Nottingham
QMC
University of Nottingham
Beeston
Long Eaton
Nottingham
QMC
University of Nottingham
Beeston
Long Eaton
East Midlands Airport
Nottingham
QMC
THEN FAST TO
Derby
shiny new coaches
same award winning driving team
Credits
H-Al-oween
Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk)
Editorial & Marketing Assistant Caradoc Gayer (caradoc.gayer@leftlion.co.uk)
Stage Co-Editor Ian C. Douglas (ian@leftlion.co.uk)
Literature Editor Andrew Tucker (literature@leftlion.co.uk)
Photography Co-Editor Sam Tariq (photography@leftlion.co.uk)
Literature Co-Editor
Grace Sanders (literature@leftlion.co.uk)
Community Editor
Frances Danylec (community@leftlion.co.uk)
Cover art
Isobel Farrar
Editorial Interns
Andrew Spencer
Katie Barr
Writers
Emily Davies
Christine Hassall-Rickles
Benedict Cooper
Matthew Blaney
Kieran Lister
Matt Roberts
Claire Spencer
Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk)
Music Co-Editor Phil Taylor (music@leftlion.co.uk)
Stage Co-Editor Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk)
Sports Editor Reuben Moynihan-Case (sport@leftlion.co.uk)
Photography Co-Editor Dani Bacon (photography@leftlion.co.uk)
Editor Sophie Gargett (sophie.gargett@leftlion.co.uk)
Music Co-Editor Karl Blakesley (music@leftlion.co.uk)
History Editor CJ DeBarra (history@leftlion.co.uk)
Food Co-Editor Julia Head (food@leftlion.co.uk)
Art Editor Benjamin Kay (art@leftlion.co.uk)
Katherine Monk-Watts
Nadia Whittome
Tom Gensler
Matteo D'Alesio
Kayla Sibanda
Photographers
Foteini Christofilopoulou
Yoav Aziz
Amy Simms
Irina Holliday
Simona Peneva
Stephen Simons
Calum Smith
Felicia Brown
Tom Morley
Alex Hill
S Motokawa
Martina Spinelli Witherington
Naomi Williams
Aiste Rakauskaite
Sophie Bell
Rochelle Vazquez
Head Designer Natalie Owen (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)
Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon-Harley (fashion@leftlion.co.uk)
Environment Editor Adam Pickering (environment@leftlion.co.uk)
Food Co-Editor Lucy Campion (food@leftlion.co.uk)
Distribution Dom Martinovs
@andrew.james.photos
Lux Gagos
Foyle River Films
Camphaus Media
Dan Davison
Rita Pena
Jo Kingsley
Fabio De Paola
Tim Eastgate
Northern Ballet
Illustrators
Andy Case
OpenClipart-Vectors
Indeg May Cameron
April Seaworth
Craig Whitemore
Rebecca Evans
Jim Brown
Sophie Elizabeth
Featured Contributor
Nottingham-born Katie is a history student at the University of Nottingham with a passion for all things literary. As co-founder of The Literary Lounge Blog, she has turned a humble social media presence into a full-fledged literary hub, launched this September, where books, ideas, and the written word take centre stage.
When she’s not nose deep in a novel or curating content for her blog, Katie can be found at the theatre, writing reviews for UON’s student magazine, or sharpening her editorial skills with Nottingham’s Tab chapter.
Always eager to keep busy, she thrives on new challenges, relishes opportunities to expand her skillset, and delights in uncovering the very best of Nottingham’s cultural scene. With a key eye for detail and an infectious love of storytelling, Katie brings curiosity, energy, and literary flair to everything she touches.
Looking ahead, she hopes to turn this passion into a career – whether in publishing, magazine editing, or any creative outlet that allows her to champion stories that inspire.
123 Learning, 35A Creative, Aaron Murray, Alan Underwood, Alex McFarlane, Alison Gove-Humphries, Alison Hedley, Alison Knox, Anamenti, Andrew Button, Ant Haywood, Audrey & Lizzy & Margot, BadGrammar MakesMeSic, Barbara Morgan, Ben Martin Saxophone, Ben Stewart, Big Bob McPlop, Cat Kearney, Cerys Gibson, Charlie Baylis, Chris Breese, Chris Jarvis, Chris Underwood, Claire Foss, Clare Foyle, Colin Tucker, Cyra GolijaniMoghaddam, Dan Hemmings, Daniel Ison Jones, David Belbin, David Knight, Dominic Morrow, Donna Rowe-Merriman, Eden PR, Ellie, Erika Diaz Petersen, Fallowed, F C and E Ledger, GC, Gemma Barfoot, Grant Butterworth, Grass Roots Garden Care, Graye Wilde, Half Moon Holistics, Harry Sutcliffe, Harry Turner, Hayley Howard, Heather Oliver, Holden Johnson, Holly's Merry Moggies, Ian Carroll, Ian Phillips, Ian Storey, Ian Yanson, Jack Moore, James Place, James Verran, Janine Lees, Jason Clifford, Jean Forsey, Jennifer Pearce, John Haslam, John Hess, John Holmes, John & Jackie Scruton, Jonathan Day, Joshua Heathcote, Julian Bower, Julian McDougall, Justyn Roberts, Kay Gilby, Kaye Brennan, Kelly, Kiki Dee the Cat, Lawrence Poole, Laura Wilson, Leigh Woosey, Lilian Greenwood, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Louise Duffield, Louise Obuchowski, Luke Richardshon, Lyn, Marc Weaver, Mark, Mark Barratt, Mark Bond, Mark Dickson, Mark Gasson, Mark Jacobs, Martin Curtis, Mary, Matthew Riches & Justin Clark, MC, Mike Carter, Miri Debah, Monica White, Nic, Nick Palmer, Nigel Cooke, Nigel King, NottingJam Orchestra, Paul, Paul Boast, Pearl Quick, Philip Renshaw, Rachel Ayrton, Rachel Morton, Raphael Achache, Richard Donovan, Richard Goodwin, Rob Arthur, Robert Wyles, Rose Harvey, Roy Manterfield, Russell Brown, Ruth Hoyland, Saara Maqbool, Sam Fia, Sam Hudson, Sam Stiling, Sandra Pink, Sarah Colborne, Sarah Manton, Selectadisc, Simon Evans, Tessa Duell, The Sparrows’ Nest, Steve Benton, Steve Holland, Steve Lyon, Steve Wallace, Sue Barsby, The Edgar Family, Tom Huggon, Tony Shelley, Tracey Newton, Vanessa Shaw, Vibrant Ellz, Wayne Norrie, Will Horton.
Fright Night
A working courthouse and prison for over 600 years, the National Justice Museum is one of Nottingham’s most haunted buildings. CJ De Barra delves into its chilling paranormal happenings…
Wytch Craft
The Correction Unit Filmmaker Derry Shillitto and actor Zak Hopkinson talk to us about The Correction Unit, their dystopian sci-fi movie that was shot in Nottingham using local talent.
We speak to Lauren Wolf of Sneinton’s Wolf Wytch Apothecary, an indie business and cornucopia of dark scents and specialised gifts.
Seizing the Day
Notts-based marketer Dan Davison shares how he transformed his monotonous, work-filled life with his written-down bucket list of adventures.
Through Her Lens
Susana de Dios and Alecia Barnes, who run The Sisterhood Collective, share how their network supports women and women-identifying photographers with space to connect, create and be seen.
Naturally Poetic Nottingham’s first Nature Poet Laureate, Cara Thompson, on her BritishCaribbean upbringing, the construction of communities via greenspace and the importance of nature in art and poetry.
Greetings LeftLion readers, and welcome to October!
The evenings are growing gloomy, the leaves are getting crunchy, and there’s a chill in the air… spooky season is upon us - blessings to all who celebrate.
For this issue we’ve put together a sprinkling of dark content to help shuffle us all towards Halloween and into the depths ahead. Find some rather ghoulish paranormal stories from the National Justice Museum on p.20, the macabre tale of the wicked William Saville on p.38., and an interview with the gorgeously curious Wolf Wytch Apothecary on p.15.
At this time of year, I like to start preparing for the cold months ahead… brewing batches of fire cider to ward off pesky colds, dipping into folklore that brings meaning to the seasonal cycle, stocking up on red wine, spare cats, and candles. This is a time for finally musing about how your year has progressed, completing that list of films you’ve been meaning to watch, and making
Paradigm Shift Adam Curtis’ Shifty examines life in Britain at the end of the 1900s and how society became unmoored. The documentary filmmaker discusses the current communal and political voids.
Out of Time: The Saville Murders of 1844
A look into the dark tale of Notts murderer William Saville and the lives he destroyed, both in his life and after his death.
Ghosts and Guitars
Stapleford singer-songwriter George Gadd talks to us about his musical influences, the origin of his band and their new album, Too Many Ghosts
Dance Magic Dance
We talk to French dancer Kevin Poeung about his journey to becoming the lead in the ballet Merlin, how he relates to his character and the joy of dance.
Raising a Glass
Nobody knows our pubs more than Nottingham Pint Guide’s Tom Head! He shares with us why our bar scene differs from elsewhere and what his local pub picks are.
sure to leave offerings to the divine hag Cailleach, who once famously threw a boulder at her husband in County Cork. But anyway, I digress…
Since first clapping eyes on Isobelle Farrar’s incredibly charming cover art for this month, I must admit I’ve been utterly smitten. We’ve got some wonderfully talented creatives in our midst here in Notts, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the transformation of boring grey walls into colourful murals during Art Fest last month.
In October, it’s our musicians turn to shine, as Hockley Hustle brings almost every genre of music imaginable to our indie pubs, clubs and venues. Head to p.18 to hear what’s new this year. But that’s not all - if you find yourself feeling low as the light fades, get yourself down to Nottingham Comedy festival at the end of the month - we’ve chatted to a few of the comedians featured on p.31 to give you a chuckle.
Whatever season you’re most inclined to, I hope you all have a cheery month ahead. Go
THE
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“Oh you’re back, how was the work trip”
“Good thanks”
“Did you take the family”?
*looks incredulous*
“To Iraq? No I didn’t”
mixed"Doesanyoneelseget upbetweenhen dos and hindhus? It's quiteawkward.They're different."
“That light's too bright for romance”
“I'm a bit suspicious of magicians. They could quite easily steal your wallet.”
“Idon'twanttopay and I don't want to wearasillyhat.”
“Have some of this, it’s really good for stale cake!”
Pick Six
For this month’s Pick Six we turn to Steven Sheil, Co-Director at the Mayhem Horror Film Festival which takes place at Broadway Cinema between Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 October.
mayhemfilmfestival.com
In Waterstones: “Can I borrow a book?”
Two teens in Discobowl bogs. One in the cubicle, one waiting. Bog girl shouts to friend from inside the cubicle: “Did you hear Steven? He said “Can you even play pool?’ duh YEH I’m from Aspley?” Friend: *silence*
“Medical students forareverywellknown other'speeingineach mouths…
Film: The Innocents This changes all the time, but today I’m going to go with The Innocents (1961) directed by Jack Clayton. It’s a brilliantly calibrated film that really plays with the idea of what ghosts are and how they affect us. Both Deborah Kerr and Martin Stephens - who plays Miles, the young boy in the film - give amazing performances and the black and white cinematography by Freddie Francis is stunning. I probably watch it at least once a year.
Book: The Flypaper by Elizabeth Taylor I read a lot so it’s hard to choose a favourite, but this year I’ve been really getting into the works of Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress), a mid-century British novelist and short story writer. Her novels are great - subtle and affecting character pieces, and her short stories are brilliant too. One of them, The Flypaper, was adapted into the darkest ever Tales Of The Unexpected episode in the 80s. She’s well worth seeking out.
Album: Horses by Patti Smith
Again, a lot of contenders but I’m choosing Patti Smith’s Horses, because it’s the 50th anniversary of its release this year and it’s maybe the album I’ve listened to the most. The opening track, Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) - in part a cover of the Them song - is where everything collides - garage rock, punk rock, art, poetry, storytelling, performance. The whole thing is just an exhilarating listen from start to finish.
Who came up with balloons as party decorations?Happy birthday, here’s a rubber sack of my breath.
Holiday destination: Japan I’ve been to Japan a couple of times and it’s probably the place I’d most like to go back to. Last time we visited we took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was amazing and I’d love to go back again and explore more. I feel like there’s so much history and culture there that we’ve only just scratched the surface of.
Notts Spot: Sherwood charity shops I should probably say Broadway because it’s where Mayhem is based - and of course it’s great, and everyone should visit - but the honest answer is probably the charity shops of Sherwood. I buy a lot of second-hand books and records and it’s become a real hobby to scour Sherwood every couple of weeks for what I can find - there are maybe nine or ten shops on the circuit and I can easily spend a slow hour or two going round them.
Meal: Small Food Bakery
Small Food Bakery, based at the Primary gallery, is a favourite. They’re a great independent Nottingham business that also does a lot of good work around food justice. We get a lot of fresh bread from there, but also often stop in for something sweet and/ or savoury and a coffee. There’s always a really good variety on offer and it’s a nice place to spend time.
words: Dani Bacon
UNDERCOVER ARTIST
Artist Isobelle Farrar, who designed this month’s spooky cover, tells us about her inspirations and recent projects…
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m Isobelle Farrar, a freelance illustrator from Nottingham who loves all things colour and texture! I love swimming and going on walks in nature. I enjoy reading and doodling in coffee shops with friends. My work is often bright and colourful and I like making work that people can connect with and enjoy.
nottinghampoetryfestival.com
What is the story behind the cover?
Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...
The National Justice Museum
We’ve only been for a candlelight concert. But we were thinking, in days gone by, if you were hung drawn and quartered, in reality, it's a vile, awful death - absolutely barbaric. People say ‘the good old days’ but it was a hard life, 200 years ago. Of course they used to hang them near St Andrew’s Church, because that was the city boundary. As for ghosts, it’s people’s imagination running riot, and it depends how many pints of beer you’ve had.
Bucket Lists
We haven’t got a bucket list. We’ve no need for them. We were speaking to a woman who wanted to go to the ABBA experience in London, that was her bucket list. But we’ve done all the things we want to do. The only two things we regret is not seeing Tommy Cooper when he came to town, and Bob Hope. We said we’d go next time but they both bloody dropped down dead didn’t they. The only thing we’d do if we dared, but we don’t dare, is go in a Spitfire. That would be fantastic, but the rigmarole you’ve got to do in case they crash - it’s not worth it.
A.I.
We’re not going to personally come across it really, are we? But with jobs, more women lost their jobs in clothing manufacturing than any miner and steel worker. That was down to the Conservatives lowering the import duty, so we opened the floodgates of importing crap quality. Nottingham made more clothes than any other place - Marks and Spencer clothes were all made in Sutton in Ashfield. But as they were women, no one battered an eyelid because women didn’t count. But now this A.I thing is affecting the middle classes and higher end jobs, now everyone is worried.
For this month, I wanted to make a spooky cover that tells a story with some quirky monster characters! I was inspired by the articles in this month’s magazine and wanted to reflect them on the cover in a fun and spooky way! I had a lot of fun imagining mischievous ghouls haunting the Galleries of Justice, what jokes would be on a skeleton stand-up’s set, or which drink a pumpkin head would be sipping on whilst having a cosy evening at home. I wanted to make the cover a bit whimsical and silly to reflect the nature of Halloween and changing of the seasons with a bit of fun.
Halloween is one of my favourite holidays. As a kid who loved to dress up, I like that as an adult I still have the excuse to dress up and get creative with a costume each year!
What inspires you as an artist?
I’m inspired by narratives; I enjoy work that has a story behind it and creating pieces that are full of details for viewers to find and connect with. I also find a lot of inspiration in folklore, myths, and creating work that retells those ancient stories to modern audiences.
Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…
I’ve recently worked with Rushcliffe Borough Council to create some colouring pages for their community events that are available for free download on their website. That was a great project that I really enjoyed working on and it was lovely to see people, young and old, colouring them in and getting inspired. I also enjoy working in textiles and made an embroidered tapestry based on a Greek myth, which was a great personal project.
Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?
I would say to put yourself out there and try new things. You never know what it might lead to! Even if it doesn’t amount to much, the experience of trying something out of your comfort zone might make you realise you enjoy certain creative areas more, or even give you the confidence to try more new things that will aid you in a future creative project. And don’t compare yourself to others – your creative journey is unique to you and comparing yourself to others will only hold you back. Use them for inspiration, but don’t get too hung up on comparison.
If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?
There’s so many to choose from, but I would say Lauren Child. I grew up loving her books and illustration and would jump at the chance to sit down and talk about her work both in illustration and writing! I would however be too starstruck to chat coherently!
Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?
Have a cosy, spooky October and remember to be kind and look out for others! Q
Nadia on...
the hillsborough law
For many in Nottingham, the Hillsborough Disaster is something they will remember directly, as Forest fans were in the stands that day. On 15 April 1989, a deadly crush occurred at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, when Liverpool FC was playing against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final. 97 Liverpool supporters, the youngest just a ten-yearold boy, lost their lives as a result, and hundreds more were injured. However, the tragedy didn’t end there. In the aftermath, victims’ families were forced to endure a campaign of blame and misinformation by the media.
Notoriously, The Sun falsely accused Liverpool supporters of causing the disaster and made other shocking claims that were later proved to be untrue. At the same time, the police deflected responsibility by presenting a distorted version of events and tampered with evidence to obscure the force’s serious failings. It took 27 years for a court to finally rule that those who died were unlawfully killed, and that the football fans caught up in the chaos were not at all responsible for their deaths, but it should never have taken that long to get the truth, especially as many of the campaigners died before seeing justice.
What should have been a moment to learn from the shocking failings in crowd safety and policing at football matches instead ended with authorities prioritising their own protection, ultimately harming innocent lives during the process. Ultimately, families are yet to see anyone held truly accountable.
However, as a result of relentless campaigning by family members and survivors to change a system that too often protected institutions over the public, a cause to which many of whom devoted their entire lives, last month the government introduced the long-awaited Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law. This is a landmark piece of legislation that seeks to prevent state cover-ups by requiring public officials to disclose
the truth during investigations into major disasters.
A new professional and legal Duty of Candour will be introduced, meaning public officials must act with honesty and integrity at all times, with criminal sanctions for egregious breaches. This should mean that victims or their families are never again left to fight against influential bodies intent on protecting their own reputations. The principles behind the Hillsborough Law extend far beyond football. From Grenfell to the infected blood scandals, ordinary people have been pitted against powerful institutions determined to escape justice. This legislation aims to create a fairer system where truth and accountability take precedence.
From GrenFeLL to the inFeCted bLood sCandaLs, ordinary peopLe haVe been pitted aGainst powerFuL institutions determined to esCape justiCe. this LeGisL ation aims to Create a Fairer system where truth and aCCountabiLity taKe preCedenCe
Crucially, the Bill will also provide non-meanstested access to legal representation, so that no family is left to crowdfund for justice while facing unimaginable grief. Under this law, legal aid will automatically be available to bereaved families at inquests - whenever the state is represented. This change is intended to redress the power balance between ordinary people and public authorities.
There will also be a new duty on public authorities to ensure any spending on legal advice and representation at inquests is necessary and proportionate. The duty will also guide the conduct of lawyers at the Coroner's court, ensuring families are always treated with sensitivity and respect.
Given that inquests often involve bereaved families and loved ones dealing with traumatic experiences, this duty will ensure that they are less likely to face a hostile process.
The Hillsborough Law has long been in the making, first presented to Parliament in 2017 by Andy Burnham and repeatedly blocked by consecutive governments. Yet thanks to campaigners, who worked tirelessly over three decades to end state cover-ups and didn’t accept half measures, it has finally been introduced in Parliament. An honourable mention must also go to Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool, West Derby, for whom Hillsborough is deeply personal as an attendee on the day of the disaster, and who has been persistently pressing the government to introduce the Bill in full, without watering it down. I hope that for families and survivors of Hillsborough, it brings some justice and a real recognition of what they went through, ensuring that no other community has to endure a decades-long quest for truth.
The Bill will still need to be scrutinised and voted on, but after so many years of setbacks and delays, there is real hope that this time the law will at last be passed and will enact lasting change, honouring those who lost their lives at Hillsborough by preventing similar injustices from ever occurring again. As an MP, I promise to work with colleagues across Parliament to ensure the Bill is passed in full, so that we do right by the campaigners.
Trust in our institutions matters. When the public cannot be confident that authorities will tell the truth, or when families are forced to fight the state for decades to uncover it, it undermines our democracy. Passing the Hillsborough Law in full is about rebuilding that trust and ensuring that never again will ordinary people be left powerless in the face of a major disaster.
nadiawhittome.org
words: Nadia Whittome photo: Lux Gagos
FLUENTINBOTH
WINDRUSH SPECIAL
FRIDAY 3 OCTOBER, 7PM–LATE
Celebrate the Windrush Generation with vibrant poetry, music, and dance, honouring migration, resilience, heritage, identity, and their impact on Britain.
OCTOBER 2025 – JANUARY 2026
BAD BETTY PRESS
FRIDAY 24 OCTOBER, 6.30PM–9.30PM
An electrifying evening of poetry and music with Bad Betty Press, featuring Desree, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Hasti, and Nottingham’s Davina Songbird
Hosted by Bridie Squires and Jake Wild Hall, with BSL interpretation by Steph Lehrle
+16 ONLY | PRICES STARTING AT £7.21
SLURP
FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER, 7PM–LATE
A creative evening for marginalised genders with Clovers and Tommy on Top, featuring crafts, nibbles, live performances, and connection in a welcoming space.
+16 ONLY | FREE THE RUIN LIVE PERFORMANCE BY SIMEON BARCLAY 16 JANUARY 2026, 7PM–9PM
VIA BAD BETTY PRESS’ EVENTBRITE
EXHIBITION LAUNCH
FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER, 6PM–9PM
Celebrate the launch of Heather Agyepong and Simeon Barclay’s exhibitions with a first viewing, complimentary drinks, and music at CORNER.
ALL AGES WELCOME | FREE
MUSA PRESENTS SOUNDING OFF
FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER, 7PM–LATE
An evening celebrating Nottingham’s best musicians, with soulful solo artists, energetic bands, a mix of genres, and unforgettable live music vibes.
+16 ONLY | FREE
DRENA
ANGOLA INDEPENDENCE DAY
FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER, 7PM-LATE
Celebrate Angolan Independence Day with Kizomba dance, live PALOP performances, DJs, traditional food, and vibrant music, culture, and community spirit.
ALL AGES WELCOME | FREE
IN CONVERSATION: HEATHER AGYEPONG AND LISA ANDERSON
FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER, 7PM-9PM
In Conversation: Heather Agyepong and Lisa Anderson explore Heather’s exhibition, artistic practice, and creative ideas, sharing insights and reflections on her work.
ALL AGES WELCOME | FREE
+16 ONLY | FREE
ELLIPSIS: BREAKING THE SILENCE
FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER, 7PM–LATE
A night of spoken word and music exploring survival, trauma, healing, resilience, and revolution, creating space for truth, solidarity, and collective empowerment.
+16 ONLY | FREE
CREATIVE CORNER WITH KIKI CARDS FOR EVERY OCCASION
FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER, 6PM-9PM
Join Kiki for a hands-on card-making workshop at Creative Corner, using lino printing and mixed media. All materials provided.
ALL AGES WELCOME | FREE
Simeon Barclay’s The Ruin blends spoken word, percussion, and brass to explore British identity, masculinity, class, memory, and industrial northern England.
+16 ONLY | FREE
FROM WORKSHOPS AND FILM SCREENINGS TO MEETINGS AND EVENTS, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
OR CALL US ON 0115 924 8630
interview: Christine Hassall-Rickles
Wytch Craft
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us, and there’s nothing better at this time of year than coming home to a cosy living space. If you have a love for the spooky and the scented, then here’s three exciting words for you: Wolf Wytch Apothecary. An independent business that has been alive in the heart of Sneinton Market for almost three years, Wolf Wytch is run by its wickedly talented head alchemist Lauren Wolf. It’s home to an enchanting combination of scents – from candles to skin care – and plenty of gothic vibes…
You make many of your products in-house and have a vivid and unique aesthetic. What inspires your work?
I take inspiration from all kinds of things but I think the most obvious would be mythology and folklore. I’m fascinated by the weird and wonderful tales this little island holds and its history and mythology. Music has always influenced me, specifically 70s, 80s, punk, heavy metal… you might spot a few references in the products name and descriptions. Religious monuments, unexplained stones in the middle of a field… anything can pique my interest - as long as it’s a bit unusual.
What made you leave the corporate world and start Wolf Wytch? Did your background in any way contribute towards what you create now?
Before Wolf Wytch I worked as a makeup artist and managed some of the biggest global beauty brands. After twelve years in the industry I wasn’t feeling fulfilled anymore from a creative sense and I got quite tired of the way social media was pushing unrealistic results and beauty standards.
When I had my son I knew it was time to move on and trust my instincts that I could perhaps try and create something of my own, which allowed us to spend his early years together. I had always tinkered on the side, creating skincare, balms and cold process soap-making, so I resigned and then got stuck into what would become my future business.
I do think my years working in makeup were similar to what I do now - it’s alchemy with colour but mixing and blending different mediums and the added bonus facet of scent. It’s been an ongoing joke for years within my circle that my olfactory sense is through the roof because my eyesight is so poor! I’m like a bloodhound… which sometimes isn’t always a good thing.
You write that your scents are inspired by the Wheel of the Year - the Pagan cycle of festivals. Is this something you yourself follow, and if so - do you have a favourite? How does what you do connect to your beliefs?
I don’t really subscribe to any one belief, religion or definition and tend to draw on many different paths and my own personal experiences. For instance, I’m just as drawn to the teachings of Taoism and the concept of natural order, light, dark, and the need for balance, as I am hunting down
beautiful Christian churches every time I visit a new city. I love the peace and quiet of a church.
I do, however, follow the Wheel of the Year and the fact we must always respect nature and honour the changing seasons. I think most people follow the Wheel without recognising they do. We’re coming up to the peak of harvest season and a tradition I remember from primary school is to donate food you won’t eat - an ancient pagan tradition.
Samhain is my ‘favourite’ festival. I love the ‘ber months and tend to have the opposite of winter blues once the nights start drawing in!
i am just as LiKeLy to haVe a Guy in business attire and brieFCase waLK in as i am to weLCome a FiF teen-year-oLd CradLe oF FiLth Fan
Do you have a favourite item you sell?
That would have to be the ‘Noble Requiem’ candle. Not only is the scent absolutely beautiful but I created it to serve as a memorial candle to honour those we have lost, after losing my own mum last year.
How have you found life in Sneinton market since setting up shop?
The Sneinton Market tenants have to be the most welcoming bunch of people ever. The community down here is fantastic and we all look out for one another, whether you need advice or a drill-bit. It can be quiet footfall wise during the week but to be honest it gives me a breather to get creative - and get covered with wax. It’s quite the opposite during event days, however. I have to stand as a ‘bouncer’ on the door because my current shop is tiny and you get a little stuck if we have too many people in!
What kind of responses do you get from people entering the shop?
My customers are fantastic! I haven’t really ever traditionally marketed the shop so the people that come to Wolf Wytch know what to expect. I’ve always held the thought that the people who are meant to find us on ‘Spooky Avenue C’ will. Our customers aren’t who you think they will be and it’s a
great lesson in never judging a book by its cover. I am just as likely to have a guy in business attire and briefcase walk in as I am to welcome a fifteen-year-old Cradle of Filth fan. I love that my shop attracts all types of people.
I have had people come from as far away as Germany to specifically visit Wolf Wytch in the flesh and it astounds me! When we first opened we had an influx of visits and a never-ending stream of pamphlets from local religious groups but I guess they gave up.
What does the future hold for Wolf Wytch? Any exciting plans on the horizon?
I always have a trick up my sleeve... after a long wait we are soon to be moving into a bigger space that will be open all week round! I am so excited to have more space for more delicious products and for customers to have a bit more room to move about. I’m hoping to be open by Halloween this year - which will also coincidentally mark my three years at Sneinton Market!
Is there anything you yourself would like readers to know about?
Over the last few years I’ve been carefully curating artists and makers from around the UK (and sometimes the USA) to stock in the shop. I think what makes Wolf Wytch so special is the fact everything in the shop is truly handmade, small batch and not mass produced. We also have a marvellous fanzine library for lovers of weird walks, horror films, mythology and the unusual.
I think the word ‘witchy’ can give some people the willies and they think the shop is a dark, macabre place but two minutes with either myself or Monika (my right hand lady) and you will find us the most welcoming pair… and I double promise you won’t get turned into a pumpkin!
Wolf Wytch Apothecary is expanding to a larger store, but don’t worry - they will still be located on Avenue C in Sneinton Market Avenues. Check them out on Instagram or TikTok to see the magic of Lauren’s handmade treasures for your own eyes.
wolfwytch.com
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Hetain Patel is an English visual artist specialising in performance, sculpture, video and photography. Born and brought up in Bolton, his work is influenced by identity, his family's Indian heritage and mainstream Western pop culture. Hetain came to Nottingham in 2000 as a Fine Art student and spent more than a decade here before spreading his wings; exhibiting in Norway, India, Belgium and more. He’s back with his latest work as part of nottdance Festival 2025…
Tell us about your latest work Mathroo Basha (meaning ‘mother tongue’ in Gujarati)...
It's a live solo performance based on interviews with my family members. At the moment, it’s mainly women, like my mum and my auntie who are from the first immigrant generation of my family, moving through to my generation. In the interviews they’re talking about heritage, ancestry, language, food and more. It was inspired by knowing they won’t be around forever. You wonder when that generation's gone, what do we lose? There are lots of things that are spoken like language, food, recipes and rituals. The interviews make up a musical and rhythmic structure that I perform along to. Sometimes I perform physically and dance – sometimes I speak or sing the words along with them.
This isn’t the first time you’ve featured your family in your work. How do they react to seeing themselves in your shows? They absolutely love it. They're big supporters and always come to my shows. When they see themselves in a gallery or theatre space it's a really powerful thing. When you grow up in a marginalised community, you’re told all these places are important spaces of culture, but the audiences are typically white and middle-class. So being witnessed and acknowledged in them is a powerful thing.
I loved your 2015 show The Jump, where you gathered your family together to film yourself jumping off the sofa, dressed as Spiderman…
Yes, that was shot in my grandmother's home, with them all wearing their own clothes and sitting upon the sofas we grew up on. I jumped down onto a carpet that’s been there for as long as I can remember, just like I did as a kid. The whole incident was about three and a half seconds, but because of the cameras we used we slowed it down to six minutes, so it became like a moving photo. Then we put an epic soundtrack on it. When I watched Spiderman films and jumped off that sofa as a kid, I genuinely thought I could be him. That’s part of the magic of childhood. I wanted to take the ordinariness of our lives and put an epic twist on it.
Tell me about young Hetain from back then. What inspired you?
Well, I grew up in Bolton in the eighties and nineties and came through quite a traditional route. I loved drawing at school and did it all the time. Right up to the end of A-Levels it was all about drawing and painting for me. People told me I was good at it and it made me feel special. Then I came to Nottingham to do a degree in Fine Art. That expanded my horizons and art became a way to think about
the world, my identity and how we all live. Eventually, I started to expand into other disciplines like photography, film, performance, and sculpture. My moves into dance began in 2009 when I was creating a performance for the New Art Exchange, just after it first opened, called To Dance Like Your Dad. That ended up being supported by Dance4, now known as Fabric, and is where our relationship began.
we haVe to Keep existinG, CreatinG and ConneCtinG. we're not aLone, we're aLL part oF a moVement. eVen iF we Can aLL just do a LittLe, it's a positiVe ChanGe and you’ Ve just Got to hope it aLL adds up
You spent eleven years in Nottingham from 2000-2011. Where did you live? Where did you hang out?
In my first year, I was in the Maltings halls in Basford. Later on, I lived in different areas like Radford, Bulwell and Arnold. It was my first time living away from home and Nottingham was a city of discovery and helped shape me both as a person and as an artist. In terms of hang-outs, I used to go out regularly in Hockley and I'd love to go to the cinema or for a meal at Wagamama. However, I was always skint, either a student or an artist, so I probably didn’t take advantage of it as much as I could have.
I loved my time in Nottingham. I never really had a desire to leave, I found the art scene here so supportive and I was proud to consider myself as a Nottingham and East Midlands artist. Plus the transport links meant I could get anywhere easily. But I was freelance and my partner got a big job in London, so we moved. I still have lots of friends in Nottingham. There’s a woman called Vina Ladwa who runs a dance school called the Manushi Kathak Academy in Bramcote. That woman is like a second mother to me. She has an open door policy at her house and knows and feeds everyone.
This isn’t your first time at the nottdance festival is it? No, I did a show called TEN at nottdance 2009, which was also at Lakeside Arts Centre. I took the Indian ten-beat rhythm cycle as a starting point and tried to find a meeting place between the red dot on the Hindu forehead and the red cross on the English flag. Then I did another show called American Boy for nottdance 2015 too. It’s a great festival and whenever I'm asked I'm happy to get involved.
You mentioned the English flag. How do you feel about the current rise of nationalism across the UK? This year we’ve seen a huge rise in Reform voters and we speak less than a week after a Tommy Robinson-led protest attracted over 100,000 people in central London… When 2016 hit with both Brexit and the first wave of Donald Trump, you could see there were some major paradigm shifts happening. Those things both seemed ridiculous at the time, but the implications of them both were huge. It took a while to understand that it was all real and it’s almost like I can’t be surprised by anything since. I went to walk around the edges of some of those marches in London at the weekend, just to see who the people were on them. It made me realise that history is cyclical and it bought back the nerves I had as a brown kid growing up in Bolton.
It’s hard not to be overwhelmed. On one hand you feel guilty about not posting about Palestine and genocide every minute of the day on social media. Then, on the other hand, there’s a downtrodden pessimism where you feel we’re all in an echo chamber and the things you do can’t really make a difference. I can’t really describe the feeling; it’s not apathy because there’s a rage with it. But we have to keep existing, creating and connecting. We're not alone, we're all part of a movement. Even if we can all just do a little, it's a positive change and you’ve just got to hope it all adds up.
Mathroo Basha by Hetain Patel is on at Lakeside Arts on Sat 1 November 2025, as part of nottdance 2025.
hetainpatel.com nottdance.com
Listen to a longer version of this interview on our LeftLion Interviews podcast where we talk to Hetain in more detail about superheroes, identity, awards and the rise of nationalism.
interview: Jared Wilson photos: Foteini Christofilopoulou
hustle up
It’s hard to find a better way to describe Hockley Hustle than by its own succinct label: Nottingham’s arts and music festival. It’s a day of creativity, showcasing the best of our city and at the same time letting us give back to Nottingham – while having loads of fun. We all know the drill by now, but before you start planning your itinerary, why not check out what’s new this year and some of our recommended highlights…
The Hustle takes place across Hockley (of course) and Sneinton Market on Sunday 19 October, and the numbers this year are bigger than ever: at least 45 venues and more than 450 performers – and a smashed fundraising target of £250,000. All ticket proceeds go to charity and six new ones are being supported this year, representing children and young people, refugees, trans people, and those suffering domestic abuse.
Diversity, inclusivity and vibrancy are all vital components of the Hustle, which means giving as many people as possible a voice. And, as coorganiser Cae Capurro explains to LeftLion, it’s about being in tune with the zeitgeist.
“Just the way the world’s going at the moment – whenever we get into these particular political, heated moments, I feel there’s a lot more artists coming out,” he says. “So the Hustle’s rolling with this new movement that’s coming forward. We’re reminding people of what’s important and
Queer Hustle takeover
Inclusivity and diversity have always been buzzwords at the Hustle. This year, one element of the event is bigger than ever: Queer Hustle, a celebration of LGBTQ+ artists and performers. Four distinct spaces, focused in the area around Broad Street, soon to be designated Nottingham’s ‘Rainbow Quarter’, will be taken over.
“They’ve really given even more of a platform to local queer artists, entertainers, musicians - just trying to bring more mediums of queer culture into the fold essentially,” explains Nana of Unnamed Drag Productions. “Hockley Hustle do endeavour to ensure that everyone is included and their voices are heard, and they use that as their development of how they make it bigger and better.”
Unnamed Drag have been invited to the Hustle again, and this year will be collaborating with friends (including Liv Presents and VIP in Notts) to transform The Lord Roberts into a drag paradise all day, with drag karaoke, cabaret and a comedy roast in the Prohibition Bar, and drag bingo upstairs. Lewis Wheatley-Smith, cofounder of Queerish, is organising talks on the history and scene of Queer Ballroom Culture, as well as a ballroom with judges and DJs, all taking place at Das Kino.
“This is going to be something new for Nottingham… it’s dance, music, a bit of comedy,
what we should be working together towards.”
At this year’s Hustle, there will be a Speaker’s Corner: a lectern on Heathcoat Street where a range of booked speakers, including local politicians, charities, union reps and members of the public, will give talks about their current views and concerns on the world.
“We’ve got such a good platform with so many people coming to the Hustle, and people wanting to speak. It’s also nice to get the charities more involved with the day – we support them and talk all about them, but on the actual day the charities aren’t really doing anything in particular. So there will be an extra focus on them,” says Capurro.
The 2025 event will also see more venues involved, with electronic music getting a higher profile, including a number of daytime clubbing experiences (there’s even a silent disco on Broad Street).
a bit of sass - there’s so much rolled into one thing,” Lewis says, and goes on to highlight the importance of support from Hockley Hustle, particularly as Nottingham’s queer scene currently lacks a dedicated space of its own:
“The scene is there, the people are there… it’s about trying to keep it going, ensure that people know who you are and know about the events,” he says. “Nottingham loves a day festival, so that helps get everyone together. And then seeing more queer things, helps more queer people to go.”
Beyond music and stage-based arts, the Queer Hustle will feature other projects celebrating the queer scene. Nottingham-based producer Jake Orr founded LGBTQ+ arts festival: Queer Up Duck! which this year will be exhibiting a collection of interviews and portraits of the city’s Queer scenemakers, as nominated by the local community, at Broadway Cinema Gallery. Meanwhile, local creator Jade Bramley will be putting together a special Queer Notts Zine, which will be distributed on the Hustle day.
“Being able to collaborate with the Hockley Hustle is really important, especially as Nottingham’s LGBTQ+ scene is very vibrant. There’s an awful lot that is going on, but it’s all happening at a very grassroots level,” says Jake Orr. “That is absolutely embodied in what the Hustle is and has been over the years – it’s really grown from the community. They are really keen to collaborate just as we are.”
Acts not to miss
With literally hundreds of performances taking place on the day of the Hustle, it’s possible for every punter to have their own unique experience. But so much choice can lead to decision paralysis which is why we’ve handpicked a few recommendations.
Jerub (The Bodega)
A rare intimate show for the local, Nigeria-born singer-songwriter.
Saffron Gray (Broadway Cinema) / Archie & The Astronauts (The Bodega) - These two acts were both winners of 2025’s Future Sound of Nottingham competition and offer two very different but equally engaging experiences: energetic RnB on one hand and a unique brand of punchy rock and roll on the other.
Eyre Llew (St Mary’s Church) - For a decade, this band have impressed audiences worldwide with their captivating ambient rock, and this vast space will provide a magical setting.
UFO Orchestra (St Mary’s Church) - A 60-piece orchestra plus five top-class vocalists means an act which is sure to make the most of the very special acoustics at St Mary’s.
Jah Digga (Broadway Cinema) - The Notts rapper, poet and podcaster has given generously to the Notts scene and received national acclaim
Eleanor McGregor (The Carousel) - We loved Eleanor’s emotional EP earlier this year; now, here’s a chance to hear her intimate, vulnerable music in a great space
Sam Shaw & The Real Eyes (Fisher Gate Point) - Keeping psychedelic rock well and truly alive, Sam Shaw (also known for his work as Sundaze) presents a bold live experience.
Filter Sequence (The Angel / Lost Again) - An exciting local producer and electronic artist banging out acidtinged dance – here’s a chance to see them twice over the course of the day.
Soft Serve (People’s Hall) - There’s a lot of buzz around this local act currently, and they’re playing at one of the city’s brilliant new creative spaces.
Luna & The Lime Slices / Modern Coven (The Grove) - Two hotly-tipped local acts at one of Notts’ most wellloved, intimate venues (which recently celebrated its first birthday): a rare chance to catch them before they get big!
COURTNEY (Rough Trade) - A rising RnB star with an incredible voice; this will be a special way to open the Rough Trade stage.
This
Juno Women's Aid Notts Hospice
The Pastel Project Friends & Bredrins Refugee Roots Uniform Project
words: Phil Taylor photos: Tom Morley
words: CJ De Barra
illustration: April Seaworth
Fright Night
When it comes to haunted buildings in Nottingham, the first that springs to mind is the National Justice Museum on High Pavement. While the building became a museum in 1995, it was once a working courthouse and prison for over 600 years. As we head into spooky season, CJ De Barra investigates one of Britain’s most haunted places…
The City Gaol and courtrooms… It’s here that countless criminals were sentenced and executed. With a long history as a site of punishment, imprisonment, and death, it’s no wonder that a few souls might still be lingering, to the extent that the museum has been named one of the most haunted places in the UK.
“Within my first week of working there, I had a paranormal experience,” says Lauren Williams, Hospitality and Events Sales Manager at National Justice Museum. “I was in the corporate kitchen, which is an area back of house and had my hair in a ponytail, and someone pulled my hair. I was in the middle of the room on my own. It was quite a yank and very odd.”
“I understand why, as people have been executed on the front steps. There were terrible conditions in parts of the jail, and a lot of history with it being a court for 650 years. It’s a bit of a dark place to work.”
The terrifying history of the place suggests that the hall was first used in 1735, while the caves and the network of tunnels date back to 600AD. The jail is thought to stretch back to 1449. However, the hall was used from 1905 to 1985 as a police station, with the courtrooms closing in 1986.
One of the more horrific bits of history is the public hangings that would attract huge crowds in front of the building on the steps until 1864. The last public execution in Nottingham was in 1864, but it seems private hangings continued into the 1900s at the House of Correction and then from 1894 at the Bagthorpe Gaol, now HMP Nottingham.
The last public execution on the front steps of the museum was of 29-year-old Richard Thomas Parker. A butcher in Fiskerton, Parker was declared bankrupt in public in 1862. After attending a cricket match, he came home drunk and violently argued with his father. After Samuel Parker stormed out, his wife, Elizabeth, ran out to warn him that Richard had a gun. Richard fired from a window and shot both his parents. Samuel recovered from his wounds while Elizabeth did not. Parker was tried at the courts at Shire Hall on Monday 25 July 1864, by Mr Justice Blackburn and sentenced to death. Despite his claims that he had been drunk at the time, he was hanged in front of an ‘uproarious crowd’ of 12,000 people. His body was then buried within the prison exercise yard.
With this information, it’s interesting to note that when the gaol became a museum in 1995, a caretaker, Ernie Wilkinson, reported: “My favourite ghost is Sam, that's what we call him. He's around all day. He's a little greyhaired old man. He’s been seen by wardens from Lincoln Prison, and when we had a builder in he saw Sam walk across the yard and straight through his car. Then there's the one seen in the exercise yard, he's a youth of about 19 or twenty wearing a sackcloth who appears to be writing on the wall. He gets more friendly each time I see him.”
Could it be the ghost of Richard Thomas Parker? Although the age almost aligns, we may never know.
Surprisingly, it’s not the front steps that are the most haunted, according to staff, paranormal experts and visitors to the museum. The entrance hall has had cleaners refuse to work there as some have reported seeing a well-dressed Victorian man, along with an old lady and a soldier. The courtroom has had reports of knocks in response to questions, along with screams and groans. All of which were thought to be prisoners or their families upon hearing their fates.
Lauren confirms that there are areas she refers to as hotspots due to the high number of reports made.
“The women’s laundry and the sheriff’s dungeon, which is like a cave dungeon that goes down five floors and is cut into the rock face. We have one cell, which is called the dark cell, in the Georgian part of the building. It was used as an isolation, a punishment within the prison for prisoners who misbehave. It's a small cell and pitch black, which is not a nice place to go in,” Lauren explains.
It wouldn’t be Nottingham without caves underneath the building, and it's no surprise that the museum has some of its own. These are one of the more haunted areas where things have been thrown across the room, including stones aimed at visitors.
“What’s reported the most are physical things like stones being thrown, like small gravel stones. It's the cave area and a lot of people feel a presence that is like a feeling of despair, anger, frustration and quite negative feelings,” Lauren says.
The building also attracts a number of paranormal investigators who bring with them a number of different materials for reaching the spirit world.
the buiLdinG is GenuineLy terriFyinG, and when stripped oF LiGht and the presenCe oF the pubLiC and staFF, it hosts a reaLLy Creepy atmosphere. it FeeLs LiKe it hoLds the weiGht oF aLL oF the horribLe thinGs that haVe happened there
“We hire the museum out to different paranormal companies. We have regular clients who come back year after year, or do several a year. As they are run by themselves, a lot of the experiences that happened are kept within the museum. Sometimes they call me up to say they were in the dungeon and someone felt they had been grabbed. They do tend to keep coming back,” says Lauren.
“Years ago, we were on Most Haunted, but recently, we have had a lot of paranormal YouTubers come, particularly from America if they are touring the UK.”
If you are of a certain age, you’ll remember Most Haunted. A TV program that ran from 2002 to 2010 and made its host, Derek Acorah, into a celebrity (the Nottingham episode is in season 15 of the show). It inspired former LeftLion editor Ashley Carter to spend an evening at the museum watching the episode in pitch black with fellow writer, Emily Thursfield, in 2020.
Visiting the same rooms featured in the show, Thursfield wrote: “I expected the episode to be the catalyst for frights during this experience, but at fifteen minutes in, I realised the opposite was true. The building is genuinely terrifying, and when stripped of light and the presence of the public and staff, it hosts a really creepy atmosphere. It feels like it holds the weight of all of the horrible things that have happened there.”
LeftLion staff aside, does anyone actually spend the night in the place?
“That’s what the paranormals do. They hire the venue from 9pm, then they normally leave around 2am or 5am.
They investigate the full site all night. It's such a huge site, as we have two Victorian courtrooms that have a huge presence. I don’t think much sleeping is done as you are there to investigate at night,” Lauren confirms. In fact, one such sleepover, a fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care, in 1995, reported ghostly apparitions in the early hours. Those attending the ‘spookathon’ reported seeing a mysterious lady attempt, and fail, to open a door in the grand jury room at 4am. Another saw a woman, a small boy and a man at the same time. A law student from Nottingham University said he had put his ear to the floor of a room and was able to hear a muffled conversation taking place below. However, he couldn’t hear what was being said.
There are other options besides the overnighters for those who want a piece of the action without having to stay over. From September, the museum will host ghost tours, called Ghost of the Gaol, where you can retrace the steps of those who were locked away. There are also (for those without chronic anxiety) ‘fright nights’ called Dead Man Walking, on offer, complete with jump scares and disturbing encounters in the dark… all of which sound like a scream.
With such sightings, it stands to reason that some staff might feel a bit uneasy about working there. Thankfully, Lauren’s experiences didn’t put her off, as she has now been with the museum for eight years, but she does respect how others might feel.
“I heard rumours before I started that some builders, when it was being turned into a museum, turned around and said they weren’t coming back. I don’t have people refusing to work as such, but some staff don’t feel comfortable going into certain areas at night. We listen to that, respect it and don’t put them down there at night,” she explains.
That said, Lauren did outline another experience that genuinely frightened her. “It was when I was pregnant and I was coming through the museum towards the women’s laundry. I could hear the faint sound of a baby crying, so I went to have a look,” she tells me. “There wasn’t anyone down there as it was towards the end of the day. We are on a cliff face, but the street is so far away, and this was a really loud crying noise by the time I got there. I freaked myself out and needed to leave immediately.”
“I did ask our head historic interpreter if [babies] would have been there,” she says. “Babies were in the jail, either by inmates who were pregnant before they came, but also, above the laundry is the Governor's house, where the governor, the jailer who looked after the men and the matron who looked after the women lived with their families and children.
“A colleague also felt someone walk through them, which was quite a visceral experience, but they didn’t feel it was too threatening.”
Would the museum ever be tempted to call in a priest, or stage a ghostly intervention?
“No, I don’t think we ever would. They are such a part of our history, and they were there before us.”
Head to the National Justice Museum’s website to see their full list of tours, fright nights and other special events. nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk
The Correction Unit
Released on 23 September, The Correction Unit is the latest project from talented Nottingham-based filmmaker Derry Shillitto. The film follows a group of young offenders forced into a brutal correctional system with an AI, voiced by Bella Ramsey, at the center. When one teen starts resisting the institution, questions arise surrounding control and human rights. To find out more about the production, which has featured almost entirely Notts talent, we spoke to Derry and young actor Zak Hopkinson.
How important to you was it to use predominantly Nottinghamshire-based talent when making this film?
Derry: The aim was to capture the feeling of Nottingham and its rebellious culture. Those rebellious roots were crucial because this is a group of young offenders who were maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time, leading them to commit criminal acts, and now they’re in prison for it.
We want them to remain likeable, which meant using actors who brought that rebellious nature to the roles. All of the actors managed to bring that to the production as they’ve lived in Nottingham all their lives, so it just came naturally to them.
Did any of your real-life experiences give insights that reshaped the script or scenes?
Zak: When we started rehearsing, I’d just come out of alternative provisions because mainstream schooling wasn’t working for me. I wasn’t thriving there. That’s why Derry wanted me to play the role because it’s set in a system very similar to the alternative provisions I was familiar with. I knew what it was like in there.
Derry: Zak’s character Jacob is way more empathetic than everyone else because of how Zak chose to play him. He wanted to expand the role and play it as more of an emotional character to complement the other cast members.
Were there moments on set where the performances surprised you, or changed how you saw the characters?
Derry: 100%. We developed Jacob because Zak had characteristics and nuances that were great to watch. There were moments where tragedy happened, and the reaction from Zak, Elleese, and Sonny was fully unscripted. I got goosebumps watching it.
There’s a fine line between using technology to help young people and using it to control them. Where do you think we are on that line right now?
Derry: I think the people who run these big companies, like the billionaires, don't care at all what happens to young people. They don't consider it, and they don't realise how effective and powerful online media is. The manipulation of the algorithm and social media is capable of giving people more power, and there's no current regulation to stop it.
Zak: Even if you find a community online, all you're thinking about is this online world. You're spending all that time on a server. You need to come to the real world.
Do you see The Correction Unit as a warning, or as a mirror of what’s already happening in schools and youth services?
Derry: I want people to see it as a warning. It's definitely exaggerated, and I'm not an expert; I want to make that clear. The Correction Unit is my perspective on how things are going. It is a warning rather than saying this is the reality, but it's not far off reality.
the aim was to Capture the FeeLinG oF nottinGham and its rebeLLious CuLture. those rebeLLious roots were CruCiaL beCause this is a Group oF younG oFFenders who were maybe in the wronG pL aCe at the wronG time
The film touches on cycles of crime and violence. What do you think needs to change in real life to break those cycles?
Derry: I think there needs to be creative outlets for young people who are exposed to criminality. It's what we've tried to do in this film, and other things in the past. Councils and the government are shutting down youth centres. What are young people meant to do? Just go online or go to the park? They need other outlets. What we found in this film is that, most of the time, ‘troubled’ teens are the most creative.
Zak: If we were to offer things like this to younger kids, people like Derry coming into youth centres and talking to people might ignite the passion. Nothing is being offered apart from street life. I don't understand why youth clubs are being shut down.
What did you want the audience to feel about these young people by the end of the film?
Derry: I love all of them and their characters. They've all got
something, and we know there's something to them deep down, and circumstances have made them who they are. With the right outlet, they'd be better people. I hope by the end of the film, the audience is rooting for them.
What are some things you’d like the audience to take away from the film surrounding the subject of AI and its ethical uses?
Derry: I want people to consider and discuss online the uses of AI. Make it a thing people openly discuss. The provocative twist at the end of the film. We used AI in a brief scene in the red room because it's the perspective of the AI. I find AI images creepy. We wanted it to look a little bit off. The AI was produced a year ago, and AI has already overtaken that.
If Nottingham audiences take one thing away from the film, what would you want it to be?
Derry: There's an industry here, and I want people to know we are making stuff – we exist as a team of people. It's hard to get anyone in Nottingham to really care. We're just trying to get the word out.
What’s next for you as a director/writer?
Derry: I run a production company, and we are putting together a similar budget feature film to develop and shoot next year. We are also packaging The Correction Unit as a TV show.
We have two short films at festivals, and some other shorts are also happening that Zak is hopefully going to get involved in.
Zak: I've got a short film with Nick Preston. Nick really looks after me. That's the next thing for me – I'm really excited for the part. I’ve also got a Shane Meadows film coming out next year.
The Correction Unit is available online to rent or buy via Amazon, Apple TV and Google TV. Head to the LeftLion website to read an extended version of this interview.
@FoyleRiverFilms
interview: Emily Davies photos: Foyle River Films
interview: Tom Gensler photo: Camphaus Media
Falling Upwards
As December Falls are a gem of the UK alternative scene. Hailing from Nottingham, they have risen-up through the locals ranks to become a renowned name of heavy music on the national stage. Their new album, Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine, is an honest and heartfelt look into their lives. To talk all about the new record, their upcoming homecoming at Rock City and what Nottingham means to them, frontwoman Bethany Curtis and lead guitarist Ande Hunter joined us over Zoom…
First of all, what does the Nottingham music scene mean to you as a band?
Ande: We grew up in Nottingham, didn’t we?
Bethany: Obviously you and Timmy (Francis, bassist) have been playing in the music scene a lot longer than I have been.
A: It’s very different now than the music scene that I remember when I was in college, for sure.
B: Even when I first joined As December Falls, I think it’s changed.
A: Yeah, massively - so many venues have closed down, it’s getting harder and harder… but there’s still some great bands in Nottingham still going.
We are now in a situation where we don’t play Nottingham as much as we used to, so I don’t think we’re as connected to the local scene as we once were, but back in the day we were playing things like Macmillan Festival where 90% of it was Nottingham bands. Most of our friends were all playing in bands and doing something musical. Me and Timmy, I think the first time we ever met was down at The Maze on Mansfield Road - we jammed and we played shows together. Then when he was putting together As December Falls, he hit me up and you also were cutting your teeth singing covers, weren’t you?
B: Yeah, singing covers in pubs [laughs].
What’s the story of the latest record and what does it mean to you as a band?
B: I think for us, this album really is a statement as to where we are currently. Everyone will see us for the short time when we’re on stage and be like “Oh my god that must be insane, they must have the best lives, they must be just living their dream…” - when actually we’re doing that and yes, that’s incredible… but we’re also coming off stage and we’re trying to learn how to do VAT returns, we’re trying to figure out how to ship 5,000 vinyl albums to a million different countries.
It’s this idea that everything is on fire around us all the time because we’re still independent, still self-managed, we’re
doing everything ourselves and we’re having to learn so many new skills along the way. So, it does sort of feel like we’re drowning and it does feel like we’re surrounded by fire, but the love and the passion that we have for As December Falls - this project, this music - it makes everything 100% worth it. It’s why we went with Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine (as the album title) as we just thought it was a nice way of putting a pin in this point in our careers.
it’s this idea that e VerythinG is on Fire around us aLL the time beCause we’re stiLL independent, stiLL seLF-manaGed, we’re doinG e VerythinG ourseLVes and we’re haVinG to Learn so many new sKiLLs aLonG the way
A: It’s going great - but it’s tough! [laughs]
B: We’re doing some of the coolest things we’ve ever donewe’ve played Download, we’ve done the main stage at Slam Dunk, we’re now headlining Rock City…
A: The last albums both charted. It’s been a wild ride but you know, we’re doing our first headline tour at the end of the year where we’re in our bus as a headliner, which means we’re sorting everything out - but like, logistically, it’s a nightmare.
B: It’s crazy!
A: Me and the tour manager are having a phone call every day when a new problem arises.
You mentioned there you play Rock City for a huge homecoming headline in November as part of the album cycle tour - how are you feeling about it?
A: So excited!
B: It’s crazy, isn’t it? So, when this show got announced, we were a bit sceptical…
A: The last time we played Nottingham was 2022 or 2023 for a headline. We played Rescue Rooms and sold it out quite easily. At that point our booking agent, who came to the show, took us outside and said: “The next time you headline Nottingham, you’ll be playing Rock City” - and we just laughed, didn’t we?
B: I remember that my eyes rolled so far to the back of my head! I was like “No we won’t, let’s not be silly here!” Then when this tour got announced, he was like “I’m putting Rock City in!” The tickets went on sale, and he rang me in the evening and said “You would have already sold out Rescue Rooms by now”. Then he rang me on the Monday after the tickets went on sale and he said “You would have sold out Rescue Rooms three times by now” - and I was like “Oh, so it’s going well then?” So yeah, it’s really exciting - it’s going to be our biggest show that we’ve ever headlined, Rock City.
A: It’s also got the personal attachment. We grew up seeing bands at Rock City. My second ever show, I was fourteen, I went to see Panic! At The Disco. I’ve seen so many of my favourite bands there - Enter Shikari, Taking Back Sunday, The Darkness - so many amazing bands!
B: It’s weird, sort of knowing that you’re now at that same level as them. It’s a very weird predicament to be in because I remember when I was fourteen and I went to go see Enter Shikari and all of my favourite bands there.
A: Guns ‘n’ Roses played there back in the day! There are so many of my heroes that I know that played that venue, it’s just nuts to think that we’re now playing there. So yeah, it’s going to be a very, very special one for us!
As December Falls will play Rock City on Saturday 1 November 2025. Their new album Everything’s On Fire, But I’m Fine is out now.
asdecemberfalls.com
seizing the day
interview: Sophie Gargett photos: Dan Davison
We all have life goals, whether they be modest or lofty – but how often do we put a plan in place to achieve them? Notts-based marketer Dan Davison is one man who is well on his way to fulfilling his ambitions. From trying out foraging, beekeeping, and rock climbing, to seeing the sunrise at Stonehenge, his Project Bucket List adventures are sure to provide a little inspiration…
This is quite a remarkable adventure you've set yourself. What first inspired you to create the bucket list?
Most of us have a mental bucket list, but it’s a hazy collection of ‘somedays’ that never happen. Back in December 2023 I was stuck in a massive rut. I was working too much, scrolling too much, and waiting for life to magically get better.
I woke up one day and decided to stop waiting, so I wrote down one hundred things that I wanted to do and gave myself four years to get through them. That single decision added urgency and accountability to my life. I’ve completed 44/100 so far, and it’s completely changed how I see myself and what I think is possible.
Tell us about some of your favourite adventures so far…
Iceland was amazing. We went there to see the Northern Lights, and also ended up exploring volcanic tunnels in the dark, and hiking up to waterfalls. It was my first long-haul adventure in a country I didn’t know, and it made me realise that I was capable of more than I thought.
Wine tasting was special, and surprisingly affordable. If you want an excuse to get a glass of wine at 11am, go find a vineyard – that’s my advice! Even renting a convertible Mustang was way cheaper than I expected. There’s often a more affordable way of doing things than you’d initially expect, you just have to be creative sometimes.
I’ve just come back from a herpetological trip to Arizona, where we went out tracking rattlesnakes, but some of the most meaningful moments have been local. I’ve foraged for food in Nottingham, I’ve planted a hundred trees at Colwick Woods, spent time at the Buddhist Centre, and even been stargazing at the Sherwood Observatory. I’ve met some fantastic people locally doing these magnificent things.
I haven’t put my life on pause. I’m still working fulltime and living a normal life. There’s a lot of saving up, swapping favours and saying yes to odd opportunities. That’s the real magic behind it, a bit of Walter Mitty and a dash of Yes Man!
You've got all sorts on the list – from skills to learn ('lasso something'/'go surfing'), to the dull-butsensible ('sort out pension'/'learn first aid'), to the intrepid ('get into flying'/'hold a tarantula'). How has this balance helped?
Balance is everything. The Federico Fellini quote, “You have to live spherically - in many directions”, is my blueprint. I’ve learnt how to dance tango, how to ride a motorcycle, and I even forged a sword from scratch, but I’ve also ticked off practical things, like trying to fix my car and learning first aid.
The point isn’t just to travel – I’m trying to become more capable, more resilient, more curious, and more connected. The people I’ve met through this project have changed my life just as much as the places.
Having a time cap on the list seems sensible. How necessary was that for you?
Oh, it’s one of the most important parts of the process! Often I hear people say that they’d love to visit Hawaii someday, but they never actually put a timeline on when they’re going to visit. Without putting a clear timeline in place, it’s easy to put plans off. I put the four year deadline in place because it gives me a sense of urgency. Even with a busy job, I can always ask myself ‘What’s the next small thing I can do today?’
What's the scariest or most thrilling thing you've done so far?
The scariest thing has to be holding a tarantula. I’m a massive arachnophobe, I freeze at the sight of a house spider, so when we were out in The Sonoran Desert I finally conquered my fear and held one. They’re really soft and light! Not what I was expecting, and I’m still scared of spiders, but I guess this whole thing is about gradual change, no?
The most thrilling was the day we climbed Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe, then hightailing it down to Diamond Beach, where I proposed to my girlfriend. She said yes!
the point isn’t just to traVeL
- i’m tryinG to beCome more CapabLe, more resiLient, more Curious, and more ConneCted. the peopLe i’ Ve met throuGh this projeCt haVe ChanGed my LiFe just as muCh as the pL aCes
Has it been difficult to maintain motivation? What have you done when you feel like packing it in?
Definitely, there are evenings where I just want to lie about and watch telly. The trick is that momentum beats motivation every time. If I’m feeling lazy, I can look at the list and take one small action. At the moment I’m building a compass that always points to the nearest Greggs, learning Italian, losing weight, and working with an illustrator to create a children’s book. They’re all things I can do little and often.
If someone else were to follow in your footsteps, what would be your best piece of advice?
Write it down. Open the notes app in your phone right here, right now, and jot down ten things that you’ve always wanted to do. It’s important to write them down, if they’re all in your head, that’s where they’ll stay.
I built my system around SMART goals – the idea is that everything on the list must be: Specific – know exactly what you want to do. Measurable – know what your win condition is. Achievable – set yourself realistic goals. Relevant – make sure it’s something that you want to do. Timely – set a time constraint.
There’s a lot of mindset stuff here. I’m trying to make the most of the stage of life I’m in, and anybody can build their own version of this. Not every list will look like mine. Your version might focus more on creativity, connection, or things closer to home. It’s your list, not anybody else’s.
Honestly, if this sounds like something you fancy trying, get in touch with me and I’ll do what I can to help you out. I’ve helped a bunch of people start bucket lists, and it’s really exciting to see how people are taking life by the reins and getting out of their shells.
What's your biggest takeaway so far from your adventure?
No one’s coming to save you; nobody is going to swoop in and fix your life for you. That’s your responsibility, and yours alone. It’s a scary idea, but it’s freeing – the moment you stop waiting, you can start building!
Follow Dan’s adventures via his website below. dan-davison.com
Trancesexuals
Former LeftLion Screen Editor Autumn Parker and local artist & DJ Chan Hyacinth have teamed up to create a dynamic multigenre trans powered club night collective Trancesexuals. Trancesexuals is a warm and welcoming space to showcase talented trans DJs across the UK, with an emphasis on alluring visuals, authentic vibes and a dynamic range of unique sounds. Their nights take place at trans-inclusive spaces and often hold specific themes to match the transcendental music and mood of the night. We caught up with Chan and Autumn to get more details of their club night, how Trancesexuals affirms the trans community and how the collective initially came together...
Could you tell us a bit more about the origins of Trancesexuals and your fabulous club nights?
Autumn: I remember having this idea in my head of parties that were trans-focused. The only other person I knew in Nottingham at the time who was also trans and interested in the same kind of atmospheric club nights was Chan! We met up around this time last year at Blend... I think we both saw a bit of a gap in the Queer scene in Nottingham. There’s another great Queer night called Pink Noise, but other than that, there wasn’t much going on in terms of what we’re going for and we both really wanted to create a space that could be safe for trans people to party and be themselves, but to also have a real consideration of what the sound of the night is going to be.
With the trans community needing more safety, unity and support than ever right now, Trancesexuals is such an important and welcoming positive space. How can Nottingham’s local Queer communities, trans+ people and cis allies support Trancesexuals’ mission statement, Halloween bash and future events?
Chan: Book us! Reduce your rates for venue hire, it’s important to make partying accessible for different types of people with different needs. It’s hard to find venues in Nottingham with good physical access, which can ostracise lots of different groups in our communities from experiencing night life. It's important for spaces to keep being loud about their support for trans people and to lend their power where they can. We’ve had lots of great feedback from people who don’t usually feel like they can go on nights out, but they enjoy partying now because they have a space like Trancesexuals to go to. It’s important to put money into marginalised groups for us to continue to do the work that we do.
Autumn: We have a ticketing system where we charge more
for cis people, to provide ticket discounts for trans people and it also helps raise more money for our events. We try to make things affordable for everyone, but it’s been an initiative we’ve started since the first event and will continue to do so.
it's important For spaCes to Keep beinG Loud about their support For trans peopLe and to Lend their power where they Can. we’ Ve had Lots oF Great FeedbaCK From peopLe who don’t usuaLLy FeeL LiKe they Can Go on niGhts out
You’ve created a funding pot for Nottinghamshire’s trans+ community to combat hardship, promote solidarity and help trans people access healthcare. Could you please explain the funding application process for those who wish to apply?
Chan: Shoutout to our friend Franklin who created this for us! It’s a simple online form linked in our bio on Instagram. It has a couple of questions; you fill it in and then basically we get back to you on whether we can support. The fund is for anything any trans person needs. It's not for any specific thing, it’s just to support the community with whatever they want (you can go get your hair done if you want to!). We offer up to £70 per person, and then whatever we make from our events, it goes into that pot, and we give away what we can.
What do you have planned for the big Halloween bash? What can people expect - when and where will the club night take place?
Autumn: It will be a 70s-themed queer New York party! Throughout the 70s and 80s, New York had disco and early-
house music in Paradise Garage, as public places weren’t safe for the LGBTQ+ community, so it was a nightlife hub where people could find and express themselves. I think (especially for trans people) there’s a lot to relate to that, with what’s going on in the current climate. We’ve got some great DJs playing! Opening the night, it’s going to be blu.dream, who plays down-tempo-y, psychedelic, house-y sort of music, which is a perfect warm-up...
Chan: blu.dream is an amazing DJ from Nottingham but is currently based in Leeds. It’s an all-Leeds line-up actually! We’ve got this party crew from Leeds called Lick Quid Gold, they’re very leftfield disco, luscious house - a perfect sound and combination for a New York theme! It’s at The Model on Halloween and the ticket link is live on Resident Advisor.
That sounds amazing! Is dress-up encouraged for the Halloween bash (And do you have any costume ideas/recs for party attendees...) ?
Chan: Absolutely! I’ve just made a Pinterest board, so there will be a mood board coming to our Instagram very soon, but I’m going to be in full Grace Jones vibes for this one!
Autumn: If someone showed up without an outfit, we wouldn’t turn them away! But we’re really hoping that everyone comes dressed up. I mean it's Halloween, there will be lots of stuff going on, we’ll probably have some vampires in the mist! Maybe some cats. You can be a spooky, gay New York vampire disco-dancer if you like! It’s a broad theme and I can’t wait to see it. And we might even be having a competition for the best dressed...
Trancesexuals Halloween Loft Party will take place Friday 31 October 2025 at The Model, 23 Goosegate, 10pm-late.
[Q @trancesexuals
interview: Katherine Monk-Watts illustration: Indeg May Cameron
words: Matteo D’Alesio
illustration: Craig Whitemore
Which Side Are You On?
Roundabouts, flags, boats and protests… Recent months have been fraught in the UK, with the political divide seeming at an all time high. But taking things offline and onto the street, how do we begin to resolve the tensions that are threatening our democracy and sense of cooperation? Matteo D’Alesio spoke to a protest infiltrator whose aim it is to find out what is truly at the heart of the rise in far-right political action…
“Mass-Deportations Now” was the statement in block capitals on a twenty-person-wide purple banner when UKIP came to demonstrate in Nottingham this summer, drawing in around a hundred supporters near the castle.
But in that UKIP crowd was an anomaly. Not the seven foot tall Robin Hood statue but an infiltrator who, by their own admission, can blend into a far-right crowd because they’re old, white, and bald, despite not actually being part of UKIP or the far-right. I’ll refer to this person as ‘George’ – a pseudonym to protect their identity.
“It's not infiltrating like Hope Not Hate have done,” George says. “Where you are in an environment with them, you are betraying them, and you're isolated with violent criminal terrorist people.” If ‘criminal’ or ‘terrorist’ seem hyperbolic, it's worth remembering the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox and the foiled planned murder of Labour MP Rosie Cooper (which Hope Not Hate helped prevent), both enacted by far-right terrorists.
Although George admits that the infiltration he’s done is tame in comparison to what others have done, he tells me what can go wrong: “Hardcore organisers know about infiltrators and know how to spot them. You ask something and suddenly they go, ‘Why are you asking?’- that's the scary moment.”
So how did the recent UKIP demonstration in Nottingham unfold?
“What he [Nick Tenconi, UKIP leader] was saying was: number one, Keir Starmer is a communist, and is imposing a Muslim caliphate. Number two, all those protesters [the counterprotesters against UKIP] are cancer, they need to be cut out and deported along with the criminals.”
That’s a lot to take in. If you listen to someone with extreme views you will inevitably hear extreme things. So if that’s a taste of what the leaders were saying, what about the supporters? George spoke to some people who attended.
“I said ‘Why did you come here?’ and he goes ‘My dad was in UKIP and we got an email, so we knew that they were coming, but we didn't know anything about the group or the guy that's taken over’. I asked ‘What did you think of it?’ and they both said ‘Rubbish - and what about them stupid crosses?’”
8ft-tall wooden crucifixes were a prominent feature, though unsurprisingly since UKIP are a Christian nationalist partyeven if they’re more likely to deport the Second Coming than embrace them.
In 2024, after the tragic deaths of six-year-old Bebe King,
seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar in Southport, as well as injuries to six other children and two adults, protests swept the nation, fuelled by false claims that the killer was a Muslim refugee.
Nottingham was one of the cities that saw these protests occur, albeit they were met by a 300 person counter protest. George was there at the time.
“Last summer, I'd seen what happened, place after place…” George recalls. “They [anti-immigration protesters] actually won. The terrible scenes, where an asylum seeker hotel was set on fire, got very close to really seriously injuring people. Nottingham has got a reputation of doing it differently, I'm quite proud of that.” I ask how Nottingham does it differently: “It goes right back to the 1970s when a local entrepreneur, for want of a better word, funded a National Front office.”
i aCtuaLLy taLK to them. ‘ why are you doinG it?’ they say ‘i Can't Get a job’ or ‘Cost oF LiVinG’ or ‘this GoVernment’. i aGree - i'm Frustrated. most peopLe are Frustrated
The National Front is a far-right political party that, under several layers of dust, is still wheezing along, originally formed by merging the League of Empire Loyalists, the British National Party, and the Racial Preservation Society – no prizes for guessing what they stand for.
”At that time the National Front was almost making a breakthrough and could, a bit like Reform now, have suddenly become a major competitor to the Conservatives,” says George. “We had good opposition generally – trade unionists, socialists, anti-fascists. A significant Black and Asian population which was also not going to take it. That combination set a reputation that Nottingham wasn't the place if you were a far-right organization.”
Last summer Nottingham showed that it still wasn’t the place. After a tense emotional stand-off by the Brian Clough statue, there were subsequent anti-immigrant protests across Nottinghamshire.
“A week later they targeted solicitors in West Bridgford who'd helped immigrants. I think about twenty turned up there. There were about several hundred counter-protesters. Then a week later, they planned another demonstration at the Brian Clough statue – four of them there. You don't have to be a genius
to work out that they were demoralised. It was a successful counter-protest.”
Throughout the conversation with George I’m still intrigued about what he gets from infiltrating protests.
“I don't actually believe the vast majority of the far-right – the ones who are attracted to the demonstrations, attracted to the asylum seeker hotels – are hugely different from a lot of other people,” he explains. “I actually talk to them. ‘Why are you doing it?’ They say ‘I can't get a job’ or ‘cost of living’ or ‘this government’. I agree. Most people are frustrated.”
It’s a frustration built upon decades of inequality, austerity, and plummeting trust in government. This has created a platform for populist parties like UKIP and Reform who claim to ‘really listen to people’ which attracts a wide range of people - people who know exactly what these parties advocate and some who don’t.
In September, the Unite The Kingdom rally took place in London, the largest far-right demonstration in British history. Nick Tenconi attended, going from 100 people in his Nottingham UKIP protest to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 150,000 people.
Other far-right speakers present were calling to remove all religions other than Christianity, or promoting the Great Replacement conspiracy theory (the idea that white people are being systemically replaced by non-white people).
In Nottingham during the UKIP demonstration, counterprotesters could be heard chanting “Nazi scum”, because beneath the facade of ‘protecting women and children’ there is usually white nationalism hiding in plain sight.
“You'll never outdo the far-right,” says George. “If you say, ‘We're going to stop the boats’, then somebody else will go ‘We should be sinking the boats’.” That crisis has largely been caused by Brexit – which prevents irregular migrants from being returned to the first safe EU country they entered.
So whilst it’s never been more important to listen and talk to each other, it's important to remember that listening is not the same as abandoning our values. Appeasing the far-right only leads to further disastrous lurches to the right. Let’s keep challenging these extreme views and let’s make sure that Nottingham remains ‘not the place’.
interview: Sophie Gargett
A LAUGHING MATTER Imran
Yusuf
The Nottingham Comedy Festival returns between Friday 31 October - Sunday 9 November for its 17th year, and will see a diversity of comedians from across the country visit Notts for ten days of unparalleled fun and laughter. Wondering what to expect? Below we meet four performers featured on the festival line-up…
Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?
I've loved comedy ever since I was a child, but the defining moment of 'I want to be a stand up comedian' was when I discovered The Comedy Store TV show in the mid-to-late 90s on Paramount Comedy Channel. I had no idea that such a place existed – that's where comedians went to make people laugh, make money, and get famous.
What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?
I used to play the Jongleurs and Glee clubs there, but in recent times it's mostly been with NCF. Helen has done an incredible job to nurture the scene there, whilst being one of the coolest and downto-earth promoters you could imagine.
What inspires your sense of humour?
Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?
Like most drag artists, I had the best outcome of a capital B breakdown – it made me funnier, prettier and far more unhinged (and I think everyone who ever commented ‘character building’ to me now regrets it).
What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?
Men in tights is totally my jam, in all shapes and sizes. I’ll ignore the fact my dad is from Nottingham; he only thinks he’s funny (and may be at my show if he finds out I’m here…. shhhh).
What inspires your sense of humour?
The trauma. Joking! Well… my meat-suit’s life is a sitcom of impressive proportions and I’m here to tell all of her dirty little secrets.
Denzil de Cristo
I'd say my life experience – being pretty much out of place wherever I go – my only redeeming feature being funny and possessing a winning smile.
Sum up your show in one sentence… Britain's future is multicultural, and we should embrace and nurture that for the common good of all people.
If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be? In these days of intense political unrest and division, I enjoy the surreal silliness of the likes of Paul F Taylor, Olaf Falafel, and Alasdair Beckett King – not sure if they're at the festival, but worth checking them out.
Imran will be playing at Café Sobar on Saturday 1 November.
Sum up your show in one sentence… If you like to know the tea, want inappropriate crafts, and are up for a dash of chaos, you know where you need to be (this should be my Tinder bio…).
If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be? I can’t recommend myself? If you want my show, but in three: Freaks and Fools, for the chaos, Telling Tinder Tales, for the tea, and Jon Hipkiss, ’cos he’s a Babe. Also, as a bonus, go see Tom Houghton, because a friend tried to set my meat-suit up with him in the middle of one of his gigs (hi baby!).
Boo plays The Lord Roberts on Friday 7 November.
Boo
Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?
Glastonbury Festival 2014. My mates wanted to dress up as ‘Slutty Granny’, I decided to be a ‘Glamourous Granny’ instead, and came out of my tent dressed as the Queen. My mates said ‘Oh, yeah, we're not doing that now’ but I had so much fun wandering the festival as the Queen, getting bar staff to curtsy when serving me.
This developed into a comedy character act: Queen Elizabeard, including making Christmas Speech videos. During the Platinum Jubilee I featured on BBC Look North whilst DJing and doing standup as Queen Elizabeard. This year I'm also doing a show as her heir, King Charles Spaniel III.
What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?
Nottingham has a vibrant scene, not just in the city centre but also in the suburbs, with gigs in Beeston, Sherwood, Arnold, Sneinton and Hucknall. You're never more than 6ft away from a comedian - no wait, that's rats.
Was there a defining life moment that decided your fate was to become a comedian?
No single moment, but I do remember one of the first bits of comedy I performed – it was part of a primary school drama club showcase, and my friends and I wrote a parody episode of X-Factor. The main challenge in the writing process was that I had never seen X-Factor and knew next to nothing about it. It was one of the first times I discovered how amazing it feels to make a room full of people laugh (even if they’re mainly reacting out of confusion).
What do you think about the comedy scene in Nottingham?
I’ve only performed in Nottingham once, but it’s brilliant to see that the city has such a thriving alternative comedy scene – Club Wormhole have created such a fantastic space for comedians to experiment and try new and interesting ideas.
What inspires your sense of humour?
I was a massive fan of Radio 4 comedy as a teenager (I was very cool).
What inspires your sense of humour?
My dad instilled in me a love of puns, we'd be on a country walk and he'd suggest a topic to pun about, such as trees. They always stumped me. I grew up watching Jasper Carrott, and re-runs of Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies and Monty Python, and reading Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. My main inspirations are Suzy Izzard, Gary Delaney and Milton Jones.
Sum up your show in one sentence… I use puns and one liners to explore the potential positives and negatives of artificial intelligence whilst contemplating my own mortality and wondering what happens in the afterlife.
If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be? Harriet Dyer, I saw her show at Ram Comedy Festival, Derby, and it was wonderfully chaotic. She's on at the Canalhouse on Sunday 2 November.
Denzil plays at the Hockley Emporium on Saturday 8 November.
Sketch shows like John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme and That Mitchell and Webb Sound definitely shaped my sense of humour.
I’m currently doing a medieval history PhD, and my comedy is also inspired by the strange and surreal stories I find in literature from that time – I have a lot of material about nuns, historical ghosts, and the 1518 Dancing Plague.
Sum up your show in one sentence… A feel-good show about the history of apocalyptic dread (with a story about reproductive health about halfway through to make sure it doesn’t get too bleak).
If you could recommend one act at the festival, which would it be? Nate Kitch, ‘Something Different!!!!!’ – Nate is one of my favourite performers, and I’ve already watched this show about five times, but can’t wait to see it again. It’s inventive, absurd, and completely original.
Caitriona plays at Fisher Gate Point on Tuesday 9 November.
through her lens
Meet the Sisterhood Collective — a volunteer-led network giving women and women-identifying photographers in Nottingham a space to connect, create, and be seen. Run by photographer and arts programmer Susana de Dios and Alecia Barnes, co-owner of Sneinton Market’s film camera shop and film lab LensFayre, the Collective has grown into a supportive hub where photographers can share their practice, sharpen their skills, and build confidence together.
Born out of a need to challenge the systemic barriers that women in photography still face, from limited access to funding and equipment, to a lack of exhibition opportunities and mentorship, the Sisterhood Collective blends monthly meet-ups with hands-on workshops, peer critique sessions, themed projects, informative talks, and more.
Ahead of their collaborative exhibition at Nottingham Central Library, on 6 November, Susana and Alecia spoke about what it means to create a safe and educational space for Nottingham’s women photographers…
Tell us about the Sisterhood Collective. Alecia: It's a grassroots, volunteer-led collective for women in photography based here in Nottingham. We're not a technical photography course, it's about using photography as a tool for exploring identity, building confidence and creating community.
Susana: We took over from the Sisterhood Creative, which began in around 2019, operating from what was then called The Photo Parlour in Nottingham city centre. It was a social group where members would meet once a month, show their photography work, network, find support and build confidence. It was a space where you didn't feel like there's any pressure or judgment. Sadly, it came to a halt during the pandemic and then it never re-started.
it's not about teChniCaL mastery, but it's more oF a hoListiC and orGaniC approaCh to de VeLopinG your CreatiVe praCtiCe, whiCh is reaLLy important
Dan Wheeler, who owned the Photo Parlour which later became Make It Easy, is now working on opening Sequence, a brand-new photography hub in Nottingham. So as part of this, earlier this year he suggested to myself and Alecia that we re-launch the Sisterhood under the umbrella of Sequence – where we would operate alongside each other. So, we did.
In March, we had a consultation with some women photographers at a social gathering run by Dan, we had a little bit of a discussion, and we did our first social as the Sisterhood Collective in April.
We’re currently working on having a permanent base for Sequence. But in the meantime, we've been very lucky in that lots of venues have helped us out. We had our last session at Broadway, they let us use one of their rooms downstairs for free; we did a sequencing workshop, with photographer and lecturer George Miles who also came for free, and we worked with the Pigeon Loft Studio in Beeston, who put on an ‘introduction to photography’ workshop, at a big discount. The community has been really welcoming and supportive of the Collective and what we’re doing.
What inspired you to re-launch the Collective – why do you think we need this kind of space inNottingham?
Susana: I was feeling the need as a woman photographer with an on and off practice – I saw the value in having a
group that would keep you accountable, where you could feel inspired and motivated to share ideas.
Alecia: Many of us felt it was something missing within the photography community. The conversation for me came about with one of our members, Rowena. We both used to go to the photo socials at Make It Easy in Nottingham quite a bit, and we noticed that women tended not to speak up in the groups or share work as much. I don't think it's intentional, but the males in the group were just more talkative, more forthcoming, and I think women can tend to feel a bit intimidated. And we had a few conversations about how it would be great to bring back the Sisterhood and have socials where women feel safer and more confident to speak up.
Since launching in April, it’s been going well, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback. Currently we've got about fifty members – that's including myself, Susanna and our two lovely facilitators, Linnette Birnie and Priscilla Maurer. We tend to have around fifteen people at each session, sometimes more which is great. Our Instagram has nearly 800 followers so far and it’s growing so quickly. All our ticketed events seem to sell out within two or three days too. It’s been amazing.
Why do you think people are drawn to the Collective?
Alecia: They want somewhere that's accessible, that feels safe and relaxed. We did ask people exactly what they wanted before we started it, so each session is catered to meeting the outputs and requests that they asked for. So, skill building, socialising, collaboration, working to creative prompts, things like that.
What makes you different from someone studying a photography course?
Alecia: There's no grades, there's no pressure, there's no assumptions of prior knowledge. It's not about technical mastery, but it's more of a holistic and organic approach to developing your creative practice, which is really important — I think that's really what makes us different. It's just essentially about creating a supportive space where women, women-identifying and femmes, of all ages and backgrounds can come together to experiment, grow and feel like they’re part of a community. There’s no hierarchy – it’s more like going for coffee with likeminded friends, but instead of coffee there’s cameras.
It's also very varied, all our photographers are at different levels of their journey — from beginners to people who have been practicing for years. Some members are shooting film, some are shooting digital, some are showing work on their phones, some are creating cyanotypes – they’re all expressing themselves with lots of different mediums.
interview & photo: Dani Bacon
Rita Pena
Susana: Thanks to funding from East Midlands Railway as part of their Community Fund, which we were awarded in June, we’ve also been able to put on a programme of talks at Nottingham Central Library, led by the former senior curator at the Photographers’ Gallery: Camilla Brown, which have been hugely successful. The talks are culminating in our group exhibition next month.
Tell us about your upcoming exhibition. What can people expect when they walk into Central Library in November?
Susana: The Sisterhood Collective Exhibition will be at Nottingham Central Library from Thursday 6 November. We have 27 women photographers showcasing their work; it’s curated by our two facilitators, Alecia, and myself. The theme is ‘exploring identity through photography’, which they’ve been working on for several months now. It's very diverse, everyone's working on something different, using different mediums under one theme, it’s incredible to see.
For the opening evening, there’ll be complimentary drinks, a little introduction from me and Alecia, and talks from seven of our photographers. It’s free and anyone is welcome to attend!
Alecia: For many people in the Collective, it will be the first time they've ever exhibited work — it’s a really big deal and a massive confidence boost for them. The exhibition prints are being produced by LensFayre’s film lab, to ensure that member’s work is presented to a professional standard. It's an amazing opportunity to have our very first exhibition in partnership with the Central Library too. We're so grateful – it's kind of wild but I think that just speaks to how well supported the Collective is.
What’s next for the Sisterhood?
Susana: We’ll still be running our monthly socials and likely continuing with the theme of identity because there's a lot more to unpack for lots of people. We’d love to do a zine, and to create a network of women photographers offering real opportunities for getting work and being seen. We would love to put on more workshops, talks and events, too. Some of our longer-term goals would be larger exhibitions and opportunities to be published as well. We want to become a real resource and platform for women and women-identifying photography across Nottingham and beyond.
If someone's interested in joining the Collective, how might they go about it?
Alecia: You can visit us on Instagram and drop us a DM, or you can join our private WhatsApp group and mailing list, so just reach out and drop us a message. We’re always open for more members, so please do get in touch.
The Sisterhood Collective Exhibition will launch at Nottingham Central Library with an opening evening on Thursday 6 November from 7-9pm, and will run until 5 December, plus it’s free to explore.
Q @sisterhood__collective
Sophie Bell
Naomi Williams
S Motokawa
Aiste Rakauskaite
Rochelle Vazquez
Martina Spinelli Witherington
NOTTS SHOTS
Want to have your work featured in Notts Shots? Send your high-res photos from around the city (including your full name and best web link) to photography@leftlion.co.uk or tag #nottsshots on Instagram.
There's Something about St Mary's Calum Smith @calumsmith0308
The Birds! Irina Holliday @exposingtheordinary
The Haunting of Attenborough House Stephen Simons
The Descent Simona Peneva @simonapenevaphoto
What Lies Beneath Trent Bridge? Felicia Brown
Ghost of the Corn Amy Simms
Pumpkinjuice Dani Bacon @danibacon_
Naturally Poetic
Back in late August, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature announced Cara Thompson as the city’s first Nature Poet Laureate. Cara is an art-ivist, performer, and writer, a founding member of the Nottingham Black Creatives Network and the 2021 winner of Slamovision. Her work draws heavily from her Caribbean-British background – encouraging creative discussion of social issues. Below we meet Cara and learn all about her…
Your family has always had a connection to literature. Your great grandma would recite Shakespeare before bed. Were you always destined to be a writer?
For a long time I didn't know it was an option. I think that's the case for a lot of people that become poets, though - I don't think there’s a traditional route. But there’s always been a very creative streak in my family… You speak to a lot of people who come from an immigrant background, and their parents often weren't so encouraging about going into the arts because, understandably, they wanted assurance that their kids were going to be financially stable; the arts don’t grant you that all the time. My dad actually wanted to be a landscape artist, and he was discouraged from going down that path by his father. So I think that he really wanted us to be able to be and create and do what feels right. It’s the same with my mum, who was an amazing singer. She started writing classes towards the later years of her life, and she was fantastic. That kind of background goes a really long way towards sustaining you.
How did you approach the interview process for the Nature Poet Laureateship?
I just tried to be really honest about what my motivations to apply were. I said something along the lines of: I'm not going to be able to kind of tell you the genus of this species of plant, but I am going to be able to meet people at the ground level with things. I'm learning things along the way and I think that's what a lot of communities will want, without being spoken down to - to be brought into the conversation more equally.
Is there an aspect of nature that you already feel attached to, or is it something you're excited about exploring more?
A lot of us think of nature as rolling hills, maybe - these things that not many of us have access to in our day to day lives. But my garden is a green space, my local park is a green space - those have been prevalent throughout my entire life, and they have value. Just because they're public and they're
five minutes down the road, it doesn't make them less worthy of acknowledgement.
i Keep hearinG, ‘ why does it haVe to be nature?’ it’s somethinG that doesn't FeeL reLe Vant to them in some way. and i thinK that's exaCtLy why it does need to be nature
Being of Jamaican heritage, a big thing for me is how many early stories I heard about the natural environments that my family grew up in: their nostalgia for those spaces, and how much they would love to go back and be connected to that land again. I hadn't realised how much of that is permeated throughout my childhood’s stories.
What’s the idea behind the Growing Words part of your program?
Growing Words will be about bringing communities into green spaces across the city and making connections with community groups, particularly those that might have felt historically underrepresented in green spaces. That was a big motivation for me applying: there was a real acknowledgement of systemic barriers that exist around accessing green heritage spaces. We'll run poetry workshops in these spaces with these groups, and hopefully the outcome will be that we produce some anthologies of their work. I have my first workshop in the post coming up in October at the Attenborough Nature Reserve, which I’m really excited about! I'll be running it with young writers, helping them to write work to be considered for the Solstice Prize, which is a nature writing competition for young people, run by Writing East Midlands.
And there's no reason why a nature reserve should feel like it belongs to one kind of group or another… Attenborough has been incredibly warm and supportive already! They’re instrumental to the initiative as one of City of Literature’s partners. It seems kind of critical that if there is this interest in making nature a part of everybody's language, and a part of everybody's way of thinking, then there needs to be a grassroots approach to doing that.
Community groups have to be involved over the course of the entire process - I've written a nature Poet Laureate manifesto that will be coming out on UNESCO's page, and it touches on the importance of putting the community at the center of a lot of this work. And I think it's necessary for me to be able to do my work: I don't think this will be a process that I can do in isolation, you know - I'm going to learn from everybody that I meet, in some way, shape or form!
Have we all become a bit disconnected from nature, then? I keep hearing, ‘Why does it have to be nature?’ And that, in itself, is really interesting. People almost see it as a barrier to understanding what I'm doing - it’s something that doesn't feel relevant to them in some way. And I think that's exactly why it does need to be nature. Once you actually get talking, people do realise that they’re a lot more connected to it than they've initially perceived. When you’re growing up in the inner city, or working nine to five - the last thing you have time for is getting out and going somewhere that’s kind of ‘outside of your realm’. Those are things that we need to be able to think about and deconstruct.
Why is it that we don't feel able to access or welcome in certain spaces? Does accessing nature have to be this thing that we travel for? Is it something we can do from our own front doors? I think that's something that working with local groups is going to be really important for, and it's not for me to answer every question. It's just about building those connections.
carathompson.co.uk
interview: Andrew Tucker-Leavis
Bep Summerscales
Where did you start out in poetry? I started out as every ex-emo kid did; on tumblr. I studied creative writing at Bilborough with the wonderful and inspiring Jane Bluett. I wrote my first poem in her class and loved the puzzle of poems, finding the right word or metre.
What other poets do you admire?
Bridie Squires for being the backbone of the Nottingham scene. Toni Morrison for her maths poetry mind. Joelle Taylor, Brenna Twohy, Amy Acre, James Harpur, Fiona Sampson, Caleb Femi, Emily Berry and Danez Smith.
Write us a Notts Haiku?
I HATE WRITING HAIKUS by Bep tiny lines mock me counting on fingers they laugh harder than they seem
What else do you have going on?
My first pamphlet may or may not be coming out later this year. I host Speech Therapy on the first Friday of every month at Bunkers Hill.
Q/@beppoet
Bridie Squires
Where did you start out in poetry?
As a kid, I wrote secret ranty messages to friends and family that I never gave them. It was a catharsis. I also loved Hip Hop, always poring over lyrics online.
What other poets do you admire?
I grew up hooked on Spike Milligan’s verse and Roald Dahl’s wordplay. Later came Bukowski, Caroline Bird and Cecilia Knapp. Locally Josh Judson is an absolute legend and John Berkavitch, who’s mentored me over the years, smashed it as this year’s Glastonbury Poet.
Write us a Notts Haiku?
Conkers carpet ground in Woodthorpe Park; skies breathe deep into trees. Bonce clonked.
What else do you have going on?
In 2020 I launched GOBS Collective, as I believe in the power of poetry as a shared experience. GOBS are soon embarking on an Arvon Writing Residential in Shropshire. We’re launching our work at Waterstones on 7 December, with a showcase and we’d love people to come. bridiesquires.com
Nottingham’s Historic Gem
Discover the Malt Cross historic Victorian music hall just off Nottingham’s Market Square.
Enjoy seasonal dishes, craft ales, and a lively atmosphere. Whether it’s a cosy meal, a relaxed drink, or a special occasion, you can hire private rooms or even the whole venue for weddings and events. With quizzes, live music, and more, discover what’s on next online.
Jay Sandhu
Where did you start out in poetry?
Bridie Squires and Benjamin Zięć (Trekkah) are the reasons I do poetry. They both helped give me the confidence I needed, not only to start but to continue when creating has felt tough.
What other poets do you admire?
Kano, Loyle Carner, and Riz Ahmed, Benjamin Zephaniah and George the Poet. All of them seem very true to their own distinct style as well as having an ability to speak about serious issues in a humorous and powerful way
Write us a Notts Haiku?
NPCs that are playing like retired ninja turtles it's Tuesday morning
What else do you have going on?
I’m working on two projects at the minute; a spoken word album and a poetry show that will be bringing my ADHD to life on a stage. linktr.ee/sandhuwrites
Kate MacAlister
Where did you start out in poetry?
Writing was always there, but it became central during the pandemic, when I worked in a neonatal ICU. Poetry turned into a private healing ritual, and I realised that writing itself could be a form of medicine.
What other poets do you admire?
Diane di Prima for her revolutionary writings and embodied myth-making, Joelle Taylor for being a fierce feminist, and Audre Lorde for showing how love can fuel justice and social change.
Write us a Notts Haiku?
Walk to the castle but feel rebellion among the leaves and first light
What else do you have going on?
I have two books out in the world: Songs of the Blood (2022) and Burn It All Down Then Kiss Me (2023). In November, I’m hosting a witchy feminist writing workshop at Five Leaves Bookshop.
linktr.ee/katemacalister
words: Katie Barr illustration: Rebecca Evans
Out of Time: The Saville Murders of 1844
Beneath Nottingham’s cobbled streets and shadowed alleyways lies a past as twisted as the city’s winding lanes. Ghosts of violence, scandal and tragedy linger in forgotten corners, from grimy workhouses to silent woodlands. In Victorian times, curiosity and fear walked hand in hand, and the line between spectacle and horror was thin. Among these dark tales, one story stands out – a tale of murder, obsession, and a city captivated by its own appetite for the macabre.
On a damp May morning in 1844, William Saville led his wife and three children into the hushed shade of Colwick Woods. It was a place usually filled with picnicking families and courting couples, a patch of green known more for beauty than for menace. But by that afternoon, the woodland had been given a new name – Saville’s Spinney – a name whispered with revulsion, stained with betrayal and blood.
This is not just a story of a family slaughtered among the trees. It is also the story of a city enthralled by violence, and of a society that gathered in its thousands to watch one man hang. What turns a father into a murderer? And why, when justice came, did so many risk their lives to watch a man hang?
William Saville wasn’t born a monster. He was moulded into one.
His mother died when he was only two, leaving him and his siblings in the care of a violent drunkard father. Poverty raised him just as much as neglect did, and it raised him badly. Illiterate, frail, and quick tempered, Saville slid into petty crime before marriage seemed to tether him to a steadier life.
Ann Ward, the woman who would later become both his wife and his victim, was ten years older, blind in one eye, and already mother to an illegitimate child. She was not considered a ‘catch’, but neither was Saville, a man burdened with a reputation for thieving and violence.
Marriage in this case was less about romance than it was social expectation – a pressure that turned two troubled lives into one volatile union. It is rumoured Ann herself once confessed to being happiest when Saville was behind bars.
By 1844, Ann and the children were surviving in the Nottingham Workhouse. Saville sent them weekly parcels of tea and sugar – a gesture that, on the surface, looked like care. But it may have been nothing more than hush money, a way of keeping Ann quiet while he pursued a life without her.
When those parcels stopped arriving, Ann likely threatened to expose him as a liar, adulterer, and abuser. For Saville, already building a fantasy life without his wife and children,
such a revelation threatened to unravel everything. For him, there was only one way to secure his freedom: murder.
On 21 May 1844, Saville walked his wife and children into the woods with a picnic promised and a razor hidden in his pocket. A family outing doomed before it began.
The killings that followed were neither frenzied nor impulsive. Saville carried them out with chilling calculation, even attempting to frame Ann by placing the razor in her hand. In his mind, she would be remembered as the madwoman who murdered her children, while he slipped into a new life untainted.
in ViCtorian enGL and, murder was not simpLy ne ws – it was theatre. the Condemned beCame unwiLLinG aCtors, their deaths pubLiC entertainment and a moraL Lesson roLLed into one
But his plan was flawed. Eyewitnesses – though accounts vary on this being a schoolboy hiding in a tree to locals who saw the family enter the woods together – placed him at the scene. Within hours, suspicion tightened around him, and he was arrested. His trial was swift. After 18 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned with the inevitable verdict: guilty. Yet the horror of the crime was only the beginning.
In Victorian England, murder was not simply news – it was theatre. The condemned became unwilling actors, their deaths public entertainment and a moral lesson rolled into one. For reasons still debated, Saville’s case drew extraordinary fascination. By the time of his scheduled hanging, Nottingham’s appetite for spectacle would prove as deadly as his razor.
On 7 August 1844, hours before Saville’s execution, people thronged the narrow high pavement outside the Shire Hall. They came not as a mob but as an eager audience, crammed shoulder to shoulder, buzzing with anticipation of
a performance. Neighbours opened windows and doors to offer better views. For many, it was the must-see event of the summer.
But when Saville’s body dropped, the crowd surged. Panic rippled through the press of bodies. Some fell. Others were crushed. A witness later described the scene: “Seldom has the eye beheld a sadder spectacle. The mass was literally writhing with agony. Many had dislocated or broken limbs – females could be seen struggling for life, divested almost totally of their exterior garments – and groans, mingled with hurried prayers and curses, resounded on every side.”
By the end, at least a dozen were dead – some of them children as young as nine. In the days that followed, more succumbed to their injuries. Saville had murdered his wife and children, but in death he claimed yet more victims.
The tragedy forced a reckoning. Public executions in Nottingham were scaled back, moved behind prison walls, and eventually abolished altogether. What had once been considered moral instruction now seemed nothing but morbid theatre.
So, what shaped Saville? A childhood without nurture, a violent father, a marriage rooted in fear, and a society that punished weakness. He severed family ties, seeing them as obstacles rather than anchors. And what drew thousands to press against walls, jostling each other to watch a man die?
The answer is both simple and perilous: a desire to witness horror firsthand and to claim survival as a story worth telling.
The tale of William Saville reveals two truths about Victorian society. That men could be forged in violence until they wielded it themselves, and a crowd’s hunger for spectacle could prove as deadly as the crimes committed.
Saville’s body lies beneath the courtyard of what is now the National Justice Museum. Some say his ghost still paces the site, restless and unrepentant. If so, it is a fitting echo. A man whose life and death were defined by cruelty, and whose shadow still lingers over Nottingham’s past.
primary CoLours
Primary has a lot going on. After years of renting, the multi-purpose arts organization bought their own building in 2020 (no mean feat in a sector that’s often chronically underfunded), and have since enjoyed an incredible period of growth, with investment from the Royal Institution of British Architects kicking off an upgrade project for their pretty beautiful Grade II listed former school building. This month Primary will host an exciting new Open Exhibition, so we decided to find out more about the building and its connection with the local community.
Housed on Seely Road, Primary is a building that’s sometimes easy to miss, as a repurposed schoolbuilding that sometimes blends in, especially if you’re in a rush.
For the lucky few, however, who take a left-turn or right turn in the neighbourhood bordering Radford and Lenton, there’s a whole host of delightful cultural treats to discover: a community garden, bakery, coffee shop, bookseller and collection of art studios and showcases, all in one location.
As an artist-led contemporary visual arts organisation and charity, Primary is home to over fifty artists with a mission to create art that connects local and global communities and affects meaningful societal change. It’s a big mission, one that some might think is impossible given the current climate. But Primary knows its audience and exactly how to engage the community in ways that are both artistically ambitious and comfortingly familiar.
With its location and inclusive attitude, Primary’s art programme offers residencies and exhibition opportunities for emergent talent from the global ethnic majority and other less-represented sectors. With that range of artists, Primary does a lot to break down some of the barriers that can exist between contemporary art and the rest of us.
It’s not just artists furthering Primary’s mission of driving change – they invest in artistic research through participation and engagement. Founding artist Michael Forbes says that by using a cycle of theory, practice, and reflection, Primary can “create genuinely collaborative relationships between artists, audiences, and the wider community that surrounds us, to further shape our work.”
That two-way conversation around community needs and wants is vital. In March 2024, the Department for Work And Pensions found that 51% of children were living in poverty in Radford, which neighbours Primary. There was a need for practical, accessible, and free community spaces – Primary evolved with that in mind.
At Primary’s gorgeous, accessible garden, volunteers – often from local families –are involved in growing, harvesting, and cooking produce, while also just dropping in to hang out as part of creative workshops, food distribution and family activity days.
Everything that Primary does is part of a public process – not just a finished product – so they’re inviting us all to an Open Exhibition this October so we can see f or ourselves.
A number of artists (some with the help of their kids!) will open their studios to the public, offering a behind the scenes look at their creative practices and joyously “transforming Primary Open into a vibrant, community-led exchange of ideas.”
There’ll be an exhibition of contemporary art in the gallery spaces, beautiful work available to buy, music performances throughout the day, an ‘odds & sods’ stall, food, a bar for the adults and a lemonade stand for the kids, plus an ‘in conversation’ talk with one of the artists and Primary’s curator. It promises to be a jam-packed day of family-friendly art and community.
The event has also been called ‘a celebration of creative energy’. When asked what that means, Michael Forbes explained: “to me it means a wholehearted commitment to an idea or an action with an experimental, often playful, mindset to see what can be done. It means pushing through the boundaries of what is seen as usual, normal and possible to be open to what might be new, different and unexpected.”
The words “pushing through the boundaries of what is seen as usual or normal” stood out to me, so I asked Michael how important that is, particularly with what’s happening in the world right now. “More than ever we need people to help us think out of the box, see the familiar from a different angle – ask questions rather than take what we’re being told for granted. We need to be alive with all of our senses to the world we’re living in.”
with its LoCation and inCLusiVe attitude, primary’s art proGramme oFFers residenCies and exhibition opportunities For emerGent taLent From the GLobaL ethniC majority and other Less-represented seCtors
But how can those of us that aren’t alive with all our senses or aren’t as, ahem, creatively minded (!), get inspired and experiment with our own creative energy? “We can each take a moment to breathe deeply and slowly, to look around – what colours stand out to you right now? What sounds can you hear? Reach out and gently touch something with your fingertips – what do you notice? What can you smell? What do you feel curious about? What do you want to do next?”
Or, perhaps even more easily, visitors to the Open Exhibition can purchase a card and collect an artist’s stamp from each studio they visit to make their own unique piece of artwork – all of the creativity – none of the effort.
It’s sad to hear how difficult it is right now for arts organisations and to see the significant cuts to funding, especially in the East Midlands which Michael says “sometimes struggles to attract its fair share.” So it feels more important than ever to support organisations like Primary, do what we can to help them stay true to their mission, and continue to transform their neighbourhood into a valuable cultural resource.
From fundraising to volunteering, there’s plenty of different ways we can help – but let’s start with their open day. We’ll see you there.
Primary Open 2025 takes place on Saturday 25 October. Find Primary at 33 Seely Rd, Nottingham NG7 1NU.
weareprimary.org
words: Jo Kingsley
photos: Sam Tariq
2025/26
Discover Bonington Gallery’s free exhibitions and events this season.
WILLIAM ENGLISH & SANDRA CROSS: TO FARSE ALL THINGS FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER 2025
Explore this new exhibition from artists William English and Sandra Cross, bringing together film, photography, sculpture, sound and archival material created independently and collaboratively across several decades.
To Farse All Things offers a rare opportunity to explore the intertwined lives and practices of two artists whose work resists categorisation. Through a shared commitment to experimentation, hospitality, and social engagement, English and Cross have cultivated a body of work that is as generous as it is radical.
Free Lunchtime Walkthrough
Book your free ticket for a BSL-interpreted lunchtime walkthrough at 1 pm on Wednesday 8 October, led by Gallery Director Tom Godfrey.
FIND US
Bonington Gallery
Nottingham Trent University
Dryden Street
Nottingham NG1 4GG
Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm Saturday, 11 am – 3 pm
William English and Sandra Cross: To Farse All Things
younG hustLers
words: Caradoc Gayer photos: Tom Morley
Year on year, Young Hustlers proves itself to be a vital part of our city’s annual arts and culture spectacular Hockley Hustle, providing a host of fun activities to facilitate the creative expression of local kids. It also gets bigger each year, and in 2025 will have an extra-packed, arty and crafty programme, which is this year titled ‘Around the World’. Here’s what you can expect…
The 2025 edition of Hockley Hustle will mark the 8th year of the Young Hustlers Festival. The theme? Around the World: a celebration of the innumerable, global cultures that make Nottingham such a vibrant place to live. The idea, in short, is to get kids making and creating arts, crafts, dance, and food which originates from different countries. We’re pretty convinced that this edition of Young Hustlers will be one of the best yet which, given the truly enormous programme of Hockley Hustle 2025, is saying something. Here are four highlights –
Vietnamese cooking - Sneinton Market Avenues
Vietcentric is a business that regularly hosts cooking courses on how to make Vietnamese food. They’ll be participating in Young Hustlers, holding some particularly special workshops for kids, which will involve making Vietnamese summer rolls, painting rice paper lanterns, and writing lucky messages to take home in red envelopes.
Brazilian dance - Sneinton Market Avenues
At the Brazilian Cultural Centre, which is also a business located in Sneinton Market Avenues, there will be some exciting workshops for families, where Samba and Afro Brazilian Khattak dance styles will be taught in high energy sessions celebrating music, movement, and culture.
West African drumming - City Arts
A regular fixture of Young Hustlers, the Djembe drumming workshops facilitated by creative Biant Singh are consistently very popular each year. This year, they’re back again, and will see families encouraged to make noise, finding their unique voice via drumming, which for Singh provides a positive impact on mental and physical wellbeing.
Word class poetry - The Carousel
If you like the idea of having your kids listen to some of Nottingham’s best poetic minds, there’ll be an opportunity to do so during Young Hustlers, as Jah Digga, John Berkavitch, and Michelle Mother Hubbard guide poetry sessions, exploring what ‘home’ means as a theme.
Architects of Air - Sneinton Market
As an extra special treat, Architects of Air are bringing their magical Lumini to Sneinton Market. Inside Dodecalis, the spectacular inflatable sculpture which has been described as ‘a sensory dream’, you will be able to find performances and workshops celebrating world music.
There will be plenty more to check out at Young Hustlers 2025, from a family rave at Movers, to DJ workshops at Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. Young Hustlers and the Hockley Hustle take place on 19 October 2025.
younghustlers.co.uk
For this month’s Artworks, we speak to dance artist and choreographer Lucy Suggate about her work Tender Stones, which will be performed this month as part of the 2025 nottdance Festival.
Tender Stones - the more time I spend with it, the harder it is to explain it. It’s a strange dance performance that gathers performers to construct paper stones. A surreal production line unfolds and explores the mysterious properties of stone and asks how we might begin to move with petrification, heaviness and tenderness. When rehearsing the work, I talk a lot about ‘drift’ and ‘drag’ the strange phenomena of objects being both heavy and light.
Tender Stones emerged in the wake of the pandemic. During Covid-19 I made a series of reclining duets with an ex-racing greyhound and was struck by how they could remain so fast after so much rest. It made me think about how and why we move the ways we do - and how, with so much loss and fear, how we remain moving and proceed.
i’m reaLLy interested in how you Can stretCh moVement, and how it ConneCts into other LiVinG-praCtiCes
As a mover I’m drawn to skateboarding. I’m envious of how it must feel to skate and glide, plus the community, cooperation, and belonging that the culture promotes. My friend recently introduced me to SkatePal: a non-profit founded in 2013 with the aim of developing a self-sustaining skateboarding scene in Palestine. I found this book by designer Samar Maakaroun titled Haraka Baraka, which translates as ‘movement is a blessing’, and I think about having space to glide.
Most of the time it is music and sound artists that inspire my work - currently on repeat are Ganavya, Ellen Reid, Sarah Davachi, and Hayden Pedigo. Their spacious work definitely influences the landscape I try to build through dance and choreography. We are lucky to be working with sound artist Tom Harris, who will create live sound for Tender Stones
I’ve been fortunate enough to be working as a dance researcher with Fabric for nearly a year. I’m really interested in how you can stretch movement, and how it connects into other living-practices.
Part of my work with Fabric has been to share the practice behind Tender Stones, culminating in a one off performance for nottdance this October. I’ve been working with loads of wonderful Nottingham based folk including Cool Company, an improvisation group for over 60s who are based at Nottingham Contemporary.
In the current arts climate it’s so difficult to make live dance happen, so it feels so special to reimagine Tender Stones in such an interesting space and with so many people.
You can catch Lucy’s performance of Tender Stones on Wednesday 8 October at Nottingham Contemporary as part of nottdance Festival 2025.
2025festival.nottdance.com
words: Lucy Suggate
photos: Amy Sinead and Fred Haworth
L iterature
who wants normaL?
Nottingham journalist and author Frances Ryan is Britain’s leading writer and activist for disabled people. She has spent years calling out reckless government policies and social ignorance towards disability, and been a beacon for people living with disabilities. This year she released a new book describing the daily differences of living with a disability. We caught up with her for a chat…
Through the raging storms and dark clouds of discord, through years of political and cultural divisions too innumerable to describe, Frances Ryan has been a steady and unflickering light for disabled people.
The Nottingham journalist and author has kept a vigilant watch over governments and leaders. Over the voices dominating the discourse. Over the progress, or regress, of British society in understanding the issues at stake for people with disabilities.
Currently Ryan, a regular contributor to The Guardian and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, named by Women In Journalism as one of the ‘30 exceptional women journalists’ in 2022, might justifiably be described as the leading voice on disability and activism in the media and literary worlds. It is a status she has confirmed in this latest work.
Ryan’s first book-length work – Crippled: Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People – released in 2019, made a damning case against the Tory government’s maddening mishandling of policy affecting people with disabilities. Later that year she gave a talk at Waterstones in Nottingham. Six years later, Ryan proudly notes, Crippled is “on university reading lists, inspired by a BBC short drama, and has been read around the world”.
Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life, goes beyond the politics and policy, to the many daily differences of living as a disabled woman. It is, she says, speaking to LeftLion, “an alternative narrative and paints a picture of what life is really like for a disabled person in Britain: the inequality and pain but also the humour, joy, and talent”. The driving ambition? To inform and educate a wider audience about real life for people, especially women, with disabilities, in opposition to the ignorance, or pure indifference, that Ryan so often observes in society.
As she puts it early in the book: “No one really talks about what it is to be a disabled woman, especially a young one. To go a bit mad. To experience pain or exhaustion or feel 92. To navigate all the standard parts of life – exams, careers, dating – but with a body that is different than everyone else’s.”
Drawing on Ryan’s own perspective on six core pillars of life – education, careers, health, body image, relationships and representation – Who Wants Normal?, she says, is about taking on the many outrageous claims and comments that disabled women are forced to endure in society, while simply trying to get on with living.
“There's this persistent idea in our society that the best way for disabled people to have a good life is to act like we're not disabled,” she says. “We get told to be productive at work but often aren't given the adaptations we need to thrive. We get encouraged to ditch mobility aids because ‘you're too pretty for that chair, love’.”
“What every chapter of the book does, I hope, is unpick these ideas, ask where they come from, and say: you can wear that dress, do that presentation, go on that date whilst being exactly as you are. Disabled women have no obligation to change – society does.”
As well as being rich with accounts of Ryan’s own experiences, the book is infused with commentary from fifty women and non-binary people with mental and physical health conditions, whom she interviewed in the course of the writing. The result is a book as unique as it is important.
What are the memorable moments and insights this approach has yielded? Ryan says: “What I love about the interviews is the variety: sometimes they're funny or motivating, other times hard hitting or moving. Watchdog's Nikki Fox describing her bad dates made me howl. I love Jameela Jamil's take on her school days. And Emma Barnett's honesty on
broadcasting on radio through chronic pain.
“It was a rare thing to be able to speak to other disabled women and think, ‘Wow, I get that. That's happened to me too.’ I hope that's exactly how readers will feel when they see the book.”
Crippled may have been written in a different era – indeed, what often feels like a different epoch. But the issues and conversations it raised haven’t gone away. Has society learned? Have governments learned?
“In some ways, there's been clear progress – there's more awareness now – but in other ways, I think we're regressing,” Ryan says. “The increase in people citing mental health conditions, particularly when applying for disability benefits, has led to a backlash, stoked –and often created – by some politicians and media.
“As these conditions increase, we need NHS funding to treat them, absolutely, but also a culture that acknowledges they're real in the first place.”
It is that message, about the deficit of basic acknowledgement, that rings most fervently from Ryan’s writing, whether it is in her now two books, or in the many campaigning columns she has written in the press. Not a call for pity, or wellmeaning but misguided intervention, but the simple sense of value that Who Wants Normal? hopes to patiently explain.
“This is a book that says disabled people are valuable, worthy, and here. That shouldn't need saying but I'm glad I have said it. Now more than ever.”
Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life by Frances Ryan is available at all good bookshops.
Q]@frances.ryan85
I’m now shocked when someone arrives by train. These days it’s conspicuous consumption, like announcing you’ve just bought a Fabergé egg on Vinted. Forget the Peak District – I can only afford to visit the Off-Peak District, a lumpy sub-industrial hinterland near Birmingham where you can rent a bag-for-life hammock, and audition for Off-Peaky Blinders, that new Cillian Murphy drama about a gang who only commit armed robbery outside of designated commuting hours.
The railway, like the lion’s share of Our Great British Infrastructure, exists in a state of sprawling rigor mortis. For all I know, these exact sleepers and ballasts might have been laid by George Stephenson himself, and the last East Midlands train I boarded was so ancient I needed a WiFi password to connect to the carrier pigeon. We’ve become a crumbly country, and it’s hard to go off the beaten track when all the track’s been beaten up.
And yet, trains are irreplaceable in the literary imagination. Bond’s tussle with Red Grant. Harry Potter’s annual misadventure. Without trains, Anna Karenina would be a book about Russian legal reform. There is a liminal romance particular to the locomotive – Murder on the National Express wouldn’t have worked. Cars demand attention, bikes demand fitness, airports demand the vigilance of crossing a Cold War checkpoint. The train demands nothing from you but your thoughts.
So it’s no wonder that so many books began their life on a carriage. The difference now is that writers used to stare out of the train window and imagine they were in a novel. In 2025, though, this is indulgent. I have to stare into novels and pretend I’m on a train.
Q @andrewtuckerleavis
illustration: Jim Brown
words: Benedict Cooper
photo: Fabio De Paola
www.nottinghamcomedyfestival.co.uk www.nottinghamcomedyfestival.co.uk
renewed hope
Since 1971, Nottingham Women’s Centre has provided a comfortable and supportive space for self-identifying women based in and around Nottingham. Within this time, the centre has been met with many changes and new developments. Among these is Renew: individualised counselling which has been self-funded for the past three years. Today more popular than ever, the team at NWC are keen to give Renew a boost. Kayla Sibanda spoke to Emilly Gill-Howe, Senior Fundraising Officer at NWC, to find out why the service is so important and their upcoming fundraising activities…
The term ‘empowerment’ is something that undoubtedly sits well with the principles of Nottingham Women’s Centre. A place to find support, hire womenonly spaces, get involved in activities and courses and learn more about femalefocused activism, their website (and the centre itself, located on Chaucer Street) is a gold mine of resources for women in Notts.
Empowerment is also a central theme within all the fundraising activities to get Renew available again. In collaboration with match-funding charity the Big Give, the centre aims to raise £10,000 in October through a series of ‘arts or fun-focused events' - making it one of the biggest fundraisers yet for the charity.
Renew first started in 2014 as a funded National Lottery project, at a time when counselling services assumed a once size fits all approach, failing to provide an individualised method to counselling. The scheme originally began as a general engagement venture, which included individual and group therapy, functioning as another way to provide a sense of community amongst women.
For most priVate therapy isn’t aLways an option, with Costs ranGinG From around £50 - £200 per session, traditionaL serViCes Cannot meet the needs oF e Very woman
As the service expanded between 2018 - 2022 with the New Changes project the centre were able to focus this service on counselling only and now have 24 counsellors. 89% of patients using Renew reported that their mental wellbeing has ‘drastically improved,’ thus proving the success of the scheme. But what makes this service so successful is nowhere close to a single answer.
The centre heavily prides itself on being a charity that carries women in all aspects of its decisions, and how the centre operates. ‘Run by women, for women’ reads their website page and it was this ethos that was largely echoed as I spoke to Emily. Functioning as women-led provides an integral safe space for women. Even for concerns that don’t exclusively affect women, it’s vital to have women in these spaces - women leading the counselling services and training as counsellors - the priority is the safety and the needs of women.
Additionally, Nottingham Women’s Centre is able to address the diversity of its patients with the sheer variety of its counsellors on offer. Over the past couple of years they have had an increase in the number of counsellors who speak Ukrainian, a way to close the barrier that can sometimes exist with patients that hold English as an additional language, perhaps feeling more comfortable speaking in their
native language. The centre is constantly looking for new ways to develop their work, and are currently seeking to expand their network of counsellors with an understanding of the LGBTQI+ community.
Emily tells me that Renew is simply “not the same” as other mainstream counselling services – the inclusive approach is even addressed in terms of the cost. Currently, there is a rising number of wait times for mental health support from the NHS. Earlier this year it was revealed that over 16,000 people are still waiting for mental health treatment after eighteen months.
And for most private therapy isn’t always an option, with costs ranging from around £50 - £200 per session, traditional services cannot meet the needs of every woman. This is especially so when we consider the fact that women are more likely to experience persistent poverty (a type of poverty experienced over extended periods of time) compared to men. Nottingham also ranks as a city with one of the lowest amounts of Gross Disposable Household Income according to the Office for National Statistics. When you pair these two issues you’re met with the realisation that access to mental health support can be a systemic challenge.
Renew offers a solution to this dilemma by providing its patients with therapy at a subsidised rate. The specific cost is determined on an individual basis, with the maximum rate set at around £40. This provides a means of support that is not only subsidised but also ‘adaptable.’ Emily assures me that this is a rate which remains ever so steady, having received little change since Renew’s inception.
This counselling service provides women with an answer to mental health support that's both inclusive and individual. The week-long fundraiser in collaboration with the Big Give will seek to amplify the strengths of Renew, allowing members of the public a greater understanding of this service while also participating in activities such as a vulva bunting making workshop (Wednesday 8 Oct 1-4pm at the Centre) and a Sip & Paint evening at The Embankment (Thursday 9 Oct 7-9pm).
The team at NWC are keen for sponsors, and donations can be made via their page on the Big Give. Guidance on how to fundraise individually can be found on their website, with various tips and tricks to help you get started. Alternatively, you can also email the team with any questions or queries.
Fundraising for Renew takes place between Weds 8 - Weds 15 October. For more information about contact the centre via their website.
nottinghamwomenscentre.com
words: Kayla Sibanda illustration: Sophie Elizabeth
Ghosts and Guitars
words: Karl Blakesley photo: Tim Eastgate
He’s been a stalwart of the local Nottingham music scene for over a decade now, so it seems quite remarkable that George Gadd’s debut album – the recently-released Too Many Ghosts – has taken this long to manifest. We caught up with the Stapleford singer-songwriter to hear about the making of this deeply personal first record, his musical influences, as well as his upcoming launch show at The Bodega…
Whether it was his mum blasting out Meat Loaf and Simply Red, or his dad spinning a range of prog-rock, George Gadd recalls music always playing around the house when he was growing up. Named after the lategreat George Harrison, George’s parents may not have been musicians themselves, but they were avid music fans who passed their love of music to George, firstly through Queen’s iconic Greatest Hits collection. Once he reached his early teens, he began to forge his own music taste, partly influenced by his parents and his own discoveries online.
“I think in my head I had this holy trinity of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Heaton and Robert Smith – they’re probably the cornerstones,” he says. “But I think in terms of formative years, I grew up when MySpace was a thing, so very much that Emo (scene). I feel like I maybe pushed it away for a while – treating it more like a guilty pleasure, whereas now I feel like I just embrace it.”
Once he had discovered his inner emo, by his midteens songs soon began to appear. Hiding away to write music, George would soon pluck up enough courage to want to perform them at his local pub –which would end up being his first gig.
“I was always quite an insular kid – I’m not very good at sports, I wouldn’t say I’m accomplished in academia – so I think it was my niche that I carved out for myself,” he says. “It did instil a bit of confidence in me as well. They (the local pub) let me play and from there, I caught the bug – so I was sixteen then, I’m 33 now… and I’ve still got that bug!”
Carrying with him that appetite for writing and performing, George would also pick up some bandmates along the way, eventually forming his own band: George Gadd + The Aftermath. In the line-up is Ciaran Grant (guitars and synths), Dan Hess (bass), and Xak James (drums), as well as George himself on vocals and guitar. While their natural chemistry wouldn’t suggest so, it seems their coming together was a happy accident.
“I had this gig booked supporting Kevin Devine at The Bodega. It was a Monday night and they (The Bodega’s management at the time) gave me a cheap list of names (of local musicians). I put these names down
and the band ended up doing quite well,” he discloses. “Then they offered me a headline slot later that year. I thought if I’m going to headline The Bodega, I don’t want to do it on my own - I want to do it with a full band. So myself, Ciaran, Dan and Xak – we started playing together a bit more and we would gig quite frequently, so then I’d start writing a bit more.”
The songs he would write with the band can now be found on their first full-length album, Too Many Ghosts, released in September. A collection of songs from across their career so far, some of the tracks date back almost a decade. While it may be a team effort, George remains the sole contributor to the album’s lyrical content.
i aLways assoCiate the word ‘sCene’ with a sound. nottinGham doesn’t haVe that – it’s more oF a Community you’LL Find peopLe GoinG to metaL niGhts, then some to hip hop niGhts – it’s not piGeonhoLed
“The album is very inward facing, written from a first-person perspective documenting a certain part of my life,” he explains. “ I think that with the debut record, all those songs fit together. I have other songs out there like Courtney, but that wouldn’t fit on there conceptually.”
To help him and The Aftermath patch together the album, George reached out to Phil Booth at JT Soar to work on production, as well as assist with redoing some of those old bedroom recordings. George credits Phil’s contributions with helping the songs on Too Many Ghosts come to life.
“[Phil Booth] basically packs up all of JT Soar and takes it to a Grade-2 listed mill in North Wales and just converts that for like ten weeks – and every week he’ll have a different band in,” explains George. “It’s just the coolest way to make a record because you just live in it.”
“Little Bird, I would say, is probably the most depressing song lyrically. I wrote that song in 2016, and I think we were playing it live for a very long time and we kind of just retired it, because I felt like I couldn’t do it justice with how I wanted it to sound in my head. But I think Phil being on production kind of took it to that other level.”
However, George isn’t just a product of the Nottingham music scene – he’s a vocal champion for it too. Chances are you’ll often find him at shows around the city, supporting his fellow local musicians in the audience. During our discussion, he namechecks Swallowtail, Ben Mark Smith, Molars, Cheap Dirty Horse and Fallowed as some of his current favourites. It’s this incredible cheerleader spirit that epitomises everything currently helping local music thrive.
“I always associate the word ‘scene’ with a certain sound. Nottingham doesn’t have that – it’s more of a community,” he reflects. “You’ll find people going to metal nights, then some to hip hop nights – it’s not pigeonholed. There’s no emulation as well. People are doing their own thing and they’re celebrating it.”
Speaking of celebrations, George and his band have their own coming up soon at The Bodega, marking the release of Too Many Ghosts. Pulling out all the stops, the big album launch show sounds like it’s shaping up to be a very special evening indeed.
“The Bodega’s a home away from home – I say away from home, it’s still in my hometown!” he laughs. “We have sold it out a couple of times before – the last time was in 2019 and I think with COVID, it felt like that momentum kind of stopped. I felt like I didn’t want to do it again until I had something I could do it again with.”
George Gadd + The Aftermath will play The Bodega on Saturday 11 October, with Willow Bay and Campfire Social supporting – tickets are available. The band’s debut album, Too Many Ghosts, is also available to buy and stream everywhere.
Q @georgegadd
Blu Syrup The Waters (Single)
Certain to coax a burst of nostalgia for the mid-00s alt-rock scene from anyone who used snippets of song lyrics in their MSN bios, The Waters is a brilliantly constructed few minutes of music. Blu Syrup have shown previously that they have an ear for melody and this track is no different. Scratched guitar and propulsive bass help build the tension through the verses before the vocals soar, wrapping the catharsis in a memorable hook. Insistent and impossibly catchy, this is an almost guaranteed earworm and manna from heaven for anyone yearning for an expansive slice of heartfelt rock. (Kieran Lister)
musi C
Nicole Hannah Farewell Little Miss Perfect (Single)
The debut single from Nottingham singer-songwriter Nicole Hannah opens with beautiful delicacy: soft synths, carefully picked guitar and sparse piano chords create instant emotion. Farewell Little Miss Perfect develops into a pop ballad with real depth, the lyrics sung with utter clarity and - above all - honesty. It's a believable story that Nicole Hannah tells, an unfiltered look into her heart as she tells us of breaking through from toxicity. There's a sense of realisation unfolding here, even as we listen and take the journey together, with the carefully arranged music playing a vital supporting role This is an accusatory and ultimately triumphant song, with the final damning words delivered with delicious, fierce precision.
(Phil Taylor)
Katie Arrears (Single)
Arrears blends Katie's genre-hopping sound of UK garage, pop and RnB with a dance-friendly, energetic sound that is crying out for radio play. Katie's previous tracks have gained extensive media attention and she is building increasing experience and confidence on the UK festival scene. Arrears' angst-ridden lyrics speak of pains in a relationship, but the pounding production is its greatest strength. The catchy single was also written and produced by Katie – little wonder, then, that respected names including BBC Introducing’s Dean Jackson have called her “one of our bright hopes for 2025.”
(Matt Roberts)
Lucas Tires Upon The Streetlight (Single)
The Nottingham hip hop scene is a hotbed of creativity, with talent ranging from bedroom-based production to more established musicians with access to professional recording studios. On the notes that accompany Tires Upon The Streetlight, Lucas openly admits that his music is a hobby for now, but this honest statement does not diminish the heartfelt and meaningful message he has enshrined in his lyrics. This work, which Lucas describes as a “conscious rap about his youth,” shows real promise, with expansive lyrics full of vivid descriptions of what he has likely witnessed in his neighbourhood. These stories of the street describe perpetual cycles of violence and the chains that he wishes to break or fight, supported by wistful backing music that adds an extra dimension to the overall message. (Claire Spencer)
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 our Notts Sounds playlist on Spotify
Fools & Sages
All That Could Have Been (Single)
Lush with cinematic textures and drenched in the mysticism and drama of 70s influences, All That Could Have Been deftly blends operatic vocals and scuzzy, sharp-edged metal with the smoothness and reverb-soaked atmosphere of classic rock. The verses flow gorgeously, with twinkling arpeggios and softly sung words of longing. Tension is built beautifully, before being unleashed in the choruses. Grace Leah belts out her lyrics with fierce intent and no shortage of skill, harmonising seamlessly with Connor Botherway-Hill to create an epic mood that befits the six-minute runtime. The crescendo crashes like waves on a flood wall; it’s loud, transportative and crying out to be blasted in front of a huge crowd. The track then floats away on those arpeggios, the tide receding, having demonstrated the elemental power of an immediately exciting band. (Kieran Lister)
danCe maGiC danCe
interview: Ian C. Douglas photos: Northern Ballet
Watching French dancer Kevin Poeung dazzle in the ballet Merlin (which this month plays at the Theatre Royal) it’s easy to overlook the hard work, sacrifice, and sheer tenacity it took him to reach the pinnacle of his career as a ballet dancer. He shares with Leftlion the milestones on his challenging journey…
So, what does Merlin offer that other ballets do not?
It's an amazing show. It's immense with illusions, there's fire, there's mind-blowing costumes. There's a dragon, which you don't see that often. There’s puppetry. So it’s very special.
How would you describe your role as Merlin?
He's a young man, struggling with his magical powers, which he doesn't know how to use. He has to find the love and acceptance to unite both kingdoms. I feel close to Merlin, as a male ballet dancer. When I went to school, I felt different. People were bullying me and I was isolated, which is similar to Merlin, because he feels he can't really be himself. He has to hide his powers. So, in some ways, I don't need to act, because of my own experience.
Ballet must be gruelling. How do you keep fit and energized?
We have class and rehearsals every day. But that apart, we do some rehab on the side, some conditioning. Go to the gym, weightlifting, cardio... we eat well. Look after our bodies. When you're young, you've got that energy, but as you get older the recovery time is a lot longer. But it's a special job so I'm grateful for that.
And you started dancing aged six in Marseille. Is that right?
Actually, I started in a small communal school in Port Saint Louis Du Rhône, which is my hometown – age four – with an incredible Argentinian ballerina, Norma Estampe. She taught me everything. And then I had Denis Fabre, a French ballet teacher. And yeah, they taught me everything. They pushed me to audition for the National Ballet School in Marseille. I did twice. I passed the first time, but couldn't get into the school because of my financial situation. And the second time, I received financial help to pay for accommodation.
Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to be a ballet dancer when you grew up?
Yeah, when I moved to Marseille, that was a big change. Moving away from my family. That's when some people struggle. I really struggled, but I knew this was what I wanted to do. It was difficult being away from your family – you're a child and you just have to change your whole life. My mom wanted to be a ballerina, but never had the chance because her parents didn’t have the
finances. My parents saw that it was special for me and also my teachers saw that I could possibly make it, so that's why they were all pushing me.
Was it ever lonely coming to the UK?
It was. And when I came to the UK by myself, aged sixteen or seventeen, I didn’t speak English. So that language barrier was not easy. It was only my dad by then, as my mom passed away when I was nine. He was back home trying to provide for me to move away, and we still needed the financial support too.
So, as a seventeen-year-old, in a way it was like Merlin. You feel different. You struggle with a lot of things, and feel like you don't belong here. But you just have to go through it, meet people, force yourself to speak the language and embrace the culture, which now I absolutely love. I love Yorkshire now.
seeinG what's produCed onstaGe is LiKe beinG in another worLd. it taKes you out oF yourseLF to another pL aCe, Created riGht there beFore your eyes
So how did you come to join Northern Ballet?
I spent three years at the English National Ballet School and, in our third year, we auditioned for companies. David Nixon and Yoko Ichino, from Northern Ballet, came to see us perform. And they spoke to my ballet teacher, who came up to me and said they’d love to give me an apprenticeship. I was amazed they wanted to work with me. So, I was touring the UK before I was even a professional dancer – this inspired me to aim higher. After, I think it was three months, they gave me a full contract to join the company. So I began as a Corps De Ballet, then all the ranks of soloist, and I've recently been promoted to Principle, which is the pinnacle of my career. It’s just something that I never, never thought I would become.
You had years of hard work, not just in ballet school, but outside. Evenings, weekends, amidst this new culture. English weather! English food! Was it tough? It was. But I've got an amazing husband. I've got a
house outside Leeds, and I have hobbies. I've got an allotment, and, gosh, I've got a small business on the side. Sometimes, after a busy week, I just want to get away. Being at the allotment with my husband, picking flowers and vegetables. That’s my downtime. I just love Yorkshire. I love the people. They're all so warm and welcoming. And I love the food. There are such lovely places to visit and there's always something to do, so you never get bored. And we do get nice weather now and then, which absolutely brightens everyone's day.
What advice would you give an aspiring ballet dancer who wants to be as successful as you?
Well, never give up, no matter how you're feeling, surround yourself with people that you love. Don't be scared of talking to people if you've got problems. Just reach out, just keep positive and look after yourself, because ballet is a short career and your body can't sustain it for that many years. So, just love it and be kind, be grateful, be humble.
Any plans for when you can no longer high kick onstage for two hours?
I'm still thinking about it. I’m 33. I still love performing. I love being with my colleagues, and it's like a very special environment. My husband used to be with Northern Ballet, now retired, and he says that you'll never find something as special as being in Northern Ballet. But I'm reaching out more – growing my own flowers, seeing how my small business works out and just figuring out what's next for me.
Anything else you’d like to share with LeftLion readers?
Really, just how special Merlin is. All the creatives involved are award-winning. It's really special with everything in it. The whole audience will be amazed. It's not just for young kids or adults. It's for everyone. Seeing what's produced onstage is like being in another world. It takes you out of yourself to another place, created right there before your eyes!
Northern Ballet presents Merlin at the Theatre Royal from Wednesday 15 October to Saturday 18 October.
trch.co.uk
Whether it’s a Christmas get together with family & friends or a work Christmas party we have plenty of options. From tables of 8-15 for our set menu or private hire for 20-32 people, get in touch for more details.
1A Cannon Court, Nottingham, NG1 6JE www.piccalillinottingham.co.uk info@piccalillinottingham.co.uk 0115 648 6498
sport
don't stop me now
interview: Reuben Moynihan-Case photos: @andrew.james.photos
Motorsport is an expensive and male-dominated industry, usually only accessible for Cornelius and Clifford using their trust funds. However, 21-year-old Alicia Barrett from Southwell is looking to buck this trend. Despite her tender years, she’s more than a decade into her racing career, currently moving from kart racing to racecars, and looking for support to take it to the next level…
How did your journey in racing begin?
I was eight years old when my parents took me to PF International karting track in Grantham. I loved it and knew I wanted to carry on doing it. It all escalated from there. At the age of ten I got my race license and my first kart, which meant we could travel to more tracks. However, PF has always been my local track and it still is now.
What have you achieved in your career so far?
In 2017 I took part in my first ever European race at the Le Mans Kart track, which is next to the illustrious car track. We went there with no expectations, but I ended up becoming the X30 Ladies Champion. It’s a massive title and some of the women that you've seen win these titles since are now competing in GT racing and other big categories. Then in 2019 I became the IAME Ladies Cup Champion in a tournament in France. I was the only Brit out there and I'd never raced against a full grid of women. It was really competitive.
Growing up, how hard was it to see a place for yourself as a young female in racing?
When I started racing really young, I just didn't think about gender. However, when I started to reach my teens I realised there were barriers I had to overcome as a female. The only role model I had growing up was Susie Wolff. She was the only woman I ever saw achieving anything. Then when she reached a point where she couldn't drive professionally anymore, she started to focus on movements like the F1 Academy.
For many years the only other female racer I saw on the tracks with me was Abbi Pulling, who is now in the F1 Academy and racing in the GB3 championship. It was only us really, everyone else was male. At times it definitely felt like I had to prove myself more than everyone else. Some of the boys I raced against told me their dads hated it when I beat them. However, I think knowing that made me a better driverI always gave as good as I got.
Do you think the new wave of initiatives like F1 Academy are enough? Or does real equality mean women racing alongside men at every level?
My belief is that women are good enough to compete against men and it's nice to see that there are now more females moving up the ranks. In a sense the F1 Academy is controversial because I've always raced against males and I don't necessarily believe in sectioning off women. However, I understand the reason they've done it, which is basically to increase the spotlight on the female athletes. It was disappointing seeing the woman who won the first F1 Academy series, Marta Garcia, drop out of single seater racing because she couldn't afford it, though she does now race with the Iron Dames team in GT racing. For me, seeing her doing well in that is cool, but it's disappointing because she went through F1 Academy with the aim of trying to get up through Formula 3 and Formula 2. It was just the lack of financial backing that stopped her.
Unless you're a part of an academy, like Ferrari or Mercedes, you've completely got to navigate it by yourself and it's hard to know which way to go, especially when teams are just looking for someone to pay them the most money. If you don't have money to back you, they're not interested. It’s a shame considering Lewis Hamilton is one of the best F1 drivers ever and he's one of the few who didn’t pay his way up.
You were part of the McLaren 60 Scholars programme. Tell us about that… It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I went into it not quite understanding where I wanted my career to go in motorsport. Obviously, driving for me is always a priority, but I also study Zoo Biology and am passionate about the environment. We worked with big companies like Google and Deloitte and did lots of different courses and workshops with them.
Sustainability is important in business nowadays and companies and teams like McLaren have to offset their emissions. I learned more about that and met McLaren’s Head of Sustainability, Kim Wilson, who explained the work they do out in the Great Barrier Reef. For me that seemed like the perfect thing to combine two passions and gave me that reassurance that I was going down the right route.
How much of your time is actually spent off the track, navigating sponsors and logistics?
That side of it is like a full-time job in itself. Before I was trying to do all this by myself, but I’m so grateful that I now have Johnny Moore working with me as my promoter and taking some of the workload off me. He's the one going after all the leads, but I’m obviously still there to meet people and represent myself. Ultimately if I don't get the sponsorship, I’m not going racing.
some oF the boys i raCed aGainst toLd me their dads hated it when i beat them i thinK KnowinG that made me a better driVer - i aLways GaVe as Good as i Got.
Tell us about your ambitions to race in the Ginetta GT Academy... Our aim for 2026 is to go and race in the Ginetta GT Academy. We’ve spent a lot of time looking at the right series, and I truly believe that’s where my journey should go next. My aim is to finally get a full season of cars under my belt and gain experience and hopefully some top five finishes and podium finishes along the way.
What’s the best message you can send to a young woman from Notts who dreams of racing?
Believe in yourself and have confidence. I think a lot of the time, the reason a lot of young girls don't get into sport in general is because they worry too much about it. Really I'd say, just go and have fun, but it’s also worth looking at sponsorship as early as possible, even if it's just your local sponsors. If you can build a relationship with people over your career, you've got more chance if and when you need more support to move up the ranks. However, even more than that just believe in yourself and enjoy the ride.
Alicia and her manager Johnny Moore are currently looking for sponsors and support to help make the Ginetta GT dream happen. If you are interested, email Johnny at onejohnny@live.co.uk
@aliciabarrettracing
Bafta-winning documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis is one of the country’s most intriguing, with a long career under his belt of making surreal films exploring how people think, feel, and act in the West. His latest: Shifty: Living in Britain at the End of the Twentieth Century just happens to feature archival footage from Wollaton Hall, filmed back in the 80s by the BBC. With this in mind we jumped at the opportunity to pick his brain about filmmaking, politics, and more…
Could you tell us what Shifty: Living in Britain at the End of the Twentieth Century is about, and why you gave it that title?
I think it’s what it says on the tin. There's a great confusion at the moment, not just politically, but socially as well. There is a sense that a lot of what people feel, and the organisations that run them and help them explain why they feel, have become unmoored. I wanted to go back because, especially with a lot of social media, it's very ahistorical. It's as if something just happens. And then something else happens, and you've forgotten the previous bit. It's all like it started yesterday. I wanted to point out that there are roots to all this. There are reasons behind it - I was focused not just on the political events, but also on moments that show you the way people's thoughts and feelings about themselves and society began to change.
Your works are often composed of archive footage taken from the BBC Archives. This film features footage of the natural history museum at Wollaton Hall, and I also spotted Castle Donington in there. Could talk more about uncovering that footage? There was this great early 80s film in the BBC Archives made about animals and our relationship to animals. There was a section set in Wollaton Hall as they were preparing this new exhibition of stuffed animals. It was about this strange, frozen relationship we have with nature. The person who took you through it all was trying to reanimate our connection with nature, because people were feeling in the early 80s that we'd lost that connection. He goes into some strange back room in Wollaton Hall, opens up a freezer, and starts to bring out frozen animals of all kinds. It was a symbol of this desire of a sort of an old, slightly patrician class who would tell you about the world, trying to freeze it and hold it together at the very moment at which its foundations were beginning to rock. It’s a wonderful symbol of an old country still trying to hold itself, and its nature, together.
Something that stands out in Shifty is how different and odd people from the past seem. What do you think we can learn from that?
Human beings aren't fixed. If we went back 200 years, the people we would meet wouldn't be like us. Because somehow, the way we understand the world, the way we appreciate each other, and what we think of as
funny just wouldn't connect. And it does make you think about what someone in thirty years time will think about us. People will look back at Ozzy Osbourne and say, why? Why did thousands of people lie in a field in a completely comatose, dribbling state, listening to Kerrang! metal?
That’s one of the things I was trying to get into the film subtly – a sense of two perspectives on our time. This is what it was like to live through, and it was wonderful and exciting, and sometimes frightening, but also I just wanted to get that sense of pulling back a bit and realising, they were quite weird, you know, that lot.
the poLitiCians are heLpLess at the moment beCause they GaVe away so muCh power, and they were persuaded to do so, as i try to show in the series. it was by beinG toLd that iF e Veryone's a bit seLF-interested, then they must be seLF-interested as weLL
In the film you portray the shift away from traditional political power and toward financial power, initially via Thatcher. Could you summarise that shift?
Mrs. Thatcher was one of the great believers in the rationality of economics, that it really was a scientific way to transform society. She introduced this economic theory called monetarism, which said that, rationally, you just squeeze the money supply in the economy, inflation would be squeezed out, and Britain would become great again. She went around saying Britain could become great again, a harbinger of what was to come. Very quickly, it went completely out of control, because an economic system of money is so complex that you cannot just run it on those rational scientific lines.
I love the sequence showing Tony Blair walking into Downing Street juxtaposed with Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again I try to do it in ways that surprise you. You make jokes, because that was a joke, right? And then you switch it
up by going, ‘No, that was really serious.’ Well, he did it. It was one of the most shocking things ever. But, you know, the politicians are helpless at the moment because they gave away so much power, and they were persuaded to do so, as I try to show in the series. It was by being told that if everyone's a bit self-interested, then they must be self-interested as well. Therefore they should give away power. Well, that's a pretty negative view of human beings, if I might say so.
With the debate currently raging around flags and asylum hotels, is what we’re seeing today a genuine working class revolt or something serving other motives?
It’s something filling a vacuum. You've got a system that doesn't work any longer and doesn't seem to care about many of the people. The global economic crash of 2008 is on a level with the First World War, with massive effects on the world which we are still feeling. They went down the austerity route which cut services across the country. No one has done anything to deal with that ever since. In that vacuum comes a nostalgic nationalism. You could argue that looking historically at Britain, you had a very confident patrician class who grew up with the empire. When the empire declined, the attitudes and the structure of that class still continued for quite a long while.
What would you say to anyone wanting to enter journalism, documentary making or storytelling? Surprise me. Make it in such a way that I don't know what's coming. You've got to tell a story. You can't just have an opinion. Opinions are boring.
Everything is so formalised in our journalism, especially television journalism – you can tell exactly what's going to happen within seconds. Go out and start filming. Don't try to think about it too much. If you film something that at the back of your head excites you, it might be the building blocks of a new kind of storytelling. Get out and realise that, in television, there are no rules.
Shifty: Living in Britain at the end of the 20th century is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You can also listen to an extended podcast of this interview on the LeftLion website.
paradiGm shiF t
interview: Adam Pickering photos: BBC
Nottingham’s pub scene is up there with the best in the country, and nobody knows it better than Tom Head –or, as you probably know him, Nottingham Pint Guide. Chances are you’ve stumbled across his Instagram while scrolling your feed, so we met up with the Pintman himself to talk all things beer. Tom is Nottingham’s lagerloving, ale-guzzling champion of the city’s independent boozers. He also happens to be married to our Food Co-Editor…
For the record, LeftLion doesn’t usually dabble in nepotism – but here we are. No favouritism, promise. So, let’s get straight into it, why did you start the Nottingham Pint Guide, and what inspired it?
This is nepotism with a different angle. A USP, even. And that was one of the motivations to start the page – I wanted to create something different to what was already out there, and something I could essentially use as a database for our greatest pubs, cheapest pints, and best happy hours. It’s essentially Martin Lewis with an alcohol dependency. But supporting and promoting local businesses soon became the main focus, and I wanted to create stuff that would get a few more bodies into pubs, because god knows that every punter counts these days.
Obviously, you’re the Pint Guide, but your modus operandi appears to focus on Nottingham pubs as a whole. What makes Nottingham’s pub and bar scene different to other cities?
First, variety is a huge factor. We’ve got these wonderful neon-drenched party hubs that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with traditional, old-school alehouses that have been around for decades, or even centuries.
Second, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is the oldest pub in the country, and anyone who disagrees can go and argue with their mums. Our caves were used as defacto brewing sites by monks, hundreds of years ago. The very foundations of Nottingham are soaked in alcohol, which in my view, is the greatest social unifier on the planet – and probably explains my third point…
The people – it’s almost impossible to go for a jar and not end up having the craic with a fellow pintmaniac here. We have a proper ‘social fabric’ knitted into our pub scene, which is something to be very proud of.
So, if someone was visiting Nottingham for the first time, which three pubs would you tell them to visit for the ultimate pint tour? Bloody hell, three? You’re killing me! I’m going to try and dodge accountability and just suggest that people visit one pub in a few different areas of town… by the canal, you should check-out Cured. Great tap line-up, a lovely little outside terrace, very easy to access, and always buzzing on a weekend.
In Lace Market, make a beeline for Kean’s Head. It’s like someone has put a thriving 1970s brick-and-mortar boozer in the middle of town. It feels as if the glory days have come roaring back.
And in Sneinton, I highly rate The King Billy. It’s a little bit spit-and-sawdust but that’s what we like to see, pubs with a resolute character that stand the test of time.
Screw it, I’m chucking a fourth in for Hockley – can’t get enough of Pogo and their Lowenbrau brewery tap, which is one of very few in Notts. Beauts place to sample a few!
People often comment about your writing style and how much they enjoy
reading your captions. Can you tell us a little more about that?
I’m a journalist by trade and I have writing Tourette’s. I always have to be scribbling something down, or putting lists together, stuff like that. Absolutely love p*ssing about with the written word, and I get very poetic after a few swift ‘uns. I like to write the way I speak – I like to express myself in a conversational style, I like to draw attention to myself with awful puns your dad wouldn’t touch. It’s almost like an extension of being a bloke in the pub, and putting that art of discussion into a digital format.
our CaVes were used as de-FaCto bre winG sites by monKs, hundreds oF years aGo. the Very Foundations oF nottinGham are soaKed in aLCohoL, whiCh in my View, is the Greatest soCiaL uniFier on the pL anet
How did your love for beer begin?
Has to be me dad, I think. Some of my earliest memories are him taking me down the working men’s club and keeping me juiced-up on Panda Pops. A few coins for the pool table, quick blast on the slide, arcade games, football on the telly. Class set-up. Not sure who was having the better Friday, if I’m honest. My family does place a huge amount of cultural value on pints, as well. Our best drinkers are treated like noble chiefs. But from an early age, I saw the value of pubs and beers and how it brings folk together. That, quite simply, is something our society cannot lose sight of.
What are your favourite types of pints? As a wine drinker myself, I personally only really enjoy the occasional beer with a curry. Do you have any preferences like that?
Proper question this. Nice one, Paxman. Of course, I love an airport pint before working hours. I love a pint on holiday when the Mrs is still getting ready. I love a pint at 17:01 on a Friday, I love a pint where you get to the boozer before all your mates and can have a little phone scroll. I love the first beer garden pint of spring, and the criminally underrated ‘first pint after you break up from work for Christmas’. But I have to say, the first sip of your fourth pint – in any situation – is incredible. You can’t really put a lid on it at that point, and that’s when the gates to silliness start opening. And I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t want to walk right through them.
Are the rumours true that you’re running for local mayor?
Listen, I like my cities like I like my pints: lively, cost-friendly, and with the ability to leave you wanting more. I can’t really say much else, but helping hospitality will be at the forefront of my 2028 manifesto.
Okay, yes, I think you’d get our vote…
interview: Julia Head illustration: Andy Case
raisinG a GL ass
We’re feeling foxy Pelham Street, Nottingham. Vegetarian, Vegan, Meaty and Gluten Free Friendly.
We try to cater for all you little foxes out there!
9 Pelham St, Nottingham NG1 2EH instagram.com/foxcafe_nottingham 0115 950 1295
sweet spot
Since arriving on the Nottingham coffee scene in 2019, Effy has become a favourite haunt for local coffee connoisseurs in the know. Now this independent coffee shop is developing a reputation for its equally impressive pastries. Food co-editor Lucy Campion chats to Mitch Farr, owner of Effy, about the shop’s growing bakery operation.
My love for pastries began in childhood, with a French grandmother (‘mémé’) who introduced me to the joy of a pain au chocolat, warm from the oven, for breakfast. For years, I thought pastries meant only croissants and pain au chocolat, until Nottingham’s coffee shops revealed that pastry had much more to offer.
Coffee and pastries go hand in hand, a relationship that Effy understands well. As Mitch explains: “The original idea for a micro bakery came from a desire to be something more than just a high quality coffee shop. We have been to countless cafes and bakeries where either the coffee is great or the baked goods are great but rarely both, especially when in-house.”
Effy’s pastry counter is reminiscent of a jewel cabinet, with the day’s creations showcased in a glass display. Alongside the classics, like croissants and banana bread, you’ll find pastries rarely sighted in other local coffee shops, such as monkey croissants and pain suisses. Personal favourites from my summertime visit to Effy were a blackberry, hazelnut and Earl Grey custard danish, and a deceptively simple brown butter cookie made memorable with a sprinkling of sea salt.
Mitch explains that Effy started taking their baked goods more seriously in 2022, when production was moved in-house.
“We produced a small run of yeasted baked goods, such as cardamom and cinnamon buns, alongside some traditional baked items. This operation grew massively when we moved to Hockley and expanded with our downstairs bakery, adding the ability to do more technical viennoiserie and, soon, bread for
From the KitChen
our long awaited sandwich offering.”
Effy’s onsite bakery expansion coincided with a desire to localise sourcing as well as production. “With a growing network of bakers and millers alike in Nottingham, we wanted to join this movement by localising our production and sourcing sustainably, putting the supply chain back in control of the millers, farmers, and bakers.”
While there is a local focus on ingredients and production, inspiration for Effy’s pastry counter extends far beyond Nottingham. Mitch says: “We take a lot of inspiration from bakeries around the world and try to add our own touch depending on what seasonal produce we can access. My mum and dad have a very large allotment and they bring me a constantly changing supply of whatever is growing there.”
Mitch is the lead innovator behind the bakery’s baked creations but Effy’s delectable bakes and pastries are a team effort: “The whole barista team also double up as trainee bakers - the goal is for everyone upstairs to be able to do everything downstairs.” Incredibly, this bakery operation has been built from the ground up without any formal training. “It’s been a case of learning as we go and just constantly pushing ourselves to get better and better.”
Visit Effy at 20A Heathcoat Street, NG1 3AA effystores.com
with paddy sneath, owner at worKinG man’s KitChen
Describe your venue in three words?
When did you first know you wanted to make food for a living?
Six years ago. I was painting electrical pylons and was sick of working away from my family. I’d always loved cooking and decided to pursue the dream.
Which person has been the biggest influence on your cooking and why?
My dad Mick. He loved cooking and I was his shadow in the kitchen. He did a dish called mishmash, which was mince and potatoes and we went mad for it.
Inclusive, creative and diverse. We hold a group called Spectrum Slices on the first Monday of each month where we run workshops for special needs groups.
What's the best-selling item on your current menu?
The Paddy’s Pep, a pepperoni, red onion and hot honey pizza.
What’s your personal favourite menu item?
The Pizza Dog. My wife Amy came up with the concept (a hot dog in pizza bread). It’s gone viral and we’ve built a business around it. I genuinely don’t get bored of it though and could eat one every day.
What was the best meal you have ever cooked?
A beef shin ragu, using great quality produce, that I cooked for the family a few years back. It was so good that I've put it on a pizza since using a mozzarella and bechamel base.
What’s the best meal you have ever eaten?
There’s a Turkish restaurant in Compton Acres called Ala Turka. They have a dish called a Beyti, which is a lovely, understated kebab dish. It’s where I go for a birthday treat!
Who are your five ideal dinner party guests alive or dead?
My dad, Eric Cantona, Tiger Woods, Joe Strummer and Liam Gallagher. I’d cook a few types of pizza and pasta for us to share. You gotta love the carbohydrates!
Visit Working Man's Kitchen in Avenue A in Sneinton Market Avenues, NG1 1DT Q] workingmanskitchen
LiFe behind bars
with aimee harbison-roper, owner at the barreL drop
What's the best thing about your job?
Describe your pub in three words? Welcoming, chilled and hidden.
Tell us something interesting about your pub…
People always say they struggle to find us, because we’re tucked up an alleyway just off the Market Square. But when they do they tend to become regulars. We love beer and are more than happy to chat your ear off about it. However, if you want to do a bit of self-led beer study, we have our own little beer library.
Looking around the pub and seeing such a broad spectrum of customers. People of all ages and walks of life.
What's your best selling drink?
Our beers always change, but thick hazy pales and sour beers always fly out.
What's your most expensive drink?
We’ve had beers that would be nearly £20 a pint, but at 14% abv, we’d actually only serve 2/3rds at a time.
What's your personal favourite tipple?
A double IPA. Maybe a triple if I’m not working the next day.
Who's the most famous person you've had drinking in your place?
The Futureheads were in before their Rock City show earlier this year.
What's the best thing a customer has ever said to you?
“My great aunt invented the ejector seat.”
How would you persuade someone who's never visited your bar to entice them in?
It’s not just beer here, but if you’re new to exploring beer, we promise to guide you through and help find your new favourite. We also have regular events like a pub quiz and an open mic, which are always fun!
Visit The Barrel Drop at 7 Hurts Yard, NG1 6JD
words: Lucy Campion photos: Alex Hill
Reasons to be Cheerful
words: Caradoc Gayer
The news is normally negative, but here’s some good things that have happened recently in Notts…
Art is the Heart
The second year of Nottingham’s relatively new street art festival Art Fest was a roaring success. With the support of a compact team of around thirty volunteers, plus the watchful eye of founder, our very own Benjamin Kay, sponsorship from It’s in Nottingham among other businesses, plus many more helping hands, Nottingham city centre saw itself brightened up by over a hundred artists creating new work, thousands of attendees, and a widely attended creator’s market held in Sneinton Market Avenues. In our opinion, it was creative community organizing at its best. Here’s to an even bigger and better festival next year!
East Midlands to Empire State
Last month was a memorable one for theatre in Nottingham when a play about real-life events in the city, brought to life by two local creatives, started its debut run on Broadway, New York City. Created in 2024 by playwright James Graham, Punch is based on the memoir of Notts-local Jacob Dunne, who in 2011 was jailed for causing the death of paramedic James Hodgkinson, but underwent a transformative experience of restorative justice after meeting James’ mum. The play’s NYC-run is directed by the Nottingham Playhouse’s artistic director Adam Penford. Traveller’s choice
Last month, sister-attractions: The National Justice Museum and The City of Caves, which are two of our city’s most loved cultural spots, were both recognised in the Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Awards 2025. This was the fourth year that the National Justice Museum had received the award, and the third year for the City of Caves – the award recognises UK businesses that consistently receive great reviews, placing them in the top 10% of Trip Advisor listings. If, by some happenstance, you’re yet to visit one or both of these attractions, there’s no time like the present.
TRUTH
Unpicking Nottingham's urban myths
THE STRANGE CASE OF GALLOWS HILL
Since the dawn of time, Nottingham has been a reminder that buzzing cities still exist in the Midlands. From the early 60s, Notts greeted travellers from the south with eight cooling towers – once an ideal indicator for drivers to begin immediately turning off the M1. Northern travellers, however, were once greeted with more threatening images of death and decay.
Up until the early 1800s, these tired travellers from Manchester and York were first introduced to the City of Caves via two upright beams and one single transverse beam. To them this may have appeared to be a rather direct warning for anyone looking for trouble, but to locals it was known as Gallows Hill.
Toliet
Something made you laugh in the lavs?
Send your funniest quips to editorial@leftlion.co.uk
Guess the answer to this Notts themed riddle…
My first is a hue meaning life, greed, or envy
My second, an engine for blood and for energy Rising from ashes of bygone days I now provide flora on which people gaze
Criminals belonging to the county were executed here; taken from the County Hall (now the Justice Museum), through the city centre to Clumber Street, up Milton Street and finally creeping up Mansfield Road to their final destination.
The last-ever execution carried out on Gallows Hill took place on 2 April 1827. The culprit was a man known as William Wells who was sentenced to death for highway robbery. Nowadays, we simply refer to this heinous crime as toll road charges.
Before these criminals met their impending demise, the custom arose that the landlord of The Nag’s Head would provide them with a last drink of Nottingham’s finest ale. According to old scriptures and Facebook posts dating back to the 1800s, one man chose not to sup upon his ale before his departure from this earth and instead chose to meet his maker whilst being stone cold sober. A messenger came scurrying up the hill to explain his innocence, but unfortunately for him he had already been executed. This, therefore, is presumably why it is the Nottingham tradition to always finish your pint. Or so I’ve been told.
Whilst Gallows Hill is but a distant cause for dread amongst those
travellers from the north, today standing in its place, Rock Cemetery (also known as Church Cemetery) is now a more socially acceptable reminder of death. Stretching over thirteen acres of land, and dotted with lofty stone angels, grand tombstones and ivy-covered crypts, the cemetery contains scattered war graves of 81 Commonwealth service personnel of World War One, twenty of World War Two, various paupers’ graves and monuments serving as war memorials and symbols of the Victorian Era. The first ever burial in the cemetery is tragically believed to have been a local school master’s ten-month-old son. The headmaster wanted his son to be buried in ‘town land,’ and wished for his interment to take place at Rock Cemetery.
One of the cemetery’s leading attractions to taphophiles and goths alike are the caves located within the cemetery, which are rumoured to have been once marketed as catacombs – a project which ultimately failed due to the much more majestic (and much less musty) plots available above. Before the land was used as a cemetery, the caves were part of a large sand mine. Given that there are no natural caves in Nottingham, they were dug out to excavate a very fine sand which was once used as an abrasive cleaning agent.
Tours are now available for budding cemetery and cave goers. Unfortunately, in recent times there have been cases of rather questionable graffiti. One piece in particular states the artist’s current bowel movements (Google it if you dare), which raises two main concerns for me. Surely it makes more sense for the perpetrator to just go to the loo rather than addressing it in writing, but also, I find it ironic, and somewhat amusing, that these caves once mined a component for an abrasive cleaning agent. I can only hope that, for the tour guides’ sake, Cif is a mandatory part of their equipment from now on.
words: Matthew Blaney
best oF the month
Student Village
When: 4-8pm, Thu 2 October
Where: Victoria Centre
How much: Free
Victoria Centre and Clumber Street will be abuzz with activity, excitement and student friendly deals that are promised to be bigger, better, and bolder than ever before. This event, organised by It’s in Nottingham, offers our local student population live DJs, games, competitions and the chance to bag free and discounted stuff from lots of local shops. We’re told that Robin Hood himself will also be in attendance, so it’s a chance to grab that ultimate selfie to celebrate your new favourite city.
Round the Horne
When: 7.30pm, Tue 7 October
Where: Mansfield Palace Theatre
How much: £21
Between 1965 and 1968, there was no bigger radio programme in Britain than Round the Horne Every Sunday afternoon, Kenneth Horne and his crew would get up to all sorts of hijinx, with listeners sometimes reaching 15 million. Now, a brand new recreation of the show is touring the UK, and will stop in Mansfield this month.
Directed by Tim Astley, using original scripts by Barry Took and Marty Feldman, it features some of the best sketches and songs from the original 67 episodes.
Meet the Hatter When: 1.30pm & 6pm, Thu 2
October
Where: Mansfield Palace Theatre How much: £10
Meet the Hatter is a production by Joss Arnott Dance, one of the UK’s leading contemporary dance companies who this year celebrate their 15th birthday. This show integrates dance, storytelling, music, and animation as part of a reinterpretation of Alice in Wonderland, but as an original story from the perspective of the Mad Hatter. Sharing the lead role are Dominic Coffey (who recently starred in Work it Out at HOME in Manchester) and Robbie Ordoña (of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: The Movie and Netflix’s Dance 100)
Reclaim the Night
When: 6pm, Sat 18 October
Where: Starts at Sneinton Market
How much: Free
Starting as a protest march held in several UK cities in 1977, the yearly, women-only, Reclaim the Night march returns to Nottingham. If you’re unfamiliar, Reclaim the Night advocates for a guarantee of women’s safety at night, rather than a curfew, while rejecting male violence against women and girls. The event is organised by the Nottingham Women’s Centre, it’s open to all women and is trans-inclusive. This year’s march begins at Sneinton Market and ends at Nottingham Trent Students’ Union.
Lyvia
When: 7pm, Fri 3 October
Where: Rescue Rooms
How much: £16.65
A night to celebrate with local upcoming music sensation Olivia Mason (aka Lyvia). Her viral performances on the corner of Maid Marian Way helped transform her from ambitious Notts busker to national soul-rap sensation with a huge social media following (over 350k followers in Instagram). This is the home date of a national tour that also takes in Leeds, London and Manchester. Support comes from London-based Sissy Ford and fellow Notts-based singer songwriter Alfie Sharp.
To Kill a Mockingbird
When: 7.30pm, Wed 8 - Sat 18
October
Where: Nottingham Playhouse
How much: From £15.50
The award-winning stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, which became a Broadway and West End sensation on both sides of the Atlantic, is now here in Nottingham, to be performed at our very own Playhouse. Acclaimed actor Richard Coyle is returning to this production as Atticus Finch after his astounding performance in its 2022 West End production. The book itself, once banned, is an internationally loved tale that continues to resonate with audiences.
Sunk When: 7.30pm, Mon 6 October
Where: The Grove
How much: £8.80
Since LeftLion reviewed their very first live gig, back in November 2024, Notts duo Sunk have gone from strength to strength, playing loved venues like The Chapel and Metronome, plus even bagging a spot slot for John Lydon’s Rock City show back in June. Now, they’re headlining the small yet mighty Grove for what will certainly be an intimate yet raucously fun gig. This gig is brought to you by Picky New Promotions and support on the night comes from Cruelty and Apewards.
Hood Beer and Cider
When: Thu 9 - Sat 11 October
Where: Trent Bridge
How much: From £10
Trent Bridge, the home of Nottinghamshire CCC, is hosting for the fifth time one of the UK’s largest beer and cider fairs, featuring over 500 beers and 100 ciders from local and national brewers. Vegan-friendly, unfined beers will be present, as well as all-natural, traditional apple ciders. Organised by Nottingham CAMRA, ticket prices for the festival have been reduced this year, so if you enjoy a pint and supporting independent businesses, then why not combine the two?
Robin
Festival
best oF the month
Heather Agyepong
When: From Fri 10 October
Where: New Art Exchange
How much: Free
Heather Agyepong is a British Ghanaian visual artist, whose latest body of work From Sunrise to Sunset, She Worked to Reform Herself: Part 1 will be featured at the New Art Exchange in this new show running til January. The title of the exhibition comes from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Agyepong’s artworks explore themes of grind culture, white supremacy, capitalism and ignoring our body’s needs. Check this show out if you need some forward thinking art in your life.
Merlin When: Wed 15 - Sat 18 October
Where: Theatre Royal
How much: From £17.00
A ballet focused on the world’s most famous sorcerer is gracing the Theatre Royal, brought to life through sets, costumes, and spectacular special effects. The Northern Ballet has taken on this legendary myth with their usual mix of dance and storytelling, with the work of Olivier Award-winning choreographer Drew McOnie also featured. As immersive experiences at the theatre go, this one is set to be truly top notch. Read our interview with dancer Kevin Poeung on p52 for more information.
Print Fair
When: Fri 10 - Sun 12 October
Where: Nottingham
Contemporary
How much: Give What You Can
An annual event at the city centre art gallery, this year with over 35 stalls and over three days. This event is a showcase for printmakers, illustrators, artists, designers, zine makers and textile designers working across the wide variety of print specialisms including screen print, lino print, risograph, etching, photography, digital print and more. Find a full line-up of creatives in attendance on the Nottingham Contemporary website. It’s also a good place to grab some very unique and early Christmas presents.
We Move in Close Circles
When: Thu 16 to Sun 19 October
Where: Private homes
How much: £5
This is an immersive 18+ show taking place in a range of private homes in Sneinton. Each night is a different location and the venues are revealed upon booking. It’s put together by Salamèche, Orley Quick and Sam Pardes and explores the beautiful mess of inviting others into our lives. Responding to widespread anxieties of belonging and inclusion, the performance draws from institutional hospitality, therapy-speak and reality TV to explore the relationship between care and control. Part of nottdance 2025.
Gecko When: 7pm, Sat 11 October
Where: Fisher Gate Point
How much: £6.13
South London singer-storyteller Gecko comes to Nottingham in support of his new album, The Big Picture. Gecko has previously performed across the world including at Glastonbury, Latitude, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, the Edinburgh Fringe & the BAFTA winning Sky Arts TV show ‘Life & Rhymes’. Labelled a “work of art” by legendary poet Benjamin Zephaniah, Gecko is guaranteed to enlighten and uplift you on what might be a fairly dark Saturday evening in October. Support comes from Midlands singer Erica Jean.
When: Sun 19 October
Where: Various venues
How Much: From £10.98
It’s that time of year again! Since 2006 the Hockley Hustle music and arts festival has raised over £230,000 for over twenty charities and this year it will once again fill Notts city centre with culture, chaos and fun. With over 400 performers all crammed in for slots on one day, reaching from Rough Trade to Rescue Rooms, the city is always buzzing with good vibes at this festival. There’s even a kid-friendly ‘Young Hustlers’ arm for little ones. If you’re yet to experience the hustle, why not make this year your first?
Crazy Little Sing Called Pub
When: 6.30-9.30pm, Tue 14
October
Where: Malt Cross
How much: £12
Crazy Little Sing Called Pub continues to be one of our city’s great prides. Created by musician Abi Moore, this communal choir with a twist sees strangers get together in venues around the country to sing pop and rock anthems. No previous singing experience is needed. If you can head along to this October edition, we very much recommend itit’s a great activity to uplift your spirits during dark, autumn days. Plus The Malt Cross is basically the spiritual home of this event.
Mrs Warren’s Profession
When: Thu 23 & Sat 26 October
Where: Savoy Cinema
How much: £11-16
This National Theatre Live production of the century old drama stars national treasure Imelda Staunton and her real-life daughter Bessie Carter, taking up the mother and daughter lead roles. As a classic depiction of the clash between morality and independence, this play is one you’ll certainly come away from with your mind and imagination enriched. This performance was filmed live in the West End earlier this year and is now available to enjoy in the Savoy Cinema’s comfy, art-deco surroundings.
Hockley Hustle
best oF the month
HAIM ‘I Quit’ Tour
When: Fri 24 October
Where: Motorpoint Arena
How much: From £54.80
Haim’s UK arena tour is kicking off in Nottingham this October to perform their new album I Quit. This is their first release since Women in Music, Pt. III in 2020 garnered them a Brit Award. This album not only won a Brit, but it also received two Grammy Award nominations and made HAIM the first all-female rock group to be included in the Grammy’s top category. With such a reception, this album and its tour is sure to follow in its prized footsteps.
Samhain Pagan Market
When: 12-6pm, Sat 25 October,
Where: Sneinton Market
How much: Free
Time to celebrate the coming of the dark, contemplative half of the year and the thinning of the veil. The Samhain Pagan Market at Sneinton Market Avenues is in its sixth year and it’s still growing! This year there will be over 100 witchy artists and artisans plus live music, theatre, dance, and more. The nights are getting longer and the spirits and witches are coming out to play. Don’t be afraid of the dark! Be your spookiest self and come celebrate Samhain. Organised by MinorOak and Pagan Pride.
Ballet Black: Shadows
When: 7.30pm, Fri 24 October
Where: Theatre Royal
How much: From £19.50 to £44.50
Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black have been giving a helping hand to promote Black and Asian dancers, in the predominately white world of ballet, since 2001. This is their first time at the Theatre Royal, after several previous appearances at the Playhouse. Shadows features two unique performances on the same bill. First up is an adaptation of the Oyinkan Braithwaite novel My Sister, The Serial Killer. The bill is then completed by a ‘shadow ballet’ from Brooklyn choreographer Chanel DaSilva, making her British choreographic debut.
Bongo’s Bingo: Carnevil
When: 25, 28 & 31 October
Where: The Palais
How much: £18
Fast-growing, nationally loved night-out Bongo’s Bingo will this month transform into a twisted circus of chaos, confetti, and carnage over at The Palais. Known for inclusively welcoming adults of all ages, Bongo’s Bingo revitalizes the activity sometimes stereotyped as one for care homes, with lots of unexpected prizes and audience participation involved. Their Carnevil addition will feature creepy clowns, freaky prizes and lots more additions to help get you into the Halloween spirit.
Bad Betty Live
When: 6.30pm, Fri 24 October
Where: New Art Exchange
How much: £7.21
Nottingham-based, London-born publisher Bad Betty Press are truly special, having made their name since 2017 as bold promoters of forward-thinking poetry and performance. This month, they’re taking over the New Art Exchange for an exciting evening of poetry and live music, featuring performances from Desree, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Hasti, and local songwriter Davina Songbird. The hosts will be Bad Betty co-founder Jake Wild Hall, plus local poet (and former LeftLion editor) Bridie Squires, with BSL interpretation by Steph Lehrle.
It's In Nottingham
Halloween Festival
When: Sat 25 Oct - Sun 2 Nov
Where: Across the city centre
How much: Various
It’s In Nottingham, Nottingham’s business improvement district, is offering plenty of entertainment for families this spooky season. Most prominently the inflatable monsters will be returning to rooftops across the city. Can you and your little ones get round and spot them all? There’s also a Monster Mash party for families at Nottingham Castle, featuring a Strolling Bones Parade of skeleton puppets. Finally there are Monster bus tours around the city if you want to see the monsters sitting down. Visit their website or app for details.
Clubland Halloween
When: Sat 25 October
Where: The Nest
How much: From £31.90
Halloween day rave anyone? This is one of several new events this month at The Nest, a relatively new venue opened by Notts County FC and located right next to their stadium. Prepare yourself for a day and evening filled with frighteningly fantastic costumes and even more scarily stunning trance artists. On the line-up are Liverpool duo Ultrabeat, Swedish Eurodance DJ Basshunter and Ian Van Dahl, known for the 2000s dance hit “Castles in the Sky”. Dance the day and night away in your best, most glamorous Halloween outfit!
When: Thu 30 October
Where: The Angel Microbrewery
How much: £14.30
Coliguns are a noise rock and mathcore band from Switzerland, with a long history flying the flag for DIY music stretching back to 2011. Known for their raw and euphoric performances, these seasoned rockers are bringing their show to Hockley hub The Angel, with support coming from local act Dim Bulbs. If you’re one of the few who haven’t yet experienced the welcoming, DIY, slightly alternative, and sometimes grungy atmosphere of The Angel, and its associated live music spot The Chapel, this could be a great moment to do so.
Coilguns
Contemporary craft and design market
Friday 7 November, 6-8pm
Saturday 8 November, 10am-5pm
Sunday 9 November, 10am-4pm
Lakeside Arts, University Park, NG7 2RD lakesidearts.org.uk/Lustre
Image: Becca Macdonald
best oF the month
Bat Out Of Hell
When: Thu 30 Oct & Sun 2 Nov
Where: Arc Cinema Beeston
How much: From £16.95
A West End rock and roll experience will be gracing the biggest screen in Beeston this Halloween. With a cast from the West End bringing Jim Steinman and Meatloaf’s iconic hits to life, this performance promises to be a heart-pounding experience.
Featuring a powerhouse eightpiece live band on the stage, the production is delivered across multi-level platforms that carry you from Raven’s bedroom to the underground world of the lost. A spooky spectacular, pushing the boundaries of live theatre, but it will be gone when the morning comes.
When: Until Sat 22 November
Where: National Justice Museum
How much: £14
There's currently a brand new tour at the National Justice Museum on High Pavement, which was recently recognised in Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards. Ghosts of the Gaol is a spooky tour through the building’s historic, preserved gaols, exploring the macabre history of its prisoners and paranormal incidents. Needless to say, the National Justice Museum has also been voted one of the UK’s most haunted buildings, so if you need a good, cultural activity to celebrate the spooky season, this should be well suited.
Gogol Bordello
When: Thu 30 October
Where: Rock City
How much: £30
Gogol Bordello are a long established punk band, formed in New York City, and fronted to this day by Ukrainian artist Eugene Hütz. With links to the mythic NYC bar CBGB, they’ve performed across the world with artists like System of a Down and Primus, plus worked with big names like Rick Rubin and Steve Albini. This month they’re headlining Rock City, while midway through touring their latest album Solidaritine. They’re also a band constantly standing against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, having partnered with lots of charities in solidarity with the country.
The Lovely Eggs
When: 7pm, Fri 31 October
Where: Metronome
How much: From £20
The Lovely Eggs is a prime example of a band where art, creativity, and expression has consumed their lives for the last 20 years. After two decades of pursuing their career on their own terms, creating records, participating in art and TV shows, the band will be marking their 20th anniversary with a performance in Nottingham. Thought to be one of the most exciting and genuine bands around, this performance is welcoming current and introducing new fans to their world of innovation and entertainment.
The Show for Young Men
When: Sat 1 November
Where: Nottingham
Contemporary
How much: £5
As part of nottdance Festival 2025, Glasgow-based arts company Guesthouse Projects are bringing their new dance and performance show to the Nottingham Contemporary. The Show for Young Men challenges outdated traditions of manhood, championing boys’ and men’s capacities for care, friendship and vulnerability. It explores the complexities of modern day masculinity via physical duets and heartfelt choreography. created and performed by novice ten year old dancer Alfie and mid-forties seasoned performer Robbie Synge.
How much: Free (booking required)
This intriguing exhibition showcases the work of two artists: William English and Sandra Cross. Their collaborative partnership goes back to the 1970s, when they founded a restaurant in London called The Dining Room, which was a radically inclusive community space. After its closure in 1990, the duo pursued their life as artists and made photography, sculpture, soundscapes, and archival material exploring themes of food and UK communities. Located on the NTU city campus, Bonington Gallery is also a particularly relaxing and enjoyable art spot to visit.
Kate MccGwire is a British sculptor who creates pieces often made from feathers and themed around the natural world. Her current exhibition at Lakeside Arts: Quiver showcases the impressive diversity of her work, from giant serpentine forms, cascades of feathers, and small objects behind glass. As a whole her work explores beauty and unease in equal measure: definitely a great exhibition to check out if you’re over enjoying the pretty, atmospheric surroundings of Highfields Park this autumn and winter.
Basel Abbas & Ruanne AbouRahme are a Palestinian artist duo, who have brought their new, multi-media installation: Prisoners of Love: Until the Sun of Freedom, to the Nottingham Contemporary this month. The pair create their work through sampling and layering audio visual materials to create a ‘poetics of resistance’. This particular installation presents songs, poems, and sounds associated with prisoners, which allows the two artists to explore themes of freedom and justice.
Ghosts of the Gaol
To Farse All Things
When: Until Sat 13 Dec
Where: Bonington Gallery
Quiver by Kate MccGwire When: Until Sun 4 January Where: Lakeside Arts How much: Free
Prisoners of Love: Until the Sun of Freedom When: Until Sun 11 Jan
Where: Nottingham Contemporary How much: Free
Saturday 18 Octoberpart of nottdance 2025.
Visit the nottdance website to book tickets
Image from Rinse by Amrita Hepi and Mish Grigor, showing at Lakeside Arts,
Photographer: Zan Wimberley.