LeftLion

Last updated

LeftLion
EditorSophie Gargett
(June 2023 – present)
Editor-in-chiefJared Wilson
(February 2009 – present)
CategoriesArts and culture magazine
FrequencyMonthly
Total circulation10,000
FounderJared Wilson, Alan Gilby and Tim Bates
First issue1 September  2003 (2003-09-01)
CompanyLeftLion Ltd
Country United Kingdom
Based in Nottingham, England, UK
LanguageEnglish
Website www.leftlion.co.uk

LeftLion is a monthly arts and culture magazine and website based in Nottingham, England. The publication takes its name from a stone statue in Nottingham's Old Market Square, also known colloquially as 'the left lion', which has served as a meeting point for city residents since Nottingham Council House was built in 1929.

Contents

Originating in 2003 as a website with a focus on alternative culture, the magazine tends to be written in an informal or colloquial style, often including elements of Nottingham dialect.

Overview and history

Established as a website in autumn 2003 by three childhood friends, Jared Wilson, Alan Gilby and Tim Bates, the first issue of the printed LeftLion magazine was published in 2004. [1] For the next ten years, the printed magazine was published bi-monthly.

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, LeftLion began to be published on a monthly basis in 2014, [2] from which time it has continued to be a monthly publication, distributed via venues, public buildings and businesses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Monthly issues are often loosely themed; past themes have included the climate crisis, well-being and transhumanism.

The online magazine, which is operated concurrently to the magazine and shares many of the same articles, is updated daily. Both the website and printed magazine contain listings of upcoming events in and around the city of Nottingham.


Contributors

Written and visual content in LeftLion is generally provided by a range of creatives who largely live within or have connections to the city of Nottingham, a majority of whom contribute on a voluntary basis. Past contributors have included actor Paul Kaye, musician Miles Hunt, author Nicola Monaghan, and poet and producer Henry Normal. Nadia Whittome, the MP for Nottingham East, writes a monthly column in the magazine.

The magazine is currently edited by Sophie Gargett. [3] Previous editors have included George White, Bridie Squires, Alison Emm, Al Needham, and Jared Wilson. The magazine's artistic team is run by Alan Gilby and Natalie Owen.

Interviewees

As well as engaging with local creatives and people of interest, LeftLion has often interviewed prominent national and international figures. These include: actors Bella Ramsey, Tom Blyth and Juliette Lewis; comedians Bill Bailey, Noel Fielding, Alexei Sayle, Richard Herring and Ed Byrne; musicians Public Enemy, The Prodigy, Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascal, Sleaford Mods, Jake Bugg, Jorja Smith and Klaxons; magician Derren Brown; writers Alan Moore, Gary Younge, Alan Sillitoe, Alice Oswald and Jon McGregor; fashion designer Paul Smith; poets Andrew Motion, Benjamin Zephaniah and Henry Normal; directors Shane Meadows and Jonathan Glazer; cricket player Alex Hales; and The Sheriff of Nottingham.

LeftLion was the last publication to interview Nottingham author Alan Sillitoe [4] and journalist Ray Gosling.

Awards and press

In late 2006 and 2007, LeftLion was nominated for a series of awards including Best Free Music Magazine by Record of the Day, Ambassadors of Nottingham by BBC Radio Nottingham. [5] The Nottingham Evening Post referred to them as "the high priests of Nottingham culture".

In 2009, LeftLion won the 'Writing and Publishing' award at the Nottingham Creative Business Awards, in a ceremony held at the Nottingham Council House on 7 October 2009. They were also runners-up for the award of Creative Business of the Year. [6]

In 2012 The Guardian cited LeftLion as being partially responsible for an "artistic boom" in Nottingham in an interview with Game of Thrones actor Joe Dempsie who also said that the magazine "played a massive part in Nottingham's sense of creative identity." [7]

In 2013, the publication celebrated its tenth anniversary with BBC's East Midlands Today running a feature interview, [8] and BBC Online running a photo gallery. [9]

In 2018 LeftLion celebrated their fifteenth birthday by releasing their 100th printed issue and then a book titled LeftLion: 100 Covers, which gathered together the cover artwork from their back catalogue. [10]

In August 2023, LeftLion released their 20th anniversary issue, which featured several highlights of the magazine's first two decades.

Events

In addition to producing written content, videos and podcasts, LeftLion frequently sponsors and runs live cultural events in Nottingham. During 2006 LeftLion worked with "A Drop In The Ocean", a citywide music festival that raised £27,200 for charity.

Musical acts and artists that have played at LeftLion events include Liam Bailey, Jake Bugg, Thepetebox, Natalie Duncan, Amusement Parks on Fire, Thepetebox, Lightspeed Champion, Love Ends Disaster!, Bent and Crazy Penis.

Related Research Articles

<i>NME</i> British music journalism website and former magazine

New Musical Express (NME) is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a free publication, before becoming an online brand which includes its website and radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Sillitoe</span> English writer

Alan Sillitoe FRSL was an English writer and one of the so-called "angry young men" of the 1950s. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied. He is best known for his debut novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and his early short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", both of which were adapted into films.

<i>Entertainment Weekly</i> American digital magazine

Entertainment Weekly is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture. The magazine debuted on February 16, 1990, in New York City, and ceased print publication in 2022.

<i>net</i> (magazine) Internet magazine

net was a monthly print magazine that published content on web development and design. Founded in 1994, the magazine was published in the UK by Future plc. It was widely recognized as the premiere print publication for web designers.

<i>Vibe</i> (magazine) American music and entertainment magazine

Vibe is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in the summer of 2009, it was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners, then issued bi-monthly with double covers and a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip hop culture. In 2014, the magazine discontinued its print version.

Frank Robinson was an eccentric street entertainer in Nottingham, England. He was by far Nottingham's best known busker and was regularly seen around Nottingham City Centre for over fifteen years. His favourite busking place was outside of the C&A store in the Lister Gate area of the city.

<i>Urb</i> (magazine) American music, and urban lifestyle and culture magazine

Urb was a monthly American magazine devoted to electronic music, hip hop and urban lifestyle and culture. Based in Los Angeles, California, the magazine was founded in 1990 by Raymond Roker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Rignall</span>

Julian "Jaz" Rignall is a writer and editor. He has also produced content for corporate websites such as GamePro Media, publisher of GamePro magazine and GamePro.com, marketing collateral and advertising campaigns.

<i>Sound on Sound</i> British music technology magazine

Sound on Sound is a monthly music technology magazine. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals. Due to its technical focus, it is predominantly aimed at the professional recording studio market as well as artist project studios and home recording enthusiasts.

<i>ON Magazine</i>

OutNow Newsmagazine, also known as ON and ON Magazine was a monthly lifestyle magazine that targeted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) members of the gay community in the San Francisco Bay Area. OutNow had been published since 1992 from its headquarters in San Jose, California, in the Silicon Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumac Centre</span>

The Sumac Centre is a self-managed social centre in Nottingham, UK. It provides resources, meeting spaces and workshops for groups and individuals, and supports campaigning for human rights, animal rights, the environment, and peace. It is part of the UK Social Centre Network and the radical catering group Veggies is based at the centre. It receives no regular funding, the core groups each pay rent that goes toward the mortgage and running costs. Some of the groups are run by volunteers. Its origins can to traced to the Rainbow Centre, which was established in 1984.

<i>SLUG Magazine</i> US magazine

SLUG Magazine, SLUG being an acronym for Salt Lake UnderGround, is a free monthly magazine based in Salt Lake City, Utah. SLUG Magazine features music, lifestyle, arts and events with interviews, reviews and articles.

The Television Workshop, formerly known as the Central Junior Television Workshop is a British organisation that offers training for young people in performance skills for television, film, radio and theatre. Open to anybody between the ages of 7 and 21, the selection process takes place via an annual audition processes which is held each spring.

<i>Stranger</i> (magazine) 2004–2007 British bi-monthly lifestyle magazine

Stranger was a bi-monthly creative lifestyle magazine based in Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom that focused on the alternative, creative, non-metrocentric side of British culture. Since its first local issue on September 2004, the magazine became distributed worldwide and featured articles relating to the environment, current affairs, music, fashion, and surf and skate culture. It ended publication in September 2007.

<i>Femme Fatales</i> (magazine)

Femme Fatales was an American men's magazine focusing on film and television actresses. It was in circulation between 1992 and 2008.

<i>Paper</i> (magazine) Fashion magazine

Paper is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art, and film. Initially produced monthly, the magazine eventually became a quarterly publication, and a digital version was made available online at papermag.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Arts Theatre</span> Theatre in Nottingham, United Kingdom

Nottingham Arts Theatre is a theatre on George Street in Nottingham, England. Formerly known as the Co-op Arts Theatre, it is located in the former George Street Particular Baptist Church building.

The Rock City Crew were a group of breakdancers based in Nottingham in the 1980s. The crew was founded by Rock City nightclub DJ Jonathan Woodliffe. Woodliffe was involved in starting the successful Saturday afternoon hip hop jams at Rock City as well as the club night on Fridays which attracted people from across the UK. The Saturday afternoon jams were initially set up at the request of Trent FM, who later pulled out, and provided an opportunity for young kids to display their dancing skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning Bolt (song)</span> 2012 single by Jake Bugg

"Lightning Bolt" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jake Bugg. It was released on 27 April 2012 in the United Kingdom via digital download, the third from his self-titled debut studio album Jake Bugg (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Run</span> British indie rock band

Amber Run are a British indie rock band from Nottingham, composed of Joshua "Joe" Keogh, Tom Sperring, and Henry Wyeth. The band have released three full-length albums, three mini-albums, and five EPs. Initially called Amber, they later changed their name to avoid conflict with the German dance-pop singer of same name.

References

  1. "About LeftLion - Leftlion - Nottingham Culture". leftlion.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  2. "What the lions in Old Market Square area actually called". Nottingham Post.
  3. "LeftLion Appoint Sophie Gargett As New Editor - Leftlion - Nottingham Culture". leftlion.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. "Alan Sillitoe: I've always strongly believed in a meritocracy". The Independent. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  5. "Roaring for Nottingham". BBC News. April 2007.
  6. "Wayback Machine Archive of Nottingham Creative Business Awards website". December 2009. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009.
  7. "Joe Dempsie: 'There's a parting of the ways between actors and celebrities'". BBC News. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  8. "Ten years of city's culture magazine". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  9. "Magazine marks its 10th birthday". BBC News. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  10. "15 years, 100 covers…" . Retrieved 12 April 2018.