissues takes up the theme, with danceable bass beats backed up by poppy vocals. Close harmonies and bouncy bass suggest the idea of escape from the world’s problems in Lost in the Back of my Mind, and dirtier bass and distorted guitars feature in Silhouettes in the Mirror and Okay (Cyber Racing) – both noteworthy. The title track concludes things nicely: instrumental rhythms blending sweetly with the vocals, which
perfectly conveys the girls' vision of offering hope through positive actions. (Claire Spencer)
pop music as a cultural reference and setting it in the post-Covid, insanitydriven world in which we now find ourselves. Here, Jonah has created something unsettling and hypnotic, and above all profoundly relevant. (Phil Taylor)
WHATS IN A NAME
Airport Dad
Margo Pelto Mermaid (Single)
Q @margopelto Starkly beautiful and achingly heartfelt, Mermaid sees Margo Pelto finding catharsis in reflection. Sung in conversation with the past, her lyrics examine healing through time and experience, with that newfound vantage point offering a strength that enables closure. It’s deeply relatable and empowering in the kind of understated, foundational way that maturity provides. The music itself is minimalistic, with wide open spaces between acoustic guitar and gentle percussion guiding the focus to the storytelling. There are shades of Lorde in the intimate mixing of the vocals, but Pelto’s voice is one all of her own. This is a lovely piece of music about growing up and finding yourself in a position of inner confidence after adversity. As Pelto says, "It’s ok under the waves." (Kieran Lister)
Darling I Dreamt Nothing Like It (Single)
Q @darlingidreamt A track which takes digital pop to the next level. Crisp beats drown in swirling, slightly dirty synths; a pulsating rhythm which seems endless; constant layers of conflict, yet with inter-communicating vocals. Darling I Dreamt is the project and (necessarily blurred) vision of creator Jonah Michael and Nothing Like It is described as setting out "that tension between nostalgia and unease", using 2009 - 2012
Ben McElroy Allotment Tapes (EP)
Q @ben_mcelroy_music Earlier this year, local composer Ben McElroy started work on a project that captures the atmosphere of our city’s well loved St Anne’s Allotments: one of the oldest and largest Victorian town allotments in the country. Through the tapes you feel a fantastical atmosphere – closing your eyes while listening transports you to those Victorian plots, sampling the fruits and vegetables grown there. At one point, the bow of the violin pauses to let through the voice of local artist and gardener Val Turton, who describes the allotment as “more than enough” for her – how she enjoys the “rhythm of nature”, which meshes with the music. Another edition with community organiser Rachel Brooke outlines that “we are all visitors here” to the Allotments, and that it truly belongs to the plants and animals, echoing a time gone by where humans would co-exist within. The project is ongoing throughout 2026, but you can listen to tapes 1-6 on Ben’s Bandcamp. (Jack Fovargue) 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 To listen to these tracks and more, check out the LeftLion channel on Spotify.
"It started from an inside joke about our lead guitarist, George. Every time we were due to play a gig, he would be stressed out and making sure we had everything (just like airport dads do). When we started the band in 2022, we were originally called Citrus. When we were recording our song Brighter Days, the discussion of band names came up, and George was in full Airport Dad mode. We laughed about it, then all agreed it was a pretty catchy name. It was then that Airport Dad fully formed and we’ve never looked back.” (Airport Dad support Viruette at The Grove on 21 July)
VENUE SPOTLIGHT
Fisher Gate Point
Located a short walk from Motorpoint Arena, Fisher Gate Point is a creative hub for people who appreciate local arts and culture. On 11 July it will host a quintuple bill of punk bands, with local act Bad Milk Blood Robot headlining. The venue facilitates a range of events through the year, from gigs to the annual Circle of Light young musicians program, steel pan classes, DJ workshops, and more.
This month on Night Creatures podcast, celebrating Notts’ music promoters, our host Beane, chats to his fellow Soul Buggin’ DJs Wrighty, Mark and Elmo. They chat about how they came from different parts of the country to meet in Nottingham, and eventually became one of our city’s best loved dance music collectives. Find the episode on the Podcasts section of our website, or on the LeftLion Spotify.
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03/06/2026 11:56
What’s on THIS JULY WEDNESDAY 1 JULY
Matrika: She Who Makes Worlds New Art Exchange Free, 10am-4pm Currently on display at Hyson Green gallery and community hub New Art Exchange – Matrika: She Who Makes Worlds is an exhibition by Preston-born sculptor and artist Saroj Patel, who through her career has explored her experience growing up as a woman caught between British and Indian cultures. This exhibition weaves together mythic ideas from Hindu cosmology and the history of the ‘feminine’ – there’s various installations and artworks, plus the centrepiece of Matrika: a figure Saroj made from over one hundred hand sewn cloth flowers and petals. As is normally the case at the New Art Exchange, it’s free to visit. Runs until: Saturday 12 September Soho Saints Brass Band Peggy’s Skylight £10-£15 Adventures in Music Various Inspire Libraries £3-£30, 9.15am-2.30pm Runs until: Friday 10 July
Chico da Silva: And the soul is for the birds Nottingham Contemporary Free, 10am-5pm Runs until: Sunday 6 September
Worst Record Covers in the World Mansfield Museum Free, 10am-3pm
The Anglo-saxon Cemetery at Broughton Lodge, WilloughbyMansfield Museum is hosting an exhibition of some of music’s worst on-the-wolds and most funny record sleeves. It’s Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-4pm been enjoyed across the country, Runs until: Sunday 12 July and it also featured on BBC Radio Four and Have I Got News For We the People: America's Fight You. Curated by collector Steve for Freedom and Beyond Goldman, the display includes US band Peter Rabbitt’s 1979 release Lakeside Arts Roadstar, depicting the four band Free, 12pm-4pm members’ faces digitally merged Runs until: Sunday 13 September with rabbits, a 1973 album from French musician Jean Pierre Jumez Nottingham Puppet Festival featuring a guitarist with a dinner Various Locations jacket and no trousers, and lots Runs until: Sunday 5 July of other enjoyable examples. It’s suitable for families – the more New Youth Theatre: Disney’s risqué covers have been excluded. Moana Jr. Runs until: Saturday 29 August Bonington Theatre & Cinema £12, 4pm Fleur Patrick Runs until: Saturday 4 July Lakeside Arts Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Sunday 26 July Travelling Disasters Nottingham Playhouse Drawn Through Time Lakeside Arts Free, 10am Runs until: Saturday 25 July Serena Korda: Triple Goddess The Harley Gallery & Museum Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Sunday 6 September
Augustas Serapinas: Physical Culture Nottingham Contemporary Free, 10am-5pm The summer 2026 season for the Nottingham Contemporary art gallery features Physical Culture – the first institutional solo exhibition in England by Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas. This exhibition has been long in the making, with its first iteration created back in 2012, and subsequent editions having toured and exhibited internationally since. The idea of the exhibition is to explore and draw parallels between western portraiture and sculpture going back to classical antiquity, and how the body and fitness is sculpted today. It should be a really interesting one – there won’t just be artworks showcased, but also live fitness, drawing, and wellbeing events hosted in the space too. Runs until: Sunday 6 September
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Nottingham in Infrared The Drawing Room Gallery Free, 11am-5pm Runs until: Saturday 11 July
NAE Open 2026 New Art Exchange Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Saturday 12 September
Assunta and Lou After School Art Club Nottingham Central Library 4.30pm-5.30pm
Paint and Sip The Malt Cross Rob Jones & The Restless Dream The Grove £10, 7pm Jokes at The Juice Bar Juice Bar £5, 7pm-9.30am
Nottingham Puppet Festival: Alice + Introduction Broadway Cinema £8-£12, 7.45pm
Nottingham Puppet Festival continues into July taking over local libraries, community centres, cinemas and theatres, all of which will come alive with puppets of various shapes and sizes. Check out HandMade Theatre’s exhibition at Nottingham Central Library, as well as shows at Theatre Royal, Lakeside Arts and Broadway Cinema. It’s a showcase for lots of lovely local creatives, along with some hugely skilled artists and makers from further afield. Runs until: Sunday 5 July
AC/DC UK Rescue Rooms £17.50, 6.30pm-10pm
The Thai Kitchen New Art Exchange Free, 5pm-7pm
An Evening with Lisa Jewell St Mary’s Church (Lace Market) £10-£18, 6.30pm
Fantastic Mr. Fox + Talk Broadway Cinema £8-£12, 6pm
Moon Reaper Ye Olde Salutation Inn £10, 6.30pm
An Evening with Hallie Rubenhold Waterstones £5-£15, 6.30pm
Lata & Asha: Purane Gaane... Side A | Side B Nottingham Arts Theatre £25, 6.30pm-9.30pm
Allsorts Fisher Gate Point £0-£4, 7pm-9pm
The Darkniss (tribute) The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm
Romantasy Author Event: Abbie Eaton Beeston Library £5, 7pm-8pm
Collide Does Nottingham The Whistle & Flute £10, 7pm-2am
Skorts Billy Bootleggers 7.30pm-11pm
THURSDAY 2 JULY National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses Savoy Cinema 7.30pm The Elo Experience Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Good Flying Birds JT Soar £12 The Enormous Crocodile Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 10am
Playback Presents: Riley Marsh The Carousel £8, 7pm-11pm
Peggy Digs Disney Peggy's Skylight £14, 8pm-10pm
FRIDAY 3 JULY Benjamin Luhis & Band – In Gallery Performance New Art Exchange 7pm-10pm
An Evening with Bea Fitzgerald Waterstones £5-£21, 6.30pm
Un Ocean d’amour – Compagnie La Salamandre The Squire Performing Arts Centre £7.50-£10, 7.30pm-8.30pm
Nottingham Puppet Festival Various Locations
Moules Frites Evening French Living 5pm-9pm
Random Hand Metronome £18, 7pm Ska and reggae tinged punk group Random Hand have stood out in UK music for over twenty years now. Formed in 2002, their four members hail from Yorkshire, and have become known for upholding their spirit of protest activism throughout their long career. They’re really energetic and exciting performers too. Support comes from nine-piece group the Might Vipers, with members from various locations across the north of England, who have featured on the Boomtown line-up and toured across Europe. If you’re partial to cutting loose to some ska grooves this should be a party you won’t forget. Making it Up Sharing Nottingham Playhouse Whitework / Hard Labour The National Justice Museum 10am-12pm Clubland Live Newstead Abbey £30-£65, 4pm
Benjamin Luhis is a Nottingham musician, whose funky sound blends alt R&B, jazz, broken beat, and electronic music. This month, you’ll have the chance to see him in the atmospheric surroundings of the New Art Exchange, with a group of excellent musicians from the local alt jazz scene as his band, and support coming from Serena Jasmine, another local artist who was a BBC Introducing East Midlands One to Watch for 2026. There’s nothing like a good alternative jazz set to fuel your soul, and the added experience of being surrounded by paintings in NAE’s main gallery should make this one extra memorable. Speech Therapy Fisher Gate Point Free, 7pm-11pm ChemicalWarfare Presents: Reactor Overload Billy Bootleggers £5-£7, 8pm-3am Concord Presents: Nacho Scoppa Calluna £4-£10, 8pm-3am LNW x Swedgers (Free Party) The Model 10pm-3am
SATURDAY 4 JULY
Pop Republic Binks Yard £26, 2pm-8pm
Walk for Parkinson's Nottinghamshire Thoresby Park £12, 11am-3pm The Living Map: A 3D interactive model of Nottingham City Nottingham Central Library 11am Knit & Natter, Sit & Sew Mansfield Museum Free, 11am-1pm Wilford Music Festival Nottingham Moderns Rugby Club Free, 12pm-10pm Wonderland Festival 2026 Newstead Abbey Free, 1pm-11pm Long Eaton Music Festival Fundraiser Sawley Soldiers And Sailors Club £7-£15, 2pm-6pm George Harrison - Season Arnold Library £3, 2pm-3pm
The Bloody History of Hammer Horror Broadway Cinema 2pm Pop Republic Fest Binks Yard £19.50-£38, 2pm-10pm INTHA Dance All Day The Boat Club £5-£8, 2pm-10pm Open Day 3 Lace Market Theatre 2.30pm JTT Comedy: Ross Noble and Mike Rice Metronome £31, 6pm & 9pm England Eruptors Vs Düsseldorf Warriors Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 6.30pm Pansy Division The Bodega £17.50, 7pm-10pm Tino Gunnar's '2' release party The Grove £1-£5, 7pm-11pm
Waterfront Festival 2026 Canalhouse £14, 12pm-11.59pm This popular city centre party, organised by local music promoters I’m Not From London, is back again this month, bringing diverse grassroots talent from Nottingham and beyond to the Canalhouse pub. There’s some great local acts this year, whose talent we can attest to, including goth rockers Hurtsfall, indie pop artist Float, folk singer Eleanor McGregor, funk group Gangsta Picnic, and many more. As always, the festival’s profits go to charitable causes. The beneficiaries this year are Emmanuel House, who support homeless and rough sleeping people in Nottingham, and Mind, who campaign nationally for mental health awareness.
Van Roth (tributes) The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm Tony Law: Law and DisOrganizeder Canalhouse £10, 7pm-8pm The Music of James Bond: The Great British Film Orchestra The Albert Hall Nottingham Artists Puppet Cabaret Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Grown & Sexy - R&B, Hip Hop, Reggae & Dancehall Lace Bar £5.50-£8, 8.30pm-2am Stay Steppin presents Outten Billy Bootleggers £8-£10, 10.30pm
SUNDAY 5 JULY
Robbie Cumming - Canal Boat Stories Mansfield Palace Theatre
Wellbeing At Wollaton: Yoga Wollaton Hall and Park £2, 10am-11.30am Bamboozle Theatre Company presents: The River Lakeside Arts £12, 11.30am-12.15pm Could Be Real Tribute Festival Newstead Abbey £22-£45, 12pm-9pm Sensory Family Picnic with Bamboozle Theatre Company Lakeside Arts £8, 12.30pm-2pm Paint By Numbers The Bodega £15, 2pm-10pm Life and Limb Puppets presents: At Sea Lakeside Arts £10.50-£12, 2.30pm-3.30pm Summer Concert: Nottingham Youth Orchestra The Albert Hall 3pm
The Market Deeping Model Railway Club Nottingham Playhouse £21.50-£26.50 This is a new play, written by celebrated Nottingham playwright, William Ivory, who wrote the screenplay for 2010 film Made in Dagenham. Inspired by true events, the plot follows a small town railway modelling club in the east midlands area, who respond to vandalism on one of their projects by sourcing help from around the world, including unexpected aid from singer Rod Stewart. It’s directed by Adam Penford, one of the Playhouse’s three leaders, who’s become a bit of a legend in the Notts creative scene from helming internationally recognised local plays like Punch.
TUESDAY 7 JULY
The Big Faces Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 3pm
Our Story Exhibition Nottinghamshire Archives Free, 9am-5pm Runs until: Friday 31 July
This Is The Kit Rescue Rooms £26, 4pm-8pm
Italian Breads Baking Class Pippley Walled Garden £85, 10am-3pm
Fallowed and The Orchard Fisher Gate Point £5, 7pm-11pm
People Planet Pint Meetup Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel
Fallowed Fisher Gate Point £5, 7pm-11pm Queerish: House of Hockley Movers
MONDAY 6 JULY An Evening with Erin Kelly Waterstones £5-£21, 6.30pm Youth Work Panel Discussion with author Emma Warren Five Leaves Bookshop £5-£12.99, 7pm-8.30pm
s t o l s ’ e ther n o g n i o g m o c . s t t o at n
Duncan Hamilton Waterstones £5-£29, 6.30pm Vandoliers The Bodega £17.50, 7pm-11pm The Great British River: Our Waterways and River Wildlife, an illustrated talk by Jack Perks Five Leaves Bookshop £5-£20, 7pm-8.30pm
Talk: From Settlers To Tourists: Coming To America Lakeside Arts 1pm-2pm Harrison Rimmer Billy Bootleggers £10, 6.30pm Sumo Cyco The Bodega £20, 7pm Queenie Is Working On It – an Evening With Candice CartyWilliams Five Leaves Bookshop £5-£20, 7pm-8.30pm Pints & Politics - Should we tax the rich to fix the economy? The Grove Pub H.D. Research Talks Barley Twist £0-£3, 7pm-10pm Barry Steele’s Roy Orbison Story Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm SEED Talks: The Neuroscience of Adverse Childhood Experiences The Squire Performing Arts Centre 7.30pm Matt Rendell’s Inside Stories of the Tour de France Bonington Theatre & Cinema £18, 7.30pm
THURSDAY 9 JULY Dyke Systems Ltd Nottingham Playhouse £15 The Cavern Club Story Mansfield Palace Theatre BIPC Women's Network Nottingham Central Library 10am
Chris Murphy (USA) The Grove £12, 7pm
NT Live: All My Sons Broadway Cinema 10.15am
WEDNESDAY 8 JULY
Bonnie & Clyde The Musical Nottingham Arts Theatre £16-£19.50, 2.30pm-5.10pm
The Playhouse Pub Quiz Nottingham Playhouse
Whatever you’re into, find it first at notts.com
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To Those Who… Film Screening + Q&A New Art Exchange 6pm-8pm
NG83: When We Were B Boys 10th Anniversary + Q&A Broadway Cinema 7pm
Peppa Pig's Big Family Show Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 10am
Costa Del Decade ‘26 Billy Bootleggers £10, 4pm-10pm
Anthony Green The Bodega £20, 7pm-11pm
Jess Brett JT Soar £10, 7pm
Nottingham Food Festival 2026 Victoria Embankment £0-£10.95, 10am-7pm Runs until: Sun 12 July
The Michael Jackson Day Party NG-One £15, 4pm-8pm
Monsters of Rock The Old Cold Store £13, 7pm-11pm
Sherwood Vegan Market Sherwood United Reformed Church Free, 10am-2.30pm
Man I Feel Like Shania Square and Compass £15, 7pm-11pm
The Marsh Forum: The 1926 General Strike Nottingham Central Library 10.15am-12pm
Aida on Sydney Harbour Savoy Cinema £9.50-£16.50, 12pm
Team Viking Nottingham Playhouse £15, 8pm
Verdi's Aida explores the tension between personal emotion and historical consequence, following characters whose fates intertwine against a backdrop of political upheaval. This production presents the opera against the iconic setting of Sydney Harbour, where the city's natural light and architectural landmarks create a distinctive backdrop for the performance. The combination of Verdi's score with the harbour environment offers audiences a unique perspective on this classic work. The Savoy Cinema screening brings this ambitious production to Nottingham viewers on Thursday 9 July 2026. Also showing on Monday 13 July
Phases Presents: Parea X Bunker Calluna £5, 8pm-3am Overdrive X 909 Presents: One Year. High Gear. The Cell £10-£12, 10pm-3am Late Night Threeway presents: Queen & Fleetwood & Elton too Billy Bootleggers £5, 10.30pm
SATURDAY 11 JULY
The Red Line Mist Rolling Inn £5.50, 7pm-11pm Jinkx Monsoon: Speaking of Witch Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall £50-£150, 7.30pm Blood on the Clocktower The Malt Cross 7.30pm
FRIDAY 10 JULY Lost in Music Mansfield Palace Theatre The Jive Aces Peggy's Skylight £20, 6.45pm-8.15pm Experience Philippines New Art Exchange 7pm-11.30pm The Yons, Clearance Sale, Entropy and The Damp Magic Mist Rolling Inn £7-£10, 7pm-11pm Honeydips: Sweet Sweet R&B Movers 7pm-12am The Great Pop-Culture Revue ft Blues Harvest & The Puppet Folk Experience Billy Bootleggers £12.50, 7pm Willow Bay The Grove £10, 7pm
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Shoot To Kill, Sudokara and Keep This Up The Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel £11, 7pm Metalcore four-piece band Shoot To Kill are set to play The Chapel to debut their newly released EP Heretic To Yourself. The Plymouth- based band has sold out shows across the country, bringing a blend of 90s-style riffs and hardcore energy to major UK festivals like BloodStock and Rabidfest. The band members are Danny Weathers (vocals), Sobogainski (guitar), Lotus (bass) and Nate Smith (drums). They will be supported by Nottinghambased four-piece Sudokara, and hardcore metal titans Keep This Up; ensuring the night is nothing short of unapologetic and heavy metal hardcore.
Old Skool Bingo NG-One £19, 6pm-9pm England Eruptors Vs Zürich Ibexx Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 6.30pm Celebrating the Tough Tenors – Brandon Allen & Alex Garnett Peggy’s Skylight £18, 6.45pm-8pm Roxy Magic (tribute) The Diamond £14-£17, 7pm-11.30pm
Bad Milk Blood Robot + Polly PikPocketz + Hex Poseur + Idiocy Fisher Gate Point £7, 7pm Midway through this month, a vibrant quintuple bill of punk bands will feature at creative hub Fisher Gate Point. Headlining are Bad Milk Blood Robot, a local group and seasoned live performers who have become known for their psychedelic and zany grunge sound. Also performing are London group Healthy Junkies, decade old band PollyPikPocketz, genre blending Notts act Hex Poseur, and synth-y protest group Idiocy. Quite the set of names. Fisher Gate Point’s a very intimate and supportive venue; perfect for experiencing grassroots music like this, so we definitely recommend that you check this out. Saturday Art Club New Art Exchange 10.30am-12.30pm Creating Realistic Characters Nottingham Central Library £11.55-£22.38, 1.30pm-3.30pm
The Witching Hour X Control. Hannah D, Evil Woman, Dennis Roswell b2b Muad'Dib The Model 9pm-3am Madonna and Michael and Prince too Billy Bootleggers £5, 10.30pm-3am Summer Secret Garden Rave The Secret Garden £6-£12, 11pm-3am
SUNDAY 12 JULY
No Sugar No Milk Lakeside Arts £12.50-£14, 11am-12pm
Flying High Summer Showcase Bonington Theatre & Cinema £10, 2.30pm
This is a production by acclaimed Hong Kong-based physical theatre company TS Crew. It depicts the vibrant inner workings of a Cha Chaan Teng – a type of local diner that’s a fixture of Hong Kong culture and central to many Hong Kong communities. The performers fuse circus skills and storytelling to tell stories about home, identity and belonging – it should be a spectacular watch, as the performers are very skilled. This show was also taken to the Edinburgh Fringe last year, so now’s a really great, once in a blue moon opportunity to see and enjoy it.
The Magical Major Oak: Down in the Pond Nottingham Playhouse
Enchanted The Albert Hall 2.30pm
Midcentury Home Market The Nest £3-£5, 11am-4pm
Sip and Sounds with Jude Rees (Groucho's Bar) Mansfield Palace Theatre
An Afternoon of Indie Saltbox Bar £9, 3pm-7pm
K-POP Live Binks Yard £21-£39, 11.30am-2pm
MATRIKA: Gathering, Making and Sound New Art Exchange 2pm-4pm Author Event: Ben Robinson Trillion Dollar Conman West Bridgford Library £3, 2pm-3pm
Sounds of Latin America with Ernesto “Renán” Uquillas and the Edgar Macías Quartet Peggy's Skylight £14, 1pm-4pm Harmony at the Hall: Shipstone Street Jazz Orchestra Wollaton Hall and Park £10, 1.30pm-4pm Irish Trad Sessions Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 3pm Milestone: Streets Paved with Gold + Q&A Broadway Cinema £8-£12, 5pm Bat Sabbath Rock City £21.50, 6.30pm
MONDAY 13 JULY
The Bodyguard Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 2.30pm An internationally acclaimed musical undergoing a European tour which lasts until October. It’s about a secret service agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect a famous singer from a stalker, leading to a romance. Celebrated actor Sidonie Smith, who has played leading roles in Chicago and West Side Story, and Adam Garcia, who was the lead in the 1998 theatre production of Saturday Night Fever, both star in this show. It’s going to be some really high calibre theatre – we’d very much recommend you attend, and immerse yourself in this well loved, enjoyably cinematic story. Petrol Girls & Dead Pioneers Rescue Rooms £20, 6.30pm A Thousand Horses The Bodega £25, 7pm It’s Not a Game - Starring awardwinning Illusionists Jay & Joss Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
TUESDAY 14 JULY Ruby Tuesday's Music Night 'Celebrate the Voice' The Pelican Club £9, 7pm-10pm
Bastille Day Dinner & Live Music French Living 7.30pm-10pm
Annual Review 2026 Lace Market Theatre 12pm
Crash of Rhinos The Bodega £15, 7pm-10pm
Monster Truck Motorfest Southwell Racecourse £20-£75, 10am-7.30pm
Murder, She Didn't Write Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
Is This OK JT Soar £10, 7pm
DIRTY D.C The Diamond £14-£17, 7pm-11.30pm
Loose Goose Improv Jam Fisher Gate Point Free, 8pm-10pm
Liv presents The Big Gay Quiz Night The Malt Cross 7.30pm
Trigger: The Ultimate Stadium Rock Experience The Diamond £13-£15, 7pm-11.30pm
WEDNESDAY 15 JULY Assunta and Lou After School Art Club Nottingham Central Library 4.30pm-5.30pm Smash Night! An Improvised Comedy Experience! The Malt Cross £3-£5, 7.30pm
Sophia Eliana The Grove £9-£17, 7pm Sophie Eliana is a folk musician based in Denver Colorado. This month, she’s coming to Sneinton Market music hideaway The Grove, as part of her Planting Seeds tour. She’s a very interesting and talented performer, with a background of studying farming in Maine, and experience playing many shows across different countries including Iceland and Spain. Support comes from two east midlands folk artists: Katie Keddie and Eva Cave. At LeftLion we continue to be big fans of The Grove, which is a very important hub for local grassroots music. Presales are important for independent gigs like this, so if you fancy attending this one make sure to buy a ticket early. Sip & Sculpt The Malt Cross 7pm
THURSDAY 16 JULY On Screen: Frida Kahlo Broadway Cinema 10.15am
FRIDAY 17 JULY Redline Phase 2 Calluna £4, 8am-3am Tapestry Weaving The National Justice Museum 10am-12pm
English Youth Ballet: Swan Lake Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 2.30pm The English Youth Ballet present a new adaptation of Swan Lake, marking their 28th year of performing some spectacular shows across Europe. Swan Lake is the most performed ballet in the world – it’s set in Imperial Russia, and follows a love story, with magical elements. The English Youth Ballet is a company very worth supporting if you get the opportunity – this production will feature one hundred dancers aged between eight and eighteen, all of whom are from in and around the Nottingham area. Chances to see ballet in this form don’t come along very often, so check it out if you can. The Odyssey Savoy Cinema 3.30pm Creative Corner: Zine Making with Priya Chopra New Art Exchange 6pm-9pm
The Maple State The Grove £10, 7pm Angel Row Mist Rolling Inn £10, 7pm Electroclash 3: Grimes, New Order, LCD Soundsystem + more Movers 7pm-12am Visions of Floyd: Live Performance by Equinox Bonington Theatre & Cinema £17.50, 7.30pm The Music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: The Candlelight Concert The Albert Hall 7.30pm
The Official Red Dwarf Convention The Level £25-£60, 9.30am-5.30pm This is a celebration of the famous sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, which ran from 1988 to 1999, and later was revived for a run that lasted until 2020. It should be a great experience if you’re a fan of the show, as there’ll be cast members participating like Craig Charles, Danny JohnJules, Chris Barrie, and loads of others, with panels, behind the scenes stories, interactive experiences, photo opportunities, and exclusive merchandise all scheduled to be there. There are bronze, silver, and gold passes available, which offer different benefits and opportunities to meet more cast members.
Axis Audio Presents: System Check The Secret Garden £7-£10, 9.30pm-3am
SATURDAY 18 JULY Pinhole Camera Workshops with Alan Withington Nottingham Central Library 10.50am
Beyond Monet and Beyond Van Gogh Motorpoint Arena Nottingham £19.34-£29.26, 10am-5.30pm
The Living Map: Come and Explore A 3D Interactive Model of Nottingham City Nottingham Central Library 11am
Two immersive art shows celebrating two of history’s most legendary painters are at the Motorpoint Arena this month. Well known paintings from Claude Monet and Van Gogh will be shown via 3D technology and specially curated soundtracks – there’ll be a space inspired by Monet’s famous gardens at Giverny, a Van Gogh inspired ‘sunflower alley’, and plenty more memorable installations to walk through. There will also be yoga sessions amongst the installations, which are selling out fast. We’re lucky to experience this here in Notts, as the event only received its world premiere in Liverpool last summer, before touring in select UK cities that year. Runs until: Sun 9 August
Smoove & Turrell The Bodega £20, 6.30pm Summer Sounds: A Liberty Singers Choir Evening West Bridgford Baptist Church £10, 7pm
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Northern Soul with Sarah Marsden & Russell Fenby Movers 7pm-12am Interplanetary Trash Talk, Fighting Evil Is Cool and Diaspar Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel £7, 7.30pm
Splendour Festival 2026 Wollaton Hall and Park 12pm-10pm The word is out and this year will mark the final ever Splendour Festival after 18 years at Wollaton Park. As you might expect it features a vibrant lineup of both internationally acclaimed and loved local artists. The headliners this year include indie rock legends like The Wombats, Snow Patrol, and Primal Scream, RnB royalty Craig David, indie act Hard Life, and many others. Local heroes Divorce and ALT BLK ERA will be there, plus the two winners of the recent Future Sound of Nottingham competition – jazz rap artist Omari Marsalis and grime collective Two2’s. Obviously, this barely scratches the surface of what’s scheduled – a memorable experience is guaranteed. The Secret Show plus guests The Newlyweds Fisher Gate Point £5-£8, 7.30pm-9.30pm Rebel Rebel – David Bowie Tribute Bonington Theatre & Cinema £18, 7.30pm
SUNDAY 19 JULY Nottinghamshire Gluten free Food event with Crafts Oxton Village Hall £1, 10.30am-3.30pm
Whatever you’re into, find it first at notts.com
The most up-to-date guide to events and activities in Nottingham. Updated daily, free to use, and feeding the itsinnottingham app and leftlion.co.uk 48 leftlion.co.uk
Jimmy Nail: Stories and Songs The Albert Hall 7.30pm
MONDAY 20 JULY Operation Mincemeat Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 2pm Shari Lapena in Conversation with M. K. Oliver Waterstones £5-£13, 6.30pm
Assunta and Lou After School Art Club Nottingham Central Library 4.30pm-5.30pm
Sheff Leppard with support from Alive and Dangerous The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm
Witchcraft & Paganism Book Club Book discusses Magic for the Resistance by Michael M. Hughes Five Leaves Bookshop Free, 7pm-8.30pm
Bruno Mars Tribute Act Square and Compass £12, 7pm-11pm
Boho Festival 2026 Millview Glamping & Events £30-£50, 12.30pm-1am
Notts Pride Sneinton Market Avenues Free, 12pm-1am
Soledad Brothers The Bodega £22.50, 7pm-11pm
This three day music festival is a pillar of Nottinghamshire culture, providing a relaxed boutique atmosphere with big production value. Featured this year are some seasoned and exciting acts like Liverpool band The Farm, Dub Pistols, and Levi Roots, plus loads of other artists who are both locally and nationally acclaimed. There’s a disco yurt, spa, camping, glamping, and great street food, all available as part of a magical woodland setting. Also, as is the case every year, the festival is family friendly and has lots of entertainment for kids including a forestry school, arts and crafts area, puppet theatre, bouncy castle, among other options.
Our city once again celebrates its history of inclusion and gay rights advocacy this month, for Pride. As has been the case for a while, Sneinton Market Avenues will be the centre, with educational stalls set to be there, plus great performances lined up at its mainstage from DJs, musicians and drag artists like Vibrations, Meek, Ghetto Fabulous, Vayne. The day will begin, however, with a visibility march starting at midday at Lister Gate, and finishing at Sneinton Market. There will also be celebrations at Hockley venues like Broadway Cinema, Rough Trade, and The Lord Roberts.
Stand Up to Knife Crime Metronome £4.50, 7pm
Definitley Mightbe (tribute) The Diamond £12-£15, 7pm-11.30pm
Hugh Pascall Quartet Peggy's Skylight £14, 7pm-9pm
Comedy Club The Garage 7pm-11pm
The Illegal Eagles Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
Bran Rot & Friends Movers 7pm-12am
Goo (UK) JT Soar £9, 7.30pm
Shallowdrown ‘Ghost’ EP Release Gig at The Grove The Grove £6, 7pm-11pm
For You Blue: Celebrating The Beatles Greatest Hits 1967-1970 Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
THURSDAY 23 JULY Nah Then Music Festival Sherbrooke Scout Camp £0-£74.50, 5pm-11.55pm Apple of Discord The People's Hall £30-£45, 7pm-10pm This sell-out highly-rated show returns to Nottingham for 5 nights only this July. Notts theatre company Chronic Insanity present an immersive theatre experience retelling the Greek myth of how the Trojan War started. Follow the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus through three interwoven stories, at the historic People’s Hall. Throughout your journey, you’ll also tackle quests and encounter characters, and secret plots. July’s production has three hours of new story and puzzles, so whether this is your first or second visit to Olympus, there’s plenty of gods to meet, and tales to unfold. Runs until: Friday 24 July How to Succeed in Business... Lace Market Theatre 7.30pm Runs until: Saturday 25 July Words Of Wisdom - Free Poetry Open Mic Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 7.30pm
TUESDAY 21 JULY Funky Studios Summer Showcase 2026 Mansfield Palace Theatre Watercolour Painting Workshop Pippley Walled Garden £60, 10am-3pm Step Back, Look Again: SelfEditing For Writers with Victoria Villasenor Writing East Midlands £0-£10, 7pm-8.30pm Viruette, Airport Dad, Evening Plans and Hollow Stone The Grove £6, 7pm
WEDNESDAY 22 JULY Creative Audio Description Workshop Nottingham Playhouse
50 leftlion.co.uk
An Evening with Talia Hibbert Waterstones £5-£14, 6.30pm
Interstellar Audio: Transmissions Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 8pm-1am
FRIDAY 24 JULY Rembrant: Exhibition on Screen Mansfield Palace Theatre Summer Ice Skating The National Ice Centre £0-£13, 10am-4.30pm Runs until: Sunday 30 August Baskets & Woven Dreams The National Justice Museum 10am-12pm Fragments Exhibition by Lindsay Tempest West Bridgford Library Free, 10am-4pm Runs until: Saturday 5 September Pinocchio Wollaton Hall and Park £14-£20, 5pm Panthers Watchday The Nest £5, 6pm-11pm Baselab presents: EMOM Mist Rolling Inn £3.50-£5, 6.30pm-11pm The Truffle Valley Boys Peggy’s Skylight £18, 6.45pm-8pm
Debdale Park Sports Club Music Festival Debdale Sports Centre £16.50-£90, 12pm-9.30pm Nott's Pride Alternative Afterparty & DirtyFilthySexy's 18th Birthday Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 12.30pm Gin & Rum Festival The Nest £21.50, 12.30pm-10pm PRIDE: Notts C*nty Movers 5pm-12am
Cariad with Cherry Stone & Angel Row Billy Bootleggers £10, 7.30pm
Concord X Parea Calluna £4-£10, 8pm-3am
Hot 8 Brass Band Rescue Rooms £26, 6.30pm-10pm
SATURDAY 25 JULY
The Hot 8 Brass Band is an internationally acclaimed New Orleans brass band, which this month is coming to Notts for a vibrant show at Rescue Rooms. Founded in 1995, they’ve had a long, storied, and sometimes tragic history as a changing collective, having toured across the world and in 2022 won a grammy for their work with US artist Jon Batiste. They’re known for their dynamic and genre blending approach covering jazz, hip hop, soul, funk, and New Orleans bounce, so seeing them in Notts this month will be a great opportunity to enjoy some top class musicianship.
Hidden Food Tour Tough Mary's Bakehouse Writing First Class Dialogue Nottingham Central Library £11.55-£22.38, 10.15am-12.45pm Saturday Art Club New Art Exchange 10.30am-12.30pm Festival Of Archaeology Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-3.30pm Nottingham Pride Street Party Pop Up! Rough Trade Free, 12pm
Flo: Live Acoustic + Q&a The Level 8pm Duty Free presents Pride The Model 10pm-3am Midsummer Mayhem Liquid Library Free, 10pm-5am Summer Secret Garden Rave The Secret Garden £5-£10, 10.30pm-2.30am
SUNDAY 26 JULY The Garage Vintage Market The Garage 10am-2pm Paul Stone as Billy Idol The Diamond £10-£13, 2pm-6.30pm Summer Ball with Rick Parfitt Jnr & the RPJ Band The Big Shed at The Trent Navigation £15-£40, 2pm-9pm Steve Cavanagh Waterstones £5-£21, 3.30pm
MONDAY 27 JULY
The Music of James Bond: The Great British Film Orchestra The Albert Hall
Woodland Festival 2026 Thoresby Park Free, 10am-4pm
Steve Steinman’s Anything For Love: The Meat Loaf Story Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
Meat Loaf versus Sir Elton Dunham On Trent Village Hall £10, 6.30pm-10pm Shez Raja ft Guthrie Govan Peggy's Skylight £20, 6.45pm-8pm
Themed Parent & Tots Ice Skating The National Ice Centre Free, 9.30am-11.30am Runs until: Monday 24 August Shrek Jr - Summer School (Show-In-A-Week) Copper Studios £240, 10am-3pm Runs until: Friday 31 July Irish Group Discusses: The Spinning Heart by Dónal Ryan Five Leaves Bookshop Free, 7pm-8.30pm
TUESDAY 28 JULY Intensive Ice Skating Lessons Summer The National Ice Centre £75, 12pm-2pm Runs until: Thursday 27 August Fiction Book Group reads High Wages by Dorothy Whipple Five Leaves Bookshop Free, 7pm-8.30pm Litmus Paper The Grove £4, 7pm-11pm
Tue 11 to Sat 15 Aug
ANYBODY FOR MURDER By Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner By arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French, Ltd.
Tue 18 to Sat 22 Aug
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM Adapted by John Goodrum, based on the classic story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Tue 25 to Sat 29 Aug
THE MANTRAP
The premiere production of an original play by Robert Thomas, adapted and translated by Sean Aita OBE.
supported by
Theatre Royal, Nottingham Tue 11 to Sat 29 Aug trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555
WEDNESDAYS
Walkthrough of Physical Culture by Augustas Serapinas with Marta Marsicka Nottingham Contemporary Free, 1pm-2pm
Wham! 10 Days in China. Arc Cinema (Beeston) £15.95-£17.95, 6.30pm In 1985, Wham! were the first Western pop group to perform in communist China. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s two concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou introduced live Western pop to Chinese audiences and marked a turning point for the band. This tour was about more than music; it was a bold move to capture American attention and launch them into global superstardom and it worked. This 90-minute documentary draws on meticulously restored, newly digitised and never-beforeseen archive footage, alongside interviews with those who experienced the tour firsthand, the film revisits this historic moment through the eyes of the band, their team and Chinese audiences encountering Western pop culture for the first time. Write Night The Malt Cross £5-£10, 7pm-8.30pm Loose Goose Improv Jam Fisher Gate Point Free, 8pm-10pm
WEDNESDAY 29 JULY Neutrals JT Soar £12 Funny Sods The Robin Hood Pub Free, 7.30am-10am
Lenny Pearce: Toddler Rave World Tour Part 2 The Nest £24.50, 2.30pm Junk, Cleaver Blue and Flöat The Grove £7, 7pm Musicman Mike Memory Lane Secret Vault £20-£45, 7pm-10pm ALBO(a)E - A little Bit of (almost) Everything By Our Hands We Make Our Way 7.30pm-10.30pm
THURSDAY 30 JULY Côtes d'Azur Evening French Living 5pm-9pm
Rodina Peggy's Skylight £18, 6.45pm-8pm Rodina is a musical project by singer songwriter Aoife Hearty and her partner, co-writer and keyboardist Joe Tatton. After a six year hiatus they’ve released their latest album Good Company, and will bring their dynamic jazz funk show to Notts later this month. Their sound is known for how danceable and psychedelic it can get, combining Aoife’s soulful vocals with Joe’s Hammond and Rhodes playing, plus additional live band members. Support has come their way from BBC Radio 2 and 6. If you schedule just one memorable night of jazz in Notts this month, we’d recommend this as your first choice.
The Sword in the Stone Nottingham Castle £14-£20, 5pm
Rewind Friday Beeston Social £0-£5, 9pm-2am
Crime Club: Transportation to America The National Justice Museum 6pm, £16.50
Rhythmeaters EP Launch Mist Rolling Inn £7, 7pm
WEEKLY EVENTS FRIDAY 31 JULY The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Nottingham Playhouse BBQ & Blues Red Dog Saloon Free, 6.30pm-9pm Back to the 90s: Chris Oliver New Art Exchange Free, 7pm-12am The Bon Jovi Experience The Diamond £16-£19, 7pm-11.30pm
MONDAYS
Adult Steel Pan Class Fisher Gate Point £5, 8pm-10pm
Prehistoric Lives In The Trent Valley Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-4pm
Open Jam Night - Open To All Billy Bootleggers Free, 8pm-11pm
The Goodness Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-3am
Bandy Wandy Billy Bootleggers Free, 11pm-3am
SATURDAYS
Pub Quiz Lion at Basford 8pm, £1 per person
THURSDAYS Nottingham Thursday Board Game Socials Games Haven £7.50, 6pm-10.30pm Quiz Night Beacon Hill Free, 8pm-10pm Big Bike Revival - Free Fixing Thursday Nottingham Bikeworks Free, 10am-2pm Prehistoric Lives In The Trent Valley Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-4pm Free Fixing Thursday Nottingham Bikeworks 10am-1pm
The Big Quiz The Malt Cross 7.30pm
Mardy Bum - Indie Goodness Billy Bootleggers Free, 10pm-3am
TUESDAYS
FRIDAYS
Bod FM The Bodega Free, 10pm
Live DJs Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 8pm
Pressure Rescue Rooms Free, 10pm - 3am
Nottingham Kill Team Club Games Haven £7.50, 6pm-10pm
… d e t s i l get get found!
Nottingham’s free events platform
The Garage Market The Garage 10am-2pm Live DJs Angel Microbrewery & The Chapel Free, 8pm Magic the Gathering Games Haven 11.30am-10.30pm Pokemon Gaming Games Haven £7-£12.50, 10.30am-10.30pm Prehistoric Lives In The Trent Valley Lakeside Arts Free, 12pm-4pm Day Club Canvas £9, 3pm-8pm The Pleasing Billy Bootleggers Free, 4pm-3am Romance: Indie Club Night Rescue Rooms £5, 10pm-3am
SUNDAYS Board Game Weekly Games Haven £7-£12.50, 12.30pm-6.30pm Smash Hits Billy Bootleggers Free, 11pm-3am
Free to list, add your event at notts.com
These listings are pulled from notts.com — list your event for free and be in the running for print here, the itsinnottingham app, and leftlion.co.uk
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O R H T TR U
LEG END?
Unpicking Nottingham's Weird History The Case of Peter Pan and The Arboretum words: Matthew Blaney
illustration: Lily Keogh words: Natalie Braber (Professor of Linguistics at NTU)
Toilet Humour
in the lavs? Something made you laugh to ps qui st nie fun r Send you editorial@leftlion.co.uk
Down
Nottsword
1. Notts born Methodist preacher William Booth founded this international charitable organisation (9, 4) 2. City centre arcade which was once an inn established in 1483 (6, 5) 5. Sneinton Market brewery represented by a fluorescent dinosaur (4, 6) 9. World-famous cheese associated with Nottingham (7) 10. Short-legged marsupials headlining this year’s Splendour festival (7) 1 2
Across 3. X Men actor to portray Robin Hood in 2026 film (4, 7) 4. Artist Anish Kapoor created this iconic art piece at Nottingham Playhouse (3, 6) 6. Culturally diverse contemporary visual arts space near the Forest Rec (3, 3, 8) 7. Notts music venue that lived another life as the Alexandra Skating Rink (4, 4) 8. Notts County goalkeeper who is 'one of our own' (5, 7)
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With summer showing signs of its presence in every beer garden and the beginning of hay feverinduced runny noses, you may find yourself visiting Nottingham’s green spaces. However, while there are plenty of parks bound to wind up infested with couples on picnic blankets and mass games of one bounce, there is one special spot which is believed to have inspired one of Britain’s most iconic fictional islands: Neverland. Before J. M. Barrie began writing what would go on to be a staple piece in Disney’s endless merch catalogue, and a favourite for kids to go berserk at when Hook is in fact ‘behind you’, the Scottish writer spent a few years in the East Midlands. In 1883, Barrie moved to Nottingham and worked as a reporter for the Nottingham Daily Journal. During his time in Notts he resided on Birkland Avenue, conveniently right next to the Arboretum, which he would pass through everyday to-andfrom work. Little did Barrie know at the time, but this walk would inspire the foundations of the mermaid lagoons in Neverland. With the Arboretum being home to a lagoon-like pond, exotic plants and squawking birds, the parallels between a fantastical world and a lovely part of Nottingham can be drawn following a stroll through its greenery. The iconic Bell Tower, meanwhile, houses four Crimean War cannons, rather reminiscent of Captain Hook’s artillery. Despite Hollywood’s countless adaptations of Peter’s Neverland, one constant feature of the land far, far away is its lagoons. Curiously, these are often frequented by mermaids, but not quite the Ariel type you’d want to hang around. In the original 1901 edition of Peter Pan, these mermaids were fairly nasty creatures who tried to drown Wendy. Presumably, Disney made the conscious choice to remove this scene due to an unwritten rule: attempted drowning of kids isn’t allowed in cartoons.
So, while never explicitly stated, it seems Barrie drew inspiration from Nottingham’s picturesque parks – during his time at Birkland Avenue, he would also meet the father of the boys who likely inspired Peter’s trusty Lost Boys. Arthur Llewelyn Davies was a student at the University of Nottingham who became a close friend of Barrie’s. Following both of their departures from Notts, the two kept in touch – Barrie developing a close relationship with his family over the next few years. As Lleweyn Davies' sons grew up, they spent time in imaginative play with Barrie, becoming a key part in the evolution of Peter Pan's fixation with continued childhood fantasies. This relationship, which began in Nottingham, would go on to influence his magnum opus. Two historical markers have been placed around the city to commemorate his time here – one on Birkland Avenue and the other on Pelham Street where he once worked. So, there you have it. Go outside and indulge in Notts’ beauty, whilst the weather allows it, perhaps taking inspiration from our lovely city to write your own play (with Disney money in mind). Or, just take a leisurely stroll through the park which helped to inspire one. Just try and avoid the mermaids. These ones tend to bite.
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