#122 February 2020
12 -19 FEBRUARY
NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE AND CURIOSITY
CELEBRATING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHS WITH FUN HANDS-ON FAMILY ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE CITY
EVENINGS 12 - 19 FEBRUARY
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SCIENCE AFTER DARK POPULAR SCIENCE TALKS, COMEDY AND PERFORMANCES FOR ADULTS IN YOUR FAVOURITE CITY CENTRE VENUES
WWW.NOTTSFOSAC.CO.UK
@NOTTSFOSAC
Credits
Contents
Games Master Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk) Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk) Editor Ashley Carter (ashley.carter@leftlion.co.uk) Assistant Editor Emily Thursfield (emily.thursfield@leftlion.co.uk) Listings and Food Editor Eve Smallman (eve.smallman@leftlion.co.uk) Editor-at-Large Bridie Squires (bridie.squires@leftlion.co.uk)
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My First Gaming Obsession
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Game Plan
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A Quidditch Player in Notts
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Make Room
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Across the Board
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When Duty Calls
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Go Figure
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Under Cover Artist
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Out of Time
Designer Natalie Owen (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)
Creative Digital Assistant Curtis Powell (curtis.powell@leftlion.co.uk) Videographer Georgianna Scurfield (georgi.scurfield@leftlion.co.uk) Web Developers Tom Errington (tom.errington@leftlion.co.uk) Hamza Hussain (hamza.hussain@leftlion.co.uk) Community Editor Caroline Barry (caroline.barry@leftlion.co.uk) Fashion Editor Anna Murphy (anna.murphy@leftlion.co.uk) Literature Editor Kate Hewett (kate.hewett@leftlion.co.uk) Music Editors Eileen Pegg (eileen.pegg@leftlion.co.uk) Becky Timmins (becky.timmins@leftlion.co.uk) Screen Editors Jamie Morris (jamie.morris@leftlion.co.uk) George White (george.white@leftlion.co.uk Stage Editors Rebecca Buck (rebecca.buck@leftlion.co.uk) Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk) Sports Editor Gemma Fenyn (gemma.fenyn@leftlion.co.uk) Photography Editors Tom Quigley (tom.quigley@leftlion.co.uk) Fabrice Gagos (fabrice.gagos@leftlion.co.uk)
We popped over to Newstead Village to check out the Nottingham branch of Fools and Heroes, the nationwide LARP community, as they embarked on a day of adventure...
The Great Escape
Our Editor Ashley Carter spent two weeks solving puzzles, finding clues and opening locks to bring you the comprehensive guide to Nottingham’s impressive escape room community...
Missing lectures, avoiding your friends and family, going for days on hardly any sleep... Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. We round up the best stories of your first gaming obsessions
Thought Quidditch was consigned to the pages of Harry Potter? Think again. We find out what it’s all about from a member of the Nottingham Nightmares Quidditch team…
Writers Andrea Hadley-Johnson Polly Jean-Harrison Zach Harrison Addie Kenogbon Sam Nahirny Laura Phillips Adrian Reynolds Joe Robinson Derry Shillitto
We catch up with University of Nottingham alumnus Andy Wilson, Chief Operating Off icer of Sledgehammer Games, the company behind gaming monoliths like Call of Duty and Mafia III
Raphael Achache gives us the lowdown on his cover, which blends the LeftLion team with famous gaming characters and lobs them together on a Guess Who? board
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Featured Contributor
LeftLion Magazine has an estimated readership of 40,000 and is distributed to over 350 venues across the city of Nottingham. If your venue isn’t one of them, or you’d like to advertise, contact Adam on 0115 9240476, email adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk or visit leftlion.co.uk/rates
@leftlion
Spinning a Story
LeftLion’s Editor-at-Large, belting poet and all-round renaissance woman Bridie Squires gives us the inside scoop the one-woman show created from her experiences as a croupier: Casino Zero
The Nottingham video game developer behind titles like Homefront: The Revolution and Dead Island talk to Screen Co-Editor George White about the past, present and future of Dambuster Studios
What do you get when you cross an escape room company with a leading tabletop gaming franchise? A Warhammer 40,000 escape room, that’s what...
Gaming Addiction
We talked to Nottingham Trent University’s worldrenowned expert on gaming addiction, Dr. Mark Griff iths, about what it really means to be addicted to video games
With an aim to balance the gender scales in tabletop gaming, Annie Norman’s Bad Squiddo Games is selling the largest array of realistic female miniatures in the world...
Did you know that Nottingham hosted one of the most legendary chess tournaments of all time in 1936?
@leftlionmagazine
Thanks to All Our Supporters Julian Bower, Frances & Garry Bryan, Nigel Cooke, Caroline Gilby, Rachel Hancorn, Rhys Hawkins, Friday Club Presents, David Knight, D Lawson, Barbara Morgan, Ron Mure, Reg & Lynette, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Dr Lesley Prince, In memory of Jenny Smith, Jed Southgate, Spicer, Ivy House Environmental, Nigel Tamplin, James Wright
Photographers Sandra Bartley Diksha Chettri Mann Hans Charlie Ellis Nigel King Tom Morley Tom Patterson Jennifer Warrior Illustrators Liv Auckland Leosaysays Jenny Mure Agnes Papp Corrina Rothwell Alex Vine Carmel Ward
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Notts-based tabletop games studio Needy Cat have worked with world-famous names to create innovative, exciting board games, and are now gearing up to launch their very own
Cover and Poster Raphael Achache Interns Ali Taylor-Perry Megan Hill Christopher Post Emilie Mendham
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Only Fools and Heroes
Sub-Editor Lauren Carter-Cooke
Sales and Marketing Manager Adam Pickering (adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk)
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George White George is a 22-year old student at NTU, where he is studying for a Masters in Magazine Journalism. He has contributed film reviews and articles to LeftLion since the start of his course, and recently became co-editor of the Screen section. George hosts a film podcast, Three Guys Talk Film, with his uni mates and has written about movies for several different websites. He is keen to celebrate Nottingham’s outstanding film culture, and all the weird and wonderful things that make the city so great. He also has strong links to the cinematic industry (he was once tweeted by Amy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
Love reading a free, independent magazine every month? Become a LeftLion Supporter. We’ll post you every print issue, plus treats. leftlion.co.uk/supporters
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Editorial I thought; the character was already called Ash. The problem was, there was no option to save the game so, for about three months, the PC had to be left on at all times. One day, during our weekly argument, my sister hovered her finger over the power button, with the aim of making me nervous enough to apologise for some misdeed or another. I regrettably called her bluff and, with the single push of a button, she sucked my entire Poké-world, including a level 30 Primeape, into the electrical oblivion. My reaction would have shamed the Tasmanian Devil, as I immediately whirled into a babyish blind-rage, smashing anything and everything I could get near in her room. When the dust settled, I was left sweatybrowed and panting, standing ashamed over my destruction. The fact that the loss of some made-up Japanese monsters brought me to that level of emotion was, frankly, terrifying, and my parents made the wise decision to keep me away from video games for the foreseeable future – a decision that has stuck for life (other than the odd European Cup winning campaign with Derby County on Football Manager, obviously).
While trying to think of what to write for my Editorial this month, my mind wandered back to my own history with games, and to the fact that, despite loving the medium, I’ve never actually owned a games console of any kind. I was about thirteen years old when the Pokémon craze swept through my school like Beatlemania. For a time, the cards replaced pounds and pence as the school’s off icial currency, and pretty much everyone was trying to catch ‘em all on their Gameboys. My mate had managed to get hold of a PC-friendly version of the game, and was selling floppy disks (I’ll admit it – I’m a little long in the tooth) with it on for 50p – or one Poliwhirl card in old money. I eagerly bit his hand off for a copy and, commandeering my sister’s PC, eagerly launched the game, quickly falling down the rabbit hole of collecting, fi ghting and exploring the incredibly addictive world. It was kismet,
I’m not entirely sure what the point of the story is here, other than to acknowledge the power to entertain, occupy and obsess that video games have over us. You younger readers are among the first generation to be raised by parents who grew up as gamers, and we’re now living in a time where video games have overtaken music, television and films as the primary source of entertainment in the world. What better theme then to dedicate an issue of LeftLion to?
Ashley Carter, Editor ashley.carter@leftlion.co.uk
Now, if you don’t mind, I’d hate to spoil such a beautiful afternoon on such beautiful land with any further unpleasantries Jennifer Warrior
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Tactical nuke, incoming! Diksha Chettri @diksha_chettri2609
Through the Fire and Flames attempt #84 Charlie Ellis @charlieellisphoto
Notts Shots
A wild Diglett appeared… Tom Patterson @tapatto
Available from your local Vespucci Surfing store Sandra Bartley @sandrabphotography
Want to have your work featured? Send your high-res photos from around the city, including your full name and best web link, to photography@leftlion.co.uk
The last thing she remembered was a monk chanting “Wololo” Nigel King nigelking.photograph
Now get off your couch and go skate Tom Quigley tomquigley.co.uk
Ah, there’s nothing like the hot winds of Hell blowing in your face. Mann Hans @mannhansphotography
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interview and photo: Georgianna Scurfield
‘ Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on... Scrabble We played a lot of Scrabble when we were children. It was all Ted Heath’s fault, when he introduced a three day week. The whole country had to find new ways to pass the time. We reckon he had shares in Waddingtons. We never won at it either. We can barely read or write.
Leigh “We’re here for a ‘Magic: The Gathering’ tournament. There was a prerelease of cards this morning, so everyone has to play with whatever random selection they received. I’m not playing though, I’m not very good at it! I prefer stuff to do with Pokémon. I’m here with my friend Vic and her boyfriend. And my boyfriend, but he’s busy playing in the tournament. I think board game cafes are a good way to come and meet up with friends – they’re not too expensive, you get food and they have all sorts of games you can rent out and play. I’m a student at Trent, I study fashion. My particular style is quite gothic and witchy. I want to start my own line, to bring gothic clothing more out there, rather than the casual, sporty stuff. There’s so much variation when it comes to gothic style, you can do whatever you want. It’s more of an idea to explore. If your favourite colour is pink, wear pink. I have a comfortable style – just lots of black, apart from the hair. My clothes are my external style but my hair represents my true personality. I’m proud of the way I express myself. I’ll wear anything I want, go out with confidence, and be glad I still feel like myself without keeping up a façade for other people’s benefit. It’s taken me a while to get to that state. I was bullied for just being how I am. I’ve learnt to live with it. More than that: enjoy it. Don’t ever be afraid to be a bit different.”
words: Adrian Reynolds illustration: Corrina Rothwell
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Colditz This was a board game based upon the TV show starring Robert Wagner. No matter how many times Mother read us the rules we couldn’t understand them. You needed some kind of university degree to escape from that place. Trivial Pursuit When we were teenagers our parents bought us a version of Trivial Pursuit which came with a music CD. At first it went well, but eventually it just became a massive shouting match between us. A Question of Sport We had this in the eighties. Our sister knew more about sport than the rest of the family together. She kept shouting the name “Jack Nicklaus” and we just ignored her. Turns out she was right. Her first husband was a keen golfer. Computer Games We’ve never ever played computer games. Never had any of them at home and never bothered to play them in the arcade. It’s just not our thing – you have to realise we’re coggin’ on a bit. Escape Rooms A few people who come into the shop have told us about them. It sounds terrifying, we hate the idea. It’d just be us two screaming “Help” and “Please let us out” at a door for an hour.
Pick Six
We’ve tasked Escapologic’s Key Master Simon Stokes with choosing a few of his favourite things...
Book S – J J Abrams & Doug Dorst This book was recommended to me by a friend who got my psyche completely. It’s one of the only interactive books which is tangible, immersive and offers different conclusions at every turn. I would recommend S to any hungry mind.
Meal Sunday Dinner My boys insist on ‘Dad’s dinner’ every week. It feels like the one time that as a family, we are completely dedicated to sitting down, and enjoying the company of friends, family and neighbours. Free for all on the roasties!
Film Superman (1978) “You will believe a man can fly”, and I certainly did. My first cinematic experience, and I cherish the memories it evokes each time I hit play. It’s such a magical film for its age, which is, of course, timeless. Superman was the first time I ever visited a cinema, so it obviously holds a very special place for me.
Holiday Destination Antiparos My wife and I first travelled there on our honeymoon, and subsequently fell even further in love. We still visit every year as a family. It’s a small island, a little off the beaten path, and it takes nearly 24hrs to get there but, hell yeah, it’s worth the journey!
Song Electric Dreams by Phil Oakey and Gergio Moroder I love a silly song. I’m also not ashamed to say that I’m a huge fan of cheese, despite my wife’s disgust! I’ve always been a fan of any great movie soundtrack (not Armageddon or Titanic though), but if I had to pick just one song, it would have to be this.
Notts Spot Prudential Building, King Street I’m a huge fan of Victorian architecture. But this spot, which was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, is my personal favourite; it’s only rivalled by St Pancras. It’s nice to know that St Pancras’ heritage originated locally to me too. escapologic.com
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ONLY FOOLS AND HEROES photos: Fabrice Gagos
Gaming isn’t just about smashing controllers and passing Go for £200, you know. In the UK alone, thousands of people regularly meet up to get involved in live action role-play. We decided to head along to the Nottingham branch of Fools and Heroes, a UK-based LARP society, to get a peek into the world of high fantasy, magic, monsters and mystery… For the uninitiated, live action role-play (or LARP), is a form of role-playing where participants create and physically portray characters in a real-world setting that often includes adventures, narratives, banquets and combat with like minded LARPers in a safe, inclusive setting. While it might not receive much media attention, LARP serves as a huge source of immersive entertainment for thousands of people who find that
video games, books and films don’t quite scratch that fantasy itch. The good folk at the Nottingham branch of Fools and Heroes – a nationwide LARP society with 21 branches that run events every weekend – were kind enough to allow us to visit their recent event near Newstead Village. We’re not going to lie; it looked like an absolute blast… foolsandheroes.org/branches/nottingham
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#425CF2
My First...
gaming obsession
My first game console was a Master System 2. Before that, I would play on my dad’s Spectrum and watch my mate’s older brother playing on his Nes. I was obsessed with Alex Kidd since it was my first console; I didn't understand how it worked though. I switched my Master System on, and was shocked to see a game boot up with my name – since my dad did a bit of bedroom programming, I assumed he’d made a game for me! I used to get jealous after seeing my mate’s brother playing Mario, knowing I couldn’t play it because I didn’t have a Nes. But Alex Kidd was my Mario for a long time. It's not an easy game to go back to, but back then I’dplay constantly. Male, 34 Long Eaton
I was introduced to the Commodore 64 back when I was in infants school, and became obsessed with strange sounds and animations in the background of games like Wizball and IK+. I spent hours on ‘shootem-up construction kit,’ where I’d make paths for enemies and different sounds with mad echo. I can remember proudly showing my mum the game I made: you controlled a poo that shot smaller poo at other poos. It was an amazing sea of brown, with the most ‘pekawowoow’ sound effects you’d ever heard. I now work with videogames, making and curating them for the public. I secretly wish I could change my snowball-based game to throwing poos for old time’s sake. Male, 39 Basford
My first game was Fable 2 on the Xbox 360. It had really brilliant humour. The best part was how wonderfully fleshed out all the characters were, and it even had a dog. There were also these beautiful locations with lots of secrets to discover each time, a stellar voice cast. It was so good, I could go on and on about that game forever. I’ve completed 100% of it, and have regularly gone back and played it again over the years (including, I will admit, late last year). Though the first and third games are also really good, the second game will always be really special to me. You could easily say I’ve put hundreds of hours into that game. Male, 33 Long Eaton
My first gaming obsession was definitely Doom on the PC. My mates had Doom on the proper consoles and I was so jealous. It looked really spooky, but also had some mystery to it. I was rubbish at coordination and kept dying all the time, and so I had to ask my friends if they knew of any tips to help me. A pal’s wise older brother told me two cheat commands; IDDQD and IDKFA – one put you on ‘God Mode’ (unkillable) and the other gave you unlimited weapons. I then spent three years hammering monsters and finding secret levels without fear and I bloody loved it. I would go to sleep and still see the little gun swaying left and right in my mind's eye. It was the best time ever. Female, 35 Sherwood
illustration: Alex Vine
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When it comes to stereotypes, I’d say the one we get most is that we’re all nerds who are obsessed with Harry Potter. We play on a big bit of grass called The Down, which always has a lot of people walking past. That’s part of the reason we play there – the exposure. Some of them are huge Potter nerds – we call them ‘capes’ – but you do get heckled occasionally. We get a lot of drunken lads running onto the pitch and trying to jump through the hoops. It normally goes terribly and is pretty embarrassing to watch. But I don’t play because I love Harry Potter. I mean, I’ve read the books and seen the films, but I play because I enjoy the game. You can recognise a lot of elements of the game from the world of Harry Potter. Of course, we’ve had to make it realistic and practical because, you know, we can’t fly about. We do have a bit of equipment that we call a broom but it’s not wood and it hasn’t got bristles. It’s a one-metre long piece of PVC tubing that acts like a handicap. Like with rugby, you can’t pass the ball forwards and with basketball how you can’t double-dribble; it makes the game harder. Quidditch is full contact, mixed-gender, and you almost have three games going on at the same time. You’ve got your quaffle ball – a semi-deflated volleyball – that you have to get through the three hoops that are at either end of the pitch. Each team has two beaters as well as three chasers and a keeper who have to handle the quaffle, pass it about and try and get it through the hoop, which gets you ten points. Then you’ve got your bludger balls, which we use dodgeballs for. It makes sense, because you’re basically playing a game of dodgeball with them, as they’re used to break up play and stop the opposition from scoring. If you get beat by a bludger you have to dismount, run back to your own hoops and tap back in, which takes about twenty seconds. That’s it for the first eighteen minutes, which is when the snitchers and the seekers come on. This is what we get asked about the most: our snitch is a person dressed in yellow that has a special pair of shorts with a patch of Velcro on the tailbone. Attached to that is a sock with
a ball at the bottom, and that’s the snitch. Each team has a seeker who basically wrestles with the snitch runner to try and catch the ball, who has to try and stop them. This is the one bit that does differ from the books: you only get thirty points for catching the snitch, rather than 150. I became captain for the 2019/20 season. I’ve never really seen myself as a leader. It’s not that I don’t want to be, but I’ve just never gone out of my way to be one. But we had a big turnover of players during the last year, meaning I was one of the most senior members of the team. It felt like the natural responsibility to step up. It also meant that I moved from being a chaser – which I’d been for my first three years with the team – to a keeper. The new role requires a bit more experience, knowledge of tactics and a lot more pressure.
I don’t play because I love Harry Potter. I mean, I’ve read the books and seen the films, but I play because I enjoy the game Some of the team have been together for four years now, and there’s normally around twenty members of the team. It’s a small enough group to get to know each other really well. As a team you go through a lot together both inside and outside of quidditch, so when it comes to playing in a tournament you’re really fighting for each other. It’s a very inclusive sport – you get a lot of women who initially come across as quite timid, but when it comes to game time they’re taking down these huge guys. It’s really nice to see that sort of stuff. While it isn’t recognised by Sport England yet, that’s what the national governing body, Quidditch UK, are working towards. When people first started playing it was very much a bunch of nerds and fans, but it’s evolved. Quidditch is definitely on its way to becoming something big in its own right.
illustration: Jenny Mure leftlion.co.uk/issue122 15
THE GREAT ESCAPE Nottingham’s escape room scene has a reputation for being one of the best in the country. So, during two weeks of searching, puzzle-solving and code cracking, we decided to see what all the fuss about... For some, being trapped in a room full of puzzles, locks and (sometimes) frights is the stuff of nightmares. But for an increasing number of people, escape rooms are becoming an obsession, and recent statistics show that there may be as many as 60,000 rooms around the world, with almost 1,500 in the UK alone. The premise is simple: you’re locked in a themed room, usually for an hour, and have to solve a series of tasks in order to escape. With Notts considered one of the strongest locations in the UK, there’s plenty to choose from...
ESCAPOLOGIC Rooms: Having already tried Howitz and Heistakes, we swung by Escapologic to try out Robin of Lockskey and Curio, both of which immediately entered my top ten favourite rooms ever. Curio is somewhat notorious for its difficulty and, although we didn’t escape, it was one of the most challenging and enjoyable experiences I’ve had in a room yet. For those who haven’t tried it: you should prepare yourself for the unexpected. Other rooms include their notoriously terrifying Butcher, Epi-entre, Cryptic and Contraption, as well as their brand new Warhammer 40,000 room, Immaterium, which you can read all about on page 31. What we say: There is so much to love about Escapologic and their approach to creating truly immersive, innovative experiences. They host some of the best rooms I’ve ever attempted, combining a mixture of horror, intrigue and action experiences that always deliver a challenging balance of invention and excitement that bring people in from all over the country. And talking to Simon Stokes, their charismatic Key Master, you can see that much of their deserved success comes from his genius, ambition and drive. He’s like a benevolent mad professor, constantly conjuring new ways to push the limits of what the experience can be, and it boggles the mind to think of what he would be doing if escape rooms had never taken off. You also get the sense that he’s the unofficial leader of Nottingham’s escape room community, offering help and support to new and established rooms in the city. Unlike other industries, there is a distinct lack of competition between rival escape room companies. A strong escape room scene helps all of them equally due, in part, to their addictive nature: once you’ve completed one, you immediately want to try another. Whether you’re a seasoned escape room veteran or a newbie, Escapologic’s eclectic selection of rooms doubtlessly have something to suit, and should be the first port of call on your escape room journey. 21-23 Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 7AQ escapologic.com
ESCAPE STATIONS Rooms: As the newest member to Nottingham’s growing escape room community, Escape Stations have just launched their first room, Prometheus. As a history geek that spent three weeks unsuccessfully trying to find an Ancient Greek themed room in Athens, you can probably imagine my excitement when they kindly agreed to let me have an early preview attempt at the room. It did not disappoint. The room leans towards logical, tactile puzzles, and there’s attention to detail in the craftsmanship that clearly shows it was designed by a real enthusiast. It’s Nottingham’s newest room, and could well prove to be one of it’s most popular. What we say: If there’s one thing that Nottingham’s escape room owners have in common, it’s a genuine enthusiasm for the crafting of original, challenging rooms that don’t rely on the usual tropes. Within a minute of talking to Escape Stations’ Managing Director Tom Armstrong, you feel that enthusiasm emitting from every pore in his body. The room has clearly been a lengthy labour of love and, having experienced both their first room and seeing what they have in store for the future of the location, it all seems completely worth it. Gothic House, The Basement, Barker Gate, Nottingham NG1 1JU escapestations.co.uk
PIEMINSTER Rooms: Having already completed Germageddon, their science-themed room in which the aim is to stop the spread of an apocalyptic chemical outbreak, we headed over to Pieminister to try The Demon Barber. Inspired by the story of Sweeney Todd, the room begins in an eerie Victorian barber’s shop, and only gets more macabre from there. The Demon Barber had some wonderfully grizzly elements and a clear, linear narrative that makes it ideal for those less experienced in escape rooms. What we say: You can’t help but admire the faith Pieminister have in their menu in building a Sweeney Todd themed room inside a restaurant that exclusively sells pies. The fact that they’re the only escape room in Nottingham that also serves as an eatery, as well as allowing (and encouraging) alcohol inside the rooms, ensures they offer something different to the other venues in Notts. Their rooms are fun, the food is great, and the combined offer on both presents something entertaining and unusual to do with your mates. 57 Long Row W, Nottingham NG1 6JB pieminister.co.uk/escaperooms
words: Ashley Carter illustration: Agnes Papp
ILOCKED Rooms: iLocked is home to three high-tech rooms; you can travel back to Ancient Egypt in The Mummy, confine yourself to a submarine-setting in Deep Blue: Sabotage, or travel deep into outer space in Alien. We tried out the latter, finding it not only challenging, but also impressively immersive and hugely enjoyable. It’s clear that the iLocked team place two factors above all else: technology and production value. The spaceship setting envelopes you completely, and care has clearly been taken to ensure that there are no off-theme elements to the room which would threaten to break that. There’s also a stimulating balance of both team and individual challenges, as players are separated in order to work on multiple puzzles concurrently. There’s more than enough here to exhilarate and test all levels of escape room enthusiast. What we say: The more of Nottingham’s escape rooms we completed, the clearer it became that each location had its own unique selling point. Whether by design or a happy accident, it’s ensured that the city has an eclectic array of rooms that provide something for all experience levels. With iLocked, the focus is clearly on technology. Priding themselves on being different from traditional rooms, their three experiences are all completely computer automated, made possible by over eight miles of cabling and a seriously impressive computer setup. As much as they’re creating great rooms, iLocked are creating compelling, memorable experiences. A consistent factor across all of the locations in Nottingham seems to be a desire to push boundaries and take escape rooms to the next level, which was evident with iLocked’s use of technology, including VR. It’s a healthy competition that keeps the experience fresh and interesting, as well as pushing the limits of immersive entertainment. And it’s working; while being absorbed in one of iLocked’s rooms, it’s all too easy to forget that you’re doing an escape room at all.
CRYPTOLOGY
Marco Island, 1 Huntingdon St, Nottingham NG1 1AQ iamlocked.co.uk
Rooms: Another venue with an impressive array of rooms to choose from, including the Robin Hood Discovery Tour, Nottingham’s only outdoor escape experience, in which players walk almost three miles around the city finding clues, solving puzzles and uncovering codes. Having previously tried Rameseize, their Ancient Egyptian themed room, and the incredibly well-crafted, multi-faceted Dreamscape – which takes you on a journey through the dreams of Dr. Lucy Dee – we tried out their newest room, Daylight Robbery. Perfectly situated in an old bank vault, the objective of the room is less to escape, and more to steal as many valuable items, bundles of cash and priceless jewels as you can before moving on to the ultimate prize: the Daylight Diamond. Great escape rooms always leave a lasting impression, and I was thinking about Daylight Diamond for days after completing it. The sheer number and variety of puzzles ensured that there is no risk of getting stuck, because there was always something else to do. By subverting a number of traditional escape room tropes, its multilayered approach to puzzles tricks you into over-thinking simple tasks and under-thinking complex ones. In a word, it’s superb. What we say: If iLocked are the kings of technological rooms, Cryptology have blazed a trail in creating the multi-layered, non-linear escape rooms in which not all puzzles and tasks need to be completed. There’s a beautiful frustration in knowing that the clock is ticking and not everything in the room can be accomplished within your given hour, but their rooms are unique in that they can be played multiple times, with each being a completely different experience. Owner Mark Thompson is another member of the community that seems to live and breathe escape rooms, and the energy and enthusiasm he has for his craft is infectious. As his brainchild, it’s clear that Daylight Robbery was an enormous enterprise, taking nine months and a lot of testing to complete. It was definitely worth the effort and, after finding out what they’ve got planned next, Cryptology look like they will continue to go from strength to strength. 107 Upper Parliament St, Nottingham NG1 6LA cryptologyrooms.co.uk/nottingham
CAVE ESCAPE Rooms: We tried out both of the rooms on offer at Cave Escape, starting with Carfax, a take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Several themed rooms that I’ve done outside of Nottingham simply use a popular franchise to attract fans in, only for the room itself to have little or nothing to do with it at all. Refreshingly, it was obvious from the opening minutes that Carfax had been crafted by genuine fans of Stoker’s work, and the amount of detailed information and key plot points covered was seriously impressive. Next, we tried Monuments, a WWII-themed room based around the Allied effort to retrieve priceless artwork stolen by the Nazis. The initial plan to rank all of the rooms we tried in Nottingham was quickly abandoned after realising that, for different reasons, they were all excellent. But had we stuck to that plan, Monuments would have doubtlessly been near the list’s summit. The innovative use of space, technology, a video element and variation of puzzle types was superb, leaving me with the excited feeling of immediately wanting to play it again. A genuinely brilliant escape room. What we say: The Cave Escape experience hits you as soon as you walk through the doors of their Mansfield Road location. Everything from the antique furniture to the decorative wall art reveals a punctilious approach that makes all the more sense when you learn that Cave Escape’s owners, couple Nick and Jenny, were set designers in their previous profession. It would have been easy to rest on the pull of having rooms based in Nottingham’s caves, but for them, that was just a starting point upon which they’ve built two truly first-class rooms. The passion for the process is clear in both of them and, with family dog Obi never too far away, they’ve created a beautifully-crafted, warm and welcoming atmosphere for real enthusiasts. 63 Mansfield Rd, Nottingham NG1 3FN caveescape.co.uk leftlion.co.uk/issue121 17
interview: Ashley Carter & Derry Shillitto illustration: Leosaysays
Bridie Squires has certainly been keeping herself busy since stepping down as our Editor last year. Not only was she Nottingham Trent University’s first ever Writer in Residence, but she’s been quietly working away on a one-woman show based on her experiences as a croupier. With a performance scheduled for later this month, she told us what to expect from Casino Zero… Tell us a bit about Casino Zero… I performed a version of it at Nottingham Poetry Festival last year – that was a compilation of a few poems I’ve written over the years that I threaded into one narrative. I plotted the poems according to how emotionally intense they were, and weaved them all together in a sort-of story. This new show has plucked the characters out of that version and written a whole new narrative. How diff icult has it been to form that into a narrative? That’s been one of the toughest things to get my head around. I had an idea of different structures you can apply to plots, but actually applying it has properly mashed my head. It’s taken a lot longer than I thought it would. A massive puzzle. Knock one thing out and a vortex appears. What does the narrative of Casino Zero involve? It’s about Croupier, who needs to buy a caravan for her grandad. The whole thing is set in the casino, where the staff get free energy bars so they can deal faster. Croupier’s supervisor Janet loves the things but every time Croupier eats one things get a bit weird. With the promise of an eventual promotion and raise, Janet encourages her to deal faster – which is true to how it actually is in a real casino. Obviously, the odds are always in the casino’s favour, so the more spins you get in, the more money the casino makes. And that’s based on your experiences as a croupier? Yeah. I want it to be true enough to the experience of a real casino that people who have worked in that environment recognise it, but at the same time it’s turned into this surreal, abstract, caricatured beast. How long did you work as a croupier for? Two years in total. I was at university doing an English degree and working in a pub. I decided to drop out and start cleaning toilets in the casino ‘til 4am. In retrospect, it was a weird move, but I wasn’t feeling great at the time and I knew I had to change something. It seems exciting from the outside, but how much was it just like any other job? It was mundane. Repetitive motions over and over again. At times, it was satisfying. You know where you stand with the routine. If there were no people at the tables, those that had been working there for a long time would talk about the good old days when there were stacks of chips on the table and everything was a bit crazy, but nowadays it’s all just a bit sad. A lot of people
would come in with wads of cash, and then you’d see them working in a restaurant. You just thought, ‘Where did you get that money from?’ Some shifts ran until 7am, so when you’re spinning at half-six and there’s nobody there it’s all a bit bleak.
I saw it in one lad the first time he gambled. He put a fiver on red and it came in. His money doubled just like that. You could see his pupils dilate and his face went all hot. He was in. Even though you’re working for the casino, did you want customers to win money? Or do you ‘win’ when they lost money? It was awful when a customer you liked was losing to you. You’re willing the cards, or the ball, to land in their favour. In the same breath, you have this clicker on the table that tracks how much money you’re taking in, so if you take a lot and keep all your cash chips, you’re given a very subtle ‘well done’ when you come off the table. Every so often the casino will lose money, but they always win it back. I remember one guy winning £30,000 one night, but he came back the day after and lost it all. Were you sad that he lost it all? No, he was a prick with too much money. He wasn’t a bad person, just a smarmy, unlikeable guy. He actually tried to ban himself from the casino. As much as I’m cussing casinos all the time, they’ve got these social responsibility schemes in place, which are important. One of the questions I ask myself is, to what extent is it their responsibility to look after people who are free to make their own choices? It’s tricky. Balance it all with the intense advertising and the hypnotic slot machines that emit a continuous sound of winning. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many sensory tricks casinos use to keep people playing. All the numbers on a roulette wheel add up to 666. Did it have muc of an effect on your own attitude to gambling? You’d get people who’d come in and put a grand down on red, win, and leave. It does make you wonder. I’ve had a good punt myself. Croupiers are the biggest monsters in a casino. You trick yourself into thinking you can beat it. The general manager frowned on us going to other casinos, but I loved rocking up with all the gaming staff, doing chip tricks and getting lairy. You can see how it gets people.
How could you tell when someone was addicted? They have these guidelines of certain behaviours to look out for, but there were times you could just see the anger in people who’d lost. One guy throwing his stack of chips at the wheel, frustrated he couldn’t claw it back. Another kid was still knocking around at 4am, and his mate mentioned the money in his bank account. There was sheer panic in his eyes when he turned to his mate and said, “What money? What bank account?” He’d literally done all of his wages. One guy did his entire restaurant business loan on three-card poker. I saw it in the eyes of one lad, the first time he gambled. He put a fi ver on red and it came in. His money doubled just like that. His pupils dilated, he started sweating. He was in. You could see it clear as day. How diff icult was it to transform all of those visceral experiences into Casino Zero? It all started when Roger Robinson got me to turn all the stories into a stack of poems on a Mouthy Poets writing retreat. Last year at Nottingham Poetry Festival, Anne Holloway, who runs the publishing house Big White Shed asked me if I wanted to perform an extended set as part of her event. After I had a half-hour show, I put in a funding bid for Arts Council England’s Develop Your Creative Practice Grant, and it made me really think about what I wanted to explore with it. For this development phase, I’ve had a lot of support from various mentors: Deborah Stevenson, Hugh Dichmont, Hannah Silva, Adrian Reynolds, Motormouf, Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie. Talking to people about the ideas has been the most helpful thing. It’s been a tough nut to crack so far - I’ve been learning a whole new creative process. I knew I wanted it to be a one-woman show, because I’m a narcissist and I can’t afford to pay actors. But this new version has turned into more of a monologue interspersed with poetry, soundscape and song. I’ve been thinking about Fleabag a lot, and what Phoebe Waller-Bridge did with that. I knew I wanted to use a loop station because of the repetitive nature of the casino too. My ambition was to have a finished product by now, but I know I want to keep shaping and improving it after the February showing. You need to respect the process.
Bridie will be performing Casino Zero at Nonsuch Studios on Friday 21 February. bridiesquires.com
leftlion.co.uk/issue122 19
Across the Board
words: Emily Thursfield illustration: Alex Vine
Tabletop games studio Needy Cat are the fast-paced, sharp minds behind some of the most exciting board games on the market. Working with household-name franchises as well as other small creators, they have one aim: to get as many people playing games as possible. We spoke to them about their work, as they gear up to launch their first, completely in-house designed game, Robot Fight Club… “We always joke that if people are coming to Nottingham to work, they’ve either got a job at Boots, Experian or in the gaming industry,” laughs James Hewitt, one half of Needy Cat, a Nottsbased tabletop design studio specialising in board games, card and roleplaying games. There’s not a hint of rivalry here though; I soon learn the gaming industry is full of nothing but love: “We’ve all got our own little niches within the niche, and we’re all fans of each other's work.”
one-man business in Lincolnshire called Atlantic Miniatures,” says James. “I personally think they’re some of the best miniatures on the market,” chimes in Sophie. “He wanted to make a tabletop game so came to us for a chat. It’s been fun working with him as it’s very distilled creativity – there’s no commercial concerns so it’s very open. We’re able to think ‘What would be cool? Guys riding giant chickens with fists that punch you? Let’s put it in!’”
It became clear almost as soon as I’d entered the Needy Cat office that James and his partner, Sophie Williams, make a great team; the sort that you’d fear to come up against in a friendly game of Pictionary, or that could read each other’s minds during Articulate. Based in a small unit in Basford, together they’ve built their own gaming empire and work with world-renowned companies, thanks to their twenty years of experience in the tabletop industry.
The revival of board games shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; in a world inundated with screens and digital distraction, it’s no wonder people are taking a break by clearing the dust off Monopoly or locking themselves in rooms to escape. James reckons there’s a primal need in all of us: “Every culture in history has had board games in one form or another. There are games that are older than the pyramids that have been discovered.”
“We design games for clients. People come to us with intellectual property, like a licence to a film or a range of models, and we help them create a game,” says James. “I was working at Games Workshop’s head office designing games for about five years, and then one of my colleagues passed away suddenly. I was in my mid-thirties, and it was a real wake up call that life is short. I’d always wanted to do something for myself so I took that chance.”
As games-fanatics themselves, Sophie and James do everything they can to enable as many folk as possible to get a leg-up into the industry. As well as a rule review service for other games, Needy Cat also runs a podcast interviewing industry professionals, and offers workshops and courses, both locally and on their patreon account, to help anyone launch their own game. They are also the founding members of the Nottingham Tabletop Gaming Collective, who meet twice a month to socialise, share tips and offer emotional support. Support, it seems, is the biggest thing the gaming community offers each other. Sophie likens it to buying clothes: you can never own enough t-shirts.
We’re able to think ‘What would be cool? Guys riding giant chickens with fists that punch you? Let’s put it in! After their amicable departure from Games Workshop, the company immediately hired Needy Cat to work on a game that would be distributed in more accessible gaming channels, such as Barnes and Noble stores in the US. “The initial plan was for Sophie to help me out with the project management side of things, but we soon had so much work on that Sophie now designs games full-time too,” says James. Maybe we should think about getting someone else to do all that other stuff now...” From there, Needy Cat worked with Manchesterbased studio Steamforged Games on a tabletop adaptation of the latest Devil May Cry video game – a project so secretive they were sent an encrypted hard drive of the installment, handdelivered by courier. One of the most intricate projects to date was their collaboration with James’ ex-employers, Bulwell-based Mantic Games, on a board game for the Hellboy comic book series. The game’s Kickstarter raised $1.5 million, and James and Sophie soon had a big challenge on their hands. “I’d always been the one roped into testing his games, so taking on Hellboy was a natural step forward for me,” says Sophie. “I basically spent six months writing everything – there were lots of moving parts and it was a mind-boggling experience working out how all the content interacted with each other. While games might appear easy to learn for the player, there’s a lot of complexity designing them that you don't see in the final experience.” It’s the freedom of creativity that keeps them going, though. “There’s this chap called Dan who makes beautiful resin models. He used to work for Disney as a VFX artist, and now he’s a
When I ask what makes a good game, they almost shout in unison “Decisions!” Sophie says: “Because they can be almost semi-cooperative, they force dialogue around the table. One of my favourite gaming experiences is Pandemic Legacy. It’s like playing a game where you’re a character in the TV series 24 or something, such high pressure.” “Didn’t we play it when we were on parental leave?” laughs James. Sophie rolls her eyes: “We kept playing games in the middle of the night while I was having braxton hicks. We had to be on high alert so we thought ‘what shall we do? Let’s play a game!’” James looks at me, “Thankfully, we get along.” As well as working on a host of projects, including what they believe to be the first game/ novel crossover of its kind with literary series Newbury and Hobbes, Needy Cat are gearing up for their most exciting venture yet – the launch of their own tabletop game, Robot Fight Club, with the Kickstarter going live at the end of February. The two-player game is different from anything they’ve worked on before, and they’ve collaborated with students from Confetti on the game’s artwork. “This is where we want to be heading in the future – doing more for ourselves,” says James. Before I leave, I have to ask about the needy cat. “He’s the worst,” sighs Sophie. “Helo is gigantic and incredibly needy. He just sits on top of our games, batting the pieces and swishing his tail around like ‘Oh no, everything is ruined.’” It’s nice to see a few misplaced pawns haven’t stopped this pair from succeeding. Needy Cat will demo their upcoming Kickstater, Robot Fight Club at The Dice Cup on Saturday 8 February. needycatgames.com leftlion.co.uk/issue122 21
WHEN DUTY CALLS
interview: Jamie Morris
As Chief Operating Officer for Sledgehammer Games, University of Nottingham alumnus Andy Wilson has overseen some of the biggest video game franchises in the history of the medium, including Call of Duty. We caught up with him to talk about the current state of the industry, the unprecedented success of COD and violence in video games… It’s been almost twenty years since you graduated from the University of Nottingham. How much can you remember about the city from your student days? Wow, that is going back a bit! There was a club called The Lenton which we used to go to a lot; that was the focus of our social scene. We also used to go running in Wollaton Park. I went back last March to do a lecture to my old Computer Science class, and I think the principles of student life are all the same. The thing that strikes me now is that students tend to do a lot more outside of their course, so they’re more active in forming groups and clubs, and learning outside of what the university delivers. They seem a bit more organised and street-smart than we were twenty years ago. How did you make your way into the gaming industry after uni? It was in 2005, four years after I graduated. I actually went to work for an investment bank straight after uni. I didn’t particularly want to do that, but the games industry was a lot smaller then, and it was quite hard to go straight in. I wanted to enter as a producer or project manager rather than a coder or an artist. I spent about four years just trying to find my way in, then a job came up in Brighton that wanted someone who had a bit of experience from outside the industry, and it all took off from there.
They all have a lot of challenges, but the franchises we work with now have huge fan bases with very high expectations. Is the success of that franchise something that you could have ever anticipated? Generally, people get into this industry because they want to do something significant whether that’s an independent developer, having an idea you want to bring to life, or working on a mega-franchise with the production value of a Hollywood movie. But one thing that always excites me is trying to create that next big thing. You dream of having a freak-out hit that reaches people all over. There is a huge amount of satisfaction in seeing something come out and feeling like you’ve had a large part in the making of it. But that level of success – selling tens of millions of copies – is very rare. There are so many aspects to making and marketing a game, and all of those aspects have to work hand in hand. If you’re lucky you make a great game, and you have that kind of success.
It’s outstretched any other industry; in terms of revenue, games are bigger than movies and music combined now
And now you’re the Chief Operating Office of Sledgehammer Games! What does a C.O.O actually do day-to-day? I run all of the operations, and am in charge of operational effectiveness. Things like product development, the actual making of the game, essentially all of the game development happens through me. There’s a Creative Director, who takes care of all of the creative management, and I’m the one who is actually executing it all and getting things built.
How much has the industry changed since you first got involved? It’s exploded! It’s vastly bigger than it was. It’s outstretched any other industry; in terms of revenue, games are bigger than movies and music combined now. The calibre of cutting-edge Hollywood-level effects has gone through the roof. They’re much more complex than they used to be. But consoles can technically do so much more now, so it’s inevitable that every aspect of the industry has grown exponentially.
Having that level of control over a company that produces one of the biggest gaming franchises in history in Call of Duty must bring a pretty huge amount of pressure… Yes, it does! The nature of the kind of games I work on professionally – we call them AAA games – all have that level of pressure. Back in the day, working for a small publisher that didn’t have much money brought a different type of pressure. You’re aware that you’re trying to compete with not a lot of resources.
Where can you see it going next? At the moment we’re seeing much more of a trend toward social gaming where people are connected. Games like Fortnite, with large maps and tons of players definitely have a social aspect to them. You can see the influence in the fact that people make money from playing games like that on YouTube. There are less of the single-focus games that I used to play when I was younger.
I read that Sledgehammer employees are awarded with coins inscribed with the company’s values… It’s a challenge – almost like something you would get if you were in the military, which obviously connects with the history of the games we make. We don’t really do it in the same way anymore, but we do try to establish the studio values, and extend that culture and those principles. Now we use the coin as more of a reward scheme; if someone has gone above and beyond, and you think they’ve done something really great, you can nominate them. Then, at the end of the month, we hand them out. It’s done to show that the team has seen the hard work and rewarded it. It’s a bit like gameifying work, really. As a company, how did you overcome games like Call of Duty lazily being used as a political football by those seeking to find a link between real-world violence and violence in video games? There have been some attacks on the industry in recent years, and I do find it quite lazy. I think it’s one of those things that keeps coming and going. There are studies out there that fairly conclusively prove that there are no links between video game violence and people going out and doing terrible acts, so I think it’s just an easy way out. But it’s always going to be something we have to deal with. As developers, we don’t have a checklist of things we’re not supposed to do in case we poke a tiger somewhere, but sometimes we do heavy things. From a development point of view I have always felt comfortable with the themes and cultures I like to build, and we have a sense of responsibility to not do anything gratuitous. We don’t deliberately try to sensationalise, we don’t try and get attention or make sales. As long as I feel I’m holding my team and myself accountable, then I’m fine. There will always be people that are going to attack. Politicians and people that didn’t grow up with video games often do it. It’s all a bit alien and unusual to them, which makes it an easy target. When black and white silent movies evolved into films that dealt with more serious themes in the fifties and sixties, the same criticisms were leveled at that industry. We’re just seeing the same thing repeating. When the video game industry has finally been accepted, there will be another that crops up and becomes the new target. sledgehammergames.com
leftlion.co.uk/issue122 23
Grown bored of Max, Bernard, Claire and the gang? Don’t worry, thanks to our cover artist Raphael Achache, you can play everyone’s favourite mystery face folly with video game versions of us lot instead. You’re welcome.
Adam
Alan
Anna
Ashley
Becky
Bridie
Caroline
Curtis
Dom
Eileen
Emily
Gemma
Eve
Fabrice
Hamza
George & Jamie
Jared
Kate
Natalie
Gareth
Raphael
Rebecca
Tom E
Tom Q
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(Top row L-R) Adam Pickering (Sales and Marketing Manager) as Rich Uncle Pennybags, Alan Gilby (Games Master) as Luigi, Anna Murphy (Fashion Editor) as Carmen Sandiago, Ashley Carter (Editor) as Donkey Kong, Becky Timmins (Music Co-Editor) as Amy Rose, Bridie Squires (Editor-at-Large) as Lara Croft Second Row (L-R) Caroline Barry (Community Editor) as Coco Bandicoot, Curtis Powell as John Marston, Dom Henry (Theatre Co-Editor) as Van Pelt, Eileen Pegg (Music Co-Editor) as Tails, Emily Thursfield (Assistant Editor) as Princess Peach, Gemma Fenyn (Sports Editor) Wii Sports Mii, Third Row (L-R) Eve Smallman (Food and Listings Editor) as Eevee, Fabrice Gagos (Photography Co-Editor) as Red, Hamza Hussain (Web Developer) as Minecraft Steve, George White and Jamie Morris (Screen Editors) as Doduo, Jared Wilson (Editor-in-Chief) as Mario, Kate Hewett (Literature Editor) as Zelda Bottom Row (L-R) Natalie Owen (Designer) as Harley Quinn, Gareth Watts (Finance) Professor Plum, Raphael Achache(Cover Artist) as Wreck-itRalph, Rebeeca Buck (Theatre Co-Editor) as The Queen of Hearts, Tom Errington (Web Developer) as Operation Guy, Tom Quigley (Photography Co-Editor) as Vault Boy
Adam
Alan
Anna
Ashley
Becky
Bridie
Caroline
Curtis
Dom
Eileen
Emily
Gemma
Eve
Fabrice
Hamza
George &
Jared
Kate
Natalie
Gareth
Raphael
Rebecca
Tom E
Tom Q
UNDER COVER ARTIST
slowly disappear from our clothes as we get older. I understand there’s levels of professionalism that comes with having a job or a certain level of success, but we shouldn’t let our profession or age affect the freedom we have to express ourselves. I’ve always had a fascination with bright colours, alternate realities, and beautiful beaches. Everything combined has made me the artist I am. One of my favourite projects I worked on was an exhibition titled Safe sex is cool inspired by Larry Clark’s 1995 film KIDS. Working together with a dear friend with HIV, I looked to remedy the silence around safe sex. We handpainted seven canvases, screen printed posters and t-shirts, and created an installation resembling an apartment scene from the film. Kay Arefaine Teenage Fever Painting faux leather is a challenge. When you make a mistake you can’t go back and fix it. Throughout 2019 I focused on painting denim and faux leather, each piece more colourful than the last, with psychedelic imagery and a street-fashion feel. In the past I’ve painted big-scale murals, shops, and huge canvases; now my style is on a much smaller scale, I have to focus on the finer details. I wanted this piece to be relatable to teenage me, and teenagers today. Colours and other fun things
I’m originally from California. My days consist of being in my studio manifesting success, and my nights getting to understand the UK’s young culture. I’ve always wanted to vlog my everyday life as an artist, so I began that in the new year. I’ve had an idea about an art show influenced by rave culture, and its iconic symbols that make up the experience. My main focus now is to get the ball rolling with those paintings, and to find a gallery or venue to showcase my artwork. @goldenpyramidstv goldenpyramidstv.com
Raphael Achache talks us through his retro board game inspired cover... Tell us a bit about yourself… I’m a person.
Leosaysays Moonliffe
What was the inspiration behind the cover? LeftLion approached me with the concept of creating a Guess Who? board with illustrations based on the core magazine staff themed on characters from popular games. After looking at a few versions of the Guess Who? board game covers, it was clear to me that we had to create something as close to the original cover as possible. All the hard work had been done: the horrible seventies colour scheme and badly collaged photography. It couldn’t have been done any other way.
Moonliffe is a 2D action adventure video game being developed by regular LeftLion illustrator and all-round good-egg Leosaysays. The game starts in a post-war world, in which the civilisation of the eponymous main character, Moonliffe, has been practically destroyed by a group of interdimensional alien-like creatures. Armed with the ability to travel
How does it compare with some other projects you’ve worked on? To be honest, a lot of my work is quite varied. One day I can be out illustrating cans of dog food, and the next I could be creating fine art to be hung on someone’s living room wall. It’s rare, however that I get to combine disciplines, so putting together photo and illustration was fun. The nostalgic element was also a winner. Tell us about some projects you’ve worked on in the past… A lot of my work revolves around product innovation; I sit in meetings and draw ideas. Cheese snacks, electric toothbrushes, toilet paper. One of my favourites last year was spending a few days with a well-known vodka brand in New York. But most of the time I’m in places like Slough or Welwyn Garden City drawing sustainable multi-purpose cleaner or cold soup for cats. It’s all good fun. What have you got planned for the future? I’m actually having a go at going fully freelance from the beginning of February, trying to make it as a self-employed graphic designer and illustrator. To be honest, my main plan is to get some work so I can keep paying rent. Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers? Nah… @raphaelachache
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between realities, Moonliffe ends up traversing a post-apocalyptic Nottingham to find answers to the demise of their own world. The game is currently in early development, with release scheduled for 2021, but you can follow its progress on Twitter. @Moonliffe_game leosaysays.com @Leosaysays
words: Polly Jean Harrison
Think wargaming is just for boys? Think again, as Nottingham’s Annie Norman is addressing the gender balance in tabletop gaming, selling the largest array of realistic female miniatures in the world with Bad Squiddo Games.... Wargaming is often seen as a male hobby. Fewer than 2% of players are women according to The Great Wargaming Survey by Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy Magazine. But 29-year-old Annie Norman is here to change the game, literally. Over the last five years, Annie has built her company, Bad Squiddo Games, from scratch, and now sells the largest collection of realistic female miniatures in the world.“I didn’t expect the company to last the year,” she says, “which is why I have a strange company name which is really hard to spell on the phone.” For those who don’t know, wargaming is a subsection of tabletop strategy game where you play through battles using model soldiers, or miniatures. There are two parts to the hobby: the painting of the miniatures and the playing itself. The most popular game is Warhammer, sold by Games Workshop, though there are many others in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, as well as historical games where players re-enact actual battles from the past. This is where Bad Squiddo Games come in, as they focus on women in history; collections include Viking shieldmaidens, Amazons and WW2 “lumber-jills”. She first decided to make her figures because she “got really angry about it.” Looking online for a female Viking, it blew her mind that "they were either topless or in metal bikinis – and that was the only choice.” Starting off as a curator and vendor of other brands of female minis, last year she took the plunge and began to focus solely on designing and producing her own range through her online store. Annie got into wargaming when she was ten, after her mum bought her some old Games Workshop magazines from a car boot sale. She pored over the pages to decide what she would buy, until she went to a shop and realised the magazines were so old that none of the sets she wanted were still in production. Nevertheless, she started to paint and play Warhammer before getting into more niche history games.
Annie crocheted herself a bag for her game dice while at university, making some for her friends too. Before she knew it she became “The Dice Bag Lady”, with crafting turning into a full-time job with customers all over the world.
I want people to look at it without the gender hat, and to buy them because they’re cool figures. A female miniature wearing clothes should be a normal thing anyway Unfortunately, after several years of intense crocheting, her bag shop had to close in 2015 after a series of wrist injuries left her unable to craft. In her final trade show, she took a few female figures to sell. The response she received was so overwhelmingly positive that she continued, and decided to set up Bad Squiddo Games. The reaction to the company has been astounding, as the business continues to grow and expand on ranges and miniatures it sells. She has a large online community built up around the business, with more than 10,000 followers across social media. Affectionately referring to it as her “cult,” Annie likes to engage with her customers online as an extension of the shopping experience and to see her figures in action. Despite the great reactions, there have been some negative comments to her business too. When she first started out some people assumed that it was run by her partner at the time and that she was just the face as a marketing ploy: “I’ve had to prove that it’s definitely just me and it’s not going anywhere. That’s what kept me going – spite!” She has received negative comments at shows too. Someone once shouted “Get a job!” at her. But
Annie doesn’t let that negativity affect her as it comes from people she simply “doesn’t care about”. Describing her interests as “guinea pigs and feminism”, at the start of Bad Squiddo, Annie found there was an element of people buying for the cause. They recognised what she was trying to do and wanted to support her in it. As great as this was, she didn’t want to be just the feminist wargamer: “I want people to look at it without the gender hat, and to buy them because they’re cool figures. A female miniature wearing clothes should be a normal thing anyway." As far as she’s aware she is the only company doing what she does. “I’m slowly and stealthily changing what the tabletop looks like,” she says proudly. “I’ve even got other companies to sort their female miniatures out.” Emily Ridding, who works at Warhammer Nottingham, has also noticed a recent shift in women joining in the hobby: “It's not 50/50, as much as we’d want it, but we do get a lot more women in the shop than we would have a year ago. It’s not seen to be a men’s hobby because it’s just a hobby for everyone.” Over the past five years, Games Workshop has released more female-orientated models and story-lines to their games, as well as making their sets generally gender neutral. Whether this is because of Bad Squiddo Games or a happy coincidence, Annie’s not sure, but the community is becoming a far more welcoming place for women. “I’ve definitely had an impact," she says, "but I don’t know how much of that would have happened anyway.” Either way, industry giants are now working to encourage women and change the attitudes of players, which makes her ecstatic. “Seeing them do that is good as it gets more people thinking about it, and hopefully they buy my stuff too!” badsquiddogames.com
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GAME PLAN words: George White
Located in the heart of Nottingham, Dambuster Studios has been one of the country’s biggest video game developers for over twenty years. With projects including dystopian first-person shooter series Homefront: The Revolution and Dead Island, their Studio Development Director Rob Matthews tells us they have no plans of slowing down... It’s clear that Dambuster Studios’ development director Rob Matthews is pleased with what the company has achieved over the last two decades. “We were founded in 1999 as Free Radical Design, and started off with Timesplitters on the PlayStation 2. That was a huge commercial and critical achievement, and propelled the studio forward from there,” he says. “Since then, we’ve worked on a number of big projects, including Crysis for both the major gaming consoles and Ryse: Son of Rome, which was Xbox One’s launch title at the time.” Rob proudly points out a wall in reception, which is decorated by magazine covers showcasing Dambuster's games, as evidence of their outstanding progress. “Our work has become really popular over the years. Titles like Dead Island now have a loyal fanbase, and have set us up for success. This is cause for optimism going forward,” he says.
Our work has become really popular over the years. Titles like Dead Island now have a loyal fanbase, and have set us up for success However, the studio’s history hasn’t been without its challenges. “There have been ups and downs. We’ve changed names three times, which may have diluted our identity a bit. I think people sometimes forget that staff here actually worked on a number of titles when we were Crytek and Free Radical. But I don’t think it takes too much weight from us. Overall we’ve been really successful.” Despite switching names and moving headquarters (their original studio was based “just off junction 25 of the M1”), their philosophy has remained the same. “We want to make sure people receive a high quality game and make good memories. Whatever we do, we want to offer value for time as well as money,” Rob says. “We have developed a technical pedigree, and we are looking to build upon our expertise. We are a one-project studio built for narrative-driven, firstperson games, and we are aiming to improve our reputation and keep moving forward to higher levels.” Building a studio with such an impressive reputation is not always easy, with Rob having to handle a lot of moving parts in his role. “Managing a gaming studio is both stressful and very enjoyable. The trick is to ensure eff icient communication. The amount of features and content we deal with is massive,” he explains. “When I started in the gaming industry, over 25 years ago, I was in a small off ice
of six people. Since then, the complexity of games, and the industry as a whole, has expanded. We have 160 staff across four or fi ve key departments, so we need to maintain communication to keep up with the constant changes.” A decent number of these staff are from Nottingham, including Rob himself, which is something he’s very proud of. “I’m Nottingham born and bred. I started my career in the city before moving away, and then came back to Dambuster about fi ve years ago. A good number of us are from here. There are even a few of us who went to the same school in Carlton, which is quite funny,” he muses. “Overall we have a nice range of people at the company. As the industry has grown, we’ve hired from further afield to make sure we’re building towards long-term success. Around a quarter of our staff are from Europe, and they’ve been great for bringing new skills and expertise.” Rob is equally enthusiastic about Nottingham’s gaming industry as a whole, which he believes is on the up. “At the moment it’s positive for gaming in Nottingham. There is a huge amount of talent in the city. In the past, we’ve been a little overshadowed by Leamington Spa, which has studios like Ubisoft and Playground,” he reveals. “But now there is healthy competition here, with lots of great studios. We are the only ones really focused on AAA games, but others in Nottingham are doing impressive things in different areas. There’s a broad range of competitors, which is definitely good.” The rapid transformation of Nottingham’s gaming community is representative of the wider industry, which has changed dramatically in recent years - and will continue to in the future. “Options in the industry are always expanding. There is a new generation of home consoles coming through in the next couple of years. Streaming continues to remove barriers to entry, with new players like Google entering the scene. Virtual Reality has been building for a while, and mobile phone games will remain popular as there are still new markets to exploit.” For Rob, this growth in choice can only be a positive thing: “I don't necessarily think we will lose many of the platforms that we have at the moment, there'll just be a broad spectrum of options which will be far more accessible - and that’s good for everyone.” dsdambuster.com
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words: Zach Harrison photo: Fabrice Gagos
What happens when you combine the biggest name in miniature wargames with one of the country’s leading escape room creators? Immaterium: the world’s first Warhammer 40,000 live-action escape room. Here’s everything you need to know about the brand-new immersive entertainment collaboration from Games Workshop and Escapologic… As two of the biggest entertainment companies in their respective fields, Games Workshop and Escapologic have both made huge contributions to putting Nottingham firmly on the gaming map. The former has grown exponentially since its establishment over forty years ago, establishing a world-recognised brand that carrier a market capitilisation of more than £1bn, while the latter has consistently pushed the boundaries of immersive, real-life entertainment experiences, creating a host of innovative escape rooms that draw enthusiasts from the world over. Together, the two gaming monoliths have combined to create Immaterium, the world’s first official Warhammer 40,000 live-action escape room in Nottingham. Inspired by books, games and miniatures of the world-renowned fantasy universe, the experience promises to bring the raw emotion of Warpspace to life, taking the excitement of tabletop gaming to another level by physically plunging players into an elaborately detailed rogue trader ship heading towards a warp storm. “Think real challenges, real stakes and real tension,” Simon Stokes, Escapologic’s CEO and Key Master says, “We’ve worked very closely with Games Workshop to create a totally immersive experience that we are confident will chime with the experiences and expectations of a passionately devoted fanbase.”
We’ve worked very closely with Games Workshop to create a totally immersive experience
Immaterium represents the next phase of expansion for Games Workshop, with the juggernaut success of the worldrecognised Warhammer brand continuing to flourish year after year. With the British high street continuing to suffer a series of high-profile struggles in recent times – including the collapse of House of Fraser, and major chains like Jack Wills, Patisserie Valerie and Debenhams all entering administration – Games Workshop continue to buck the trend. In 2017, the publicly traded British stock outperformed all others, spurred on by the seemingly endless appeal of Warhammer 40,000, an extensive tabletop conflict game in which two players fight with armies made up of collectible miniature figurines. The same can be said of Escapologic, who have led the way in establishing Nottingham as one of the best escape room cities in the UK. Under the leadership of Stokes, their innovative, richly detailed rooms continue to earn praise from a wide-range of sources, including frequently being named in the top-three spots on lists of the UK’s best escape rooms. With over 1,500 rooms currently in operation in the UK, escape rooms have quickly moved from being a niche live-action experience hybrid to a mainstream staple on Britain’s entertainment scene. Last year even saw Red Bull, a brand more commonly associated with extreme sports, stage the Escape Room World Championships in London, which saw fourstrong teams from 23 different countries compete to be crowned victorious. Other popular entertainment franchises have seized on to the surge in popularity, with Doctor Who rooms being built in six locations across the UK, and an official BBC Sherlock escape room, featuring original footage from the show’s acting talent, opening in London at the end of 2018. While official figures are elusive, it’s been estimated that there are up to 175,000 active or semi-active Warhammer players currently in the world, with another 750,000 playing every once in a while which, when coupled with the growing popularity of escape rooms, suggests that Nottingham may be host to the next big thing in entertainment. “Fans can look forward to intricately designed areas that interconnect in ingenious ways,” Stokes says, “And fiendishly challenging puzzles, games and codes. That’s all I’m saying for now – we don’t want to give the whole game away!” Immaterium: A Warhammer Escape Room is scheduled to open at Escapologic in April 2020 Escapologic, 21-23 Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 7AQ escapologic.com games-workshop.com leftlion.co.uk/issue122 31
As the first person to coin the phrase “technological addiction” in the mid-nineties, it’s fair to say that Dr. Mark Griffiths was way ahead of the curve when it came to predicting the potential impact technology could have on society. The world-renowned psychologist is a Distinguished Professor at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Social Sciences, as well as the Director of their International Gaming Research Unit, which was established to, amongst other things, discover and understand attitudes toward potentially addictive behaviours in gaming. And with an estimated 33 million gamers in the UK – almost half the population – we caught up with Dr. Griffiths to find out what it actually means to be addicted to video games... How do you determine whether or not someone is addicted to gaming? You can speak to fifty psychologists and we’ll all give you a different answer of what it is to be addicted. I’ve used the same definition since 1995 in a paper called Technological Addictions, which is when I first laid out what I call my components model of addiction. I believe that all addictions comprise six components, and if any behaviour fulfills those I would define that person as addicted to that activity, whether it’s gaming, gambling, sex or eating. What are the six components in relation to video games? The first is salience: “This is the most important thing in my life, this is an activity that I will do to neglect everything in my life, and even if I’m not actually doing the activity, I’m thinking about doing it. So I’m totally preoccupied.” The second is mood modification, which is when you use the activity as a way of modifying your mood either to get buzzed up, high, aroused, excited, or the exact opposite, to escape, de-stress or relax. The third is tolerance, which is the idea that we need more and more of an activity to get those same initial mood modifying effects – so somebody that started off playing video games for an hour or two per day will build up to where they’re playing twelve or fourteen hours a day. The fourth component is withdrawal symptoms. If you are genuinely addicted to an activity or substance, when you are unable to engage in that activity, you will experience the shakes, headaches, nausea, stomach cramps and, on a psychological level, you will feel increased irritability and frustration. The fifth component is the most important one: conflict. This is where an activity is so conflicting in a person’s life that they neglect their job or education, their loved ones, family and friends. They also experience what I call intrapsychic conflict – a conflict within yourself. They know that they’re doing this activity too much, and should probably cut down or stop, but feel unable to do so and experience a subjective loss of control. Finally, you’ve got relapse. Even if you’ve managed to give up for a number of days, weeks, months of years, when you’re starting to engage in the activity again you go straight back into the addictive cycles you were in before. How widespread is gaming addiction? By my definition, very few people fulfil those six components to be considered genuinely addicted. There are people out there who engage in problematic aspects to do with gaming without being addicted. Every week I get emails, usually from women, saying that my husband or boyfriend is addicted to playing games, because as soon as he comes home from work he spends six hours playing video games and completely ignores me. While that person might be gaming excessively, if you can go to work for your eight-hour day, you’re quite clearly not addicted.
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Is there a specific type of game that those who fulfill those six components tend to become addicted to? Most research shows that traditionally it’s been online multiplayer games like League of Legends where we’ve seen people at the problematic end of the spectrum. One thing I’ve said with my research is that people can become addicted to even the simplest of games. I would say that there were people out there who were clinically addicted to Tetris, although they were few and far between. The thing with online games is that they never end, so you do get that fear of missing out. With a game that’s going on for 24 hours, you’ve got to be offline for twelve hours because you’ve got to sleep and do other things. So it’s the online element, rather than the genre of the game, that’s most important.
People can become addicted to even the simplest of games. I would say that there were people out there who were clinically addicted to Tetris In your experience, what has been the biggest change in academic research into gaming addiction? Just the sheer increase in the amount that’s going on worldwide now. In the nineties, about 90% of the papers published on gaming addiction came from me – it was just not something that was particularly looked at. I was the first person to publish a paper on online gaming in 2003, and over the last ten years it has multiplied by such an
extent that you’ve now got research on gaming disorder in almost every Westernised country. When I think back to 1995, my team’s main research areas were gambling addiction, gaming addiction and internet addiction, but they have all kind of come together now. What are your thoughts on the professionalisation of video gaming? I think it’s probably harder to become a professional video game player than to become a professional footballer. A football team needs a squad of thirty players, whereas to become the world’s best Fortnite player, it’s going to be much harder. Things like the Fortnite World Cup have legitimized children to tell their parents that they want to be professional gamers. It’s interesting, because if you’re a professional gamer, it’s not unusual to spend twelve or fourteen hours a day gaming, because it’s their job. People will ask if they’re addicted but, for me, they’re not addicted to gaming, they’re addicted to their job. It’s like an Olympic athlete being addicted to exercise because they’re doing it for twelve hours a day. Are you a gamer? I remember playing Space Invaders in amusement arcades back in the late seventies. I grew up as a gamer, and spent hours and hours playing Donkey Kong, and I’m still a gamer. My kids started playing video games when they were three; I’m not anti-gaming in the slightest.
Mental Health: Gambling January 2020 saw the announcement that from Tuesday 14 April, bets using credit cards are to be banned. Further to that, the head of mental health services in England has written to fi ve major gambling companies, demanding urgent action on tackling gambling addiction and its impact on people’s health. These actions may curb the more rational among us to think twice about parting with large sums of money. But what about those individuals who are impulsive, disinhibited or thrill-seeking? Gambling, like all addictions, may have started as a way of coping with feelings that you felt unable to deal with in any other way. It is a compulsion that is diff icult to control, and you need help and support to stop. However, other mental health problems may manifest in a similar way but occur more acutely.
An example of this would be in hypomania, which is characterised by an elevated mood state. I have worked with many individuals who have experienced feelings of euphoria and exhilaration and embarked on a spending spree with no regard for the consequence. The difference here is that with treatment, these compulsions and impulses do subside and return to normal behaviour. Sadly, there is often a trail of debt and the remorse can lead to low mood and depression. I have witnessed how diff icult it is for individuals to seek help with gambling addiction. It destroys families and relationships, causing loved ones to feel helpless and hopeless. The first step, as always, is to accept the fact that there is a problem. A desire to seek help and instigate change is key. The catalyst for this is unique for each person. Much to the frustration of others, only the person struggling with this terrible addiction can make this decision.
illustration: Liv Auckland
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words: Eve Smallman illustration: Ali Taylor-Perry
The term science might throw up images of luminous test tubes and crazyhaired Einsteins, but that’s a microscopic portion of it all. To get you in the know, Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity is back, bringing a whole galaxy of knowledge and excitement into streets, universities, community centres and more. We chatted with producer Megan Shore about what’ll be occurring this year and why you should go along... Whizz-bopping and think-tanking is in our city’s DNA – we’ll spare you the Boots and ibuprofen-filled speech – and we have two universities and a host of other companies ticking their way through the latest innovative research. It therefore makes perfect sense that we’re home to a week long festival about science. It’s jam-packed with workshops, pop-events and loads more – but it wasn’t always such a big bonanza. Megan says: “The festival developed from a pop-up shop in Broadmarsh. It went down really well, and we reached lots of new people who might not have thought science was for them.” The bewildered interest from the gathering crowds sparked the idea of starting a science-themed festival that ran all over the city, with a plethora of organisations working together to make it happen. Taking place between 12 - 19 February, the later events lap over half term, which is handy for anyone still struggling with a Christmas hangover or is a bit strapped for cash. “It’s great for people who want to get out and don't want to stay in the house.” says Megan. “That's why we do things in community library spaces, or in the city centre. It's all very easy access, and you don't need to be into science to take your kids along.”
Of course, curiosity is a key element here. “It's not just for people looking to become engineers – it's about teaching people in Nottingham to be curious and ask questions,” she says, “That can lead to lots of different things, whether that's going into the science field or doing something else entirely.” It’s not just got shenanigans for the kiddiwinks, either – they’ve got something that will interest everyone. Fancy watching a live heart dissection on Valentine’s Day? Who wouldn't? “I feel like there's going to be a lot of couples that are very anti-Valentine’s there!” Megan laughs. They’ll also be popping up activities at the Victoria Centre, Sneinton Market, Lakeside Arts and various other venues. It’s clear they’ve gone above and beyond to find something to please everyone. Megan rounds off by saying: “A lot of the time, people think that science is not something that they're interested in. But come along and give it a try – I think you'll be surprised at how engaging the events are.” The Festival of Science and Curiosity is on across Nottinghamshire from Wednesday 12 February to Wednesday 19 February.
Heading to the Festival of Science and Curiosity? Make sure you check out Flight. It invites audiences to step inside a 40ft shipping container – with an interior exactly resembling a plane – and take a 30-minute short-haul flight in absolute darkness. Artistic Director Glen Neath tells us why it’s out of this world… Describe Flight... The idea came after making our first show, Seance, and then wondering which other environments we could work with. We decided on a plane; we sourced parts from old, knackered aircrafts and fashioned a narrative around that. We have 3D sound, blurring the idea of what is real and what isn't. The show is about being on a plane but also in an alternative space which was running alongside it. That is what inspired the quantum multiverse concept we came up with.
How did you make it an immersive experience? We wanted to play with the ideas of fear, anxiety and people finding things unnerving, with short intense shows that draw on these things. Being completely in the dark puts you in a very unusual place, as you can't even see your hands. Because you can't see anything you're then very much aware of your sense of hearing. From this, everyone has a very individual experience, because they can hear other members of the audience having their own experience too.
The quantum multiverse…? It's basically the idea that there’s more than one possible thing that can happen; that there's all these different worlds running parallel to each other. It's like the idea of playing Russian roulette and you surviving, and that world you survive in is the one you are conscious of. When you come out of the show, you're the conscious version of you that survived.
What has the reaction been like to it so far? On the whole, the response has been very good. Quite a lot of people have seen the set then walked straight out again! But although it deals with a stricken plane, it does end with a message of hope, and that has been pointed out a few times too. In March, at King’s Cross, we are planning on having all three shows on as a collection, that people can spend the evening going to. Having Flight on in Nottingham is good as people will be able to see it individually, but we are quite excited about having them on together.
How did you come up with the concept? Originally we did a few long shows using the same darkness and sound. But the problem was that theatres were all different shapes and sizes, so the sound was vastly different than the one it was recorded in. We decided to make shows we could control, so we had the idea of doing them in shipping containers, which would mean we could tour them.
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You can experience Flight at Lakeside Arts between Saturday 15 - Sunday 23 February. darkfield.org
REVIEW: THE DICE CUP Finding something unusual to do in Nottingham city centre can sometimes be diff icult. But if your tummy is grumbling and your boredom is tumbling, vegan boardgame cafe The Dice Cup could sort you out. Despite there being over 800 board games just waiting to be opened and their worlds explored, it’s not intimidating at all. You can play everything, from the more intricate games that you’ll be playing for hours, to snappier ones like card games and Battleships. We went for the latter – it’s a hardhitting, strategic minefield, right?
NEON WOLF
Along with many people in the UK, I decided to do Veganuary this year. This hasn’t been too diff icult for me, apart from very much missing my best friend: cheese. But the oozy-gooey-melty stuff that topped the vegan pepperoni pizza we had was unbelievable. My cheesy heartstrings are just twanging thinking about it. The cafe has partnered up with plantbased deli No Homers for their vegan meats, which has allowed them to make doner, turkey and other interesting alternatives available on their menu.
photos: Natalie Owen Walk into the Neon Wolf cafe and you’ll immediately start eyeing up spots for your Instagram. It’s bright, engaging and slick, with colourful Goose Fair-vibe seats and arcade machines that you’ll play with a mean coffee buzz. It’s good coffee too – they’ve partnered up with Stewart’s and have nabbed two head baristas from a notorious Nottingham coffee shop. Having an aesthetically-pleasing cafe to marry up to their already thriving tattoo studio – situated just downstairs – makes perfect sense. Owner James Irons says: “It's a bit more fun, with the games and the food, and is in line with what we've got in the studio. If this was a subsidised cafe for the tattoo parlour it wouldn't work – it needed to be a stand-alone business by itself, taking the food and drink seriously.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
As well as a tasty cup of char, they also offer vegan confectionery from Mansfield’s Macaron Girls. Doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes… Cue a Homer-esque mouth dribble. They’ve even got Simpsons-style doughnut cupcakes. “I'm vegetarian not vegan, but the amount of times I’ve looked at a menu, squinting for a ‘V’ has been awful. I wanted it to be the other way around!” he says. “We've put countless months of development into the food, going back and forth on recipes as well. It’s all vegan and all really good – you won’t be able to taste the difference.”
They don’t have a full food menu at the moment, but they are cooking up plans to have local street food vendor guest spots in the kitchen. Not only this, but they’ve got plans for yoga and coffee mornings, as well as game challenge nights on their arcade machines where people can win a day in a tattoo chair. The nostalgic interior is due to James’ childhood. “When I was a kid, me and my mate used to ride our BMXes from Toton to the Showcase Cinema to play on the Ninja Turtles machine, because it was a fi ve player game.” When we snap him for photos, he’s clearly at home on the gaming machines. “I'm not really into modern gaming,” he laughs. “I had a go on Call of Duty and I was terrible!” Coming to the cafe offers you a really good place to inspire you tattoo-wise too. “We've got books that people can flick through, and we've got an art wall with hand-drawn postcards from our artists.” There’s no pressure to get a tat though – you can go in and enjoy the cafe just for its treats and tricks. “If you're creative, you like tattoos and you like coffee, it's probably the best place you can come to in the UK,” James smiles. “There just isn't anywhere like it.” Derby Rd, NG1 5AA neonwolf.co.uk
For puds, we tried out the Biscoff milkshakes and split a carrot cake. The milkshake was frothy and fulfilling, and the carrot cake was so moist, with not-butter-butter-cream that melted on the tongue. They don’t overly push the fact they serve all vegan food – they often find that people are surprised because they can’t taste the difference. It’s a refreshing attitude and one that I reckon a lot of places will start adopting in the future. Regardless of your food preferences or your gaming expertise, you’re definitely not rolling the dice coming here. It’s a lovely place to unwind, eat uncomplicated yet tasty grub, and have an entertaining time. Eve Smallman Mansfield Rd, NG1 3GY @ thedicecup
New Restaurant ViDa by Lorentes
Event Valentine’s Day Gin Tasting - Friday 14 Feb
Must Try Food Romance Collection – Studio Chocolate
Close your eyes, ignore the cold weather, and imagine you’re in sexy Spain. Tantalising tapas, good red wine and a cosy atmosphere make this a date staple. Flamenco dresses are not mandatory. lorentes.co.uk
Sip on fi ve gins, specially selected for their links to all things romantically Victorian – aka the language of flowers and making eyes at your forbidden lover over a fl apping fan. maltcross.com
Surprise the other half with these choccies, guaranteed to make their hearts melt. Flavours include Cherry Amaretto, Praline Caramel and Champagne. Eat them at the kitchen table or... somewhere else in the house. @_studiochocolate
Review: Monga
Best romantic hot spots
It might appear like it’s lacking a soul, but I think it’s fair to say that one of the best things about the Vic Centre is the recent revamp of the ad-hoc food court occupying what I like to call the “big Tesco end.” However, it’s the latest addition to the food network that got me the most excited. As someone who could happily eat beef noodle soup ‘til I was up to my eyeballs and maintains that bubble tea is the best hangover cure out there, the opening of a Taiwanese-style fried chicken joint made me jump for joy inside. Monga started out in London, and this new Vic Centre location is the first foray outside the capital. First marinated in honey, fresh chicken fillets are dipped in batter rather than dry flour before frying, giving you a portion that’s thick, juicy and tender at the same time. They’re not here to play when it comes to portion sizes either – I walked past a handful of signs boasting their 2cm thickness, and was still surprised when I was presented with a piece of chicken the size of my head.
Sexy Mamma Love Spaghetti Nestled away in Hockley is this little slice of Italy. The small-but-cosy restaurant provides an intimate setting for the perfect date, serving up rustic Italian favourites that are always bursting with flavour. Make sure you book in advance because it’s permanently chock-a-block. facebook.com/sexy-mamma-lovesspaghetti Petit Paris Paris is the city of love (or so they say), so take a trip á la française to this hidden city-centre gem. Regulars claim the Parisienne-style joint serves up the best food and wine in town, so take your best company to sample the classic á la carte menu. Bon appetit, baby. petitparisnottingham.co.uk Oscar & Rosie’s If three-course meal dates aren’t really your thing, consider laid-back pizza at Oscar & Rosie’s. Grab a slice of the action with your love, with fresh sourdough pizza that has topping options aplenty. Then when you go for the same slice at the same time… Chow it down yerself. oscarandrosies.com
We went for the combo option – chicken, fries, salad and a drink for just under a tenner. I wish I knew exactly what spices go into coating the thing – a quick google suggests garlic, chilli and Chinese five spice – but all I know is it’s one of the most distinct yet moreish combos I’ve ever experienced. Never afraid to push the boat out, I got mine topped with seaweed flakes, which was a welcomed addition. The best part is we left feeling stunned, content and, most surprisingly, not feeling like we’d bathed in a bucket of grease. I’m going back there ASAP. Emily Thursfield Victoria Centre, NG1 3QP
Coco Tang Café Quaintly situated down the historic Byard Lane, CoCo Tang Café offers a 1950s Saigon-inspired eating experience, serving up authentic Vietnamese cuisine until 10pm daily. Complement your meal with a traditional Asian coffee by day or enjoy a unique cocktail from their signature menu at night. cocotang.co.uk The Lobster Pot Oysters are an aphrodisiac, if you catch our drift. This family-run seafood paradise puts a Thai twist on classic seafood dishes. If oysters aren’t your thing, try the acclaimed lobster or crab dishes and chow down on some of the best seafood in the Midlands. lobsterpotnottingham.co.uk Bsweet This Italian-owned dessert place will make your tastebuds go ‘Mamma mia!’ There is nothing more romantic than ordering an ice cream with two spoons. The interior is also gorgeous, which means you can snap the perfect lovedup selfie. Cute. bsweetdesserts.co.uk
To Follow The Kitchen on Pelham Street Their home-cooked, rustic food will give you serious tummy rumbles. Fresh salads, packed sandwiches, decadent cakes and bountiful breakfasts all feature on their Insta. @pelhamstreetkitchen
illustration: Ali Taylor-Perry
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DOUGHNOTTSOFFICIAL.COM
#DOUGHNOTTS 14 King St, Nottingham, NG1 2AS
Mixed, glazed & crafted by hand
Seas of Mirth (Album) Sub Marine Dreams First breaking onto the scene with manic pirate shanties, this latest work sees the band evolving to more diverse instrumentals yet remaining loyal towards all things nautical. The perfect antidote to the overindulgent chart music, this album is packed with ten brilliantly-performed skits, each nodding to an underwater theme. Ranging from the hyperactive Ink (do the blollop) to the hazy and harmonious prog-rock banger, Jellyfish Metropolis, it’s only if you tune into the lyrics that you realise the subtle and beautiful ridiculousness of it all. They’ve matured, but they haven’t lost their sense of humour. Eileen Pegg
Alice Robbins GDFS (Single) If there’s one thing that will see us through to spring, it’s Alice Robbins’ new single GDFS. Occupying a paradisal place between sleepy indie and progressive folk, Alice had a cracking 2019, playing enchanting shows and releasing EP Lavender Honey. GDFS suggests there’s plenty more where that came from; wistful vocals fraternise with guitar-meets-organelle consonance against a backdrop of candescent drumming. With a sound that’s delicate yet ballsy, we can’t wait to watch her soar in 2020. Becky Timmins
Cult of Dom Keller Ascend! (Album) It’s been four years since the psychedelic fi ve-piece’s last release, but Ascend! was definitely worth the wait. The sixth album from the band features their usual brand of abrasive guitars paired with plenty of distortion, indistinguishable vocals and thunderous cymbals resonating to create a dynamically sonorous nine-track record. Dense layers of sonic alchemy build the fuzzfuelled sound throughout to create a brazen, trippedout soundscape that takes you on a sonic journey to a surreal, post-apocalyptic dimension from start to finish. Laura Phillips
Hurtsfall 12 Long Years (Single)
Daisy Godfrey Many Shades (Single)
Established in 2017, Hurtsfall are a relatively new outfit but this doesn’t detract from how refined they sound. Here, Sam’s vocals really are an instrument in their own right, rather a layer atop the band which has a bassline from guitarist Mike that’ll send listeners on a mad Joy Division nostalgia trip (Hookey would be proud). The synths mirror cold, mellow melodies from an era that’s often associated with greed, is this a warning? Only time will tell… Joe Robinson
Daisy Godfrey; a name which if you’re not familiar with, you need to get to know. Many Shades marks this ultra-cool Nottingham lass’ hotly anticipated second single and boy was it worth the wait. Featuring Daisy’s signature soulful vocals, bags of attitude and stunning gospelinspired harmonies, it’s neo soul at its finest. If you’re after something fresh and funky with subtle nods to the very best nineties R&B, this could just be your new favourite tune. Addie Kenogbon
If you’re from Nottingham and want to get added to our music writers list, or get your tunes reviewed, hit us up at music@leftlion.co.uk
NUSIC BOX
Your new Notts music tip sheet, as compiled by Nusic’s Sam Nahirny. Want more? Check out the fortnightly podcasts and live sessions on the Nusic website.
Celestines Anthemic indie, with the rock and roll energy of arena rock bands like Kings of Leon. Celestines have got some BIG songs under their belt, to say they're a relatively new band – their lead single Die4 is an anthem. Lead vocalist Dev’s unique tone really shines through – and, being wrapped all together in the band’s sonic loveliness, makes the kind of thing you just wanna belt out in the shower. You can hear the energy that makes you think ‘yeah – this is gonna be a riot live.’ facebook.com/wearecelestines/
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Sancho Panza We could go rave on about the NG music community for ages – but one thing we really do love is seeing musicians supporting other musicians. And Sancho Panza may be one of the most loved artists in all of Notts. Surfing the line of indie swag, rock and roll-ability, with a sprinkling of pop melodies, they’ve got their unique sound down to a T. And that’s before you see them ram out The Bodega, Rough Trade, or whichever local venue they’re set to dominate next. facebook.com/sanchopanzzza/
Book Reviews Take Three
Anthology (Soundswrite Press) This exciting collection features the work of three female poets living and working in Nottinghamshire: Tuesday Shannon, Pippa Hennessy and Elizabeth Hourston. Split into three sections, each poet has space to project their own voice in the collection, with elements of shared kinship coming through. Perseverance and family come to form two of the most noticeable motifs for each poet. It builds a cohesive sense of the whole collection, with differences between each poet’s work maintained. For example, in comparison to Hennessy, Shannon and Hourston maintain a more structured approach to free verse. Hennessy instead uses the page to demonstrate her ability to connect the elements of found poetry in Quantum Theory and the speaker’s voice. This collection as a whole is extremely enjoyable to read and will definitely be one I return to. Kate Hewett
Why Video Game Adaptations Can Still Work With a number of recent video game adaptations faltering on the big screen, you might think they’re doomed to fail. Look at the utter mess around the proposed Uncharted movie; it feels like a hundred different directors have been cycled through before the thing’s even reached pre-production. Yet while there have admittedly been a number of woeful adaptations in recent years, there is hope for these films in the future if they follow the path of The Witcher. The Netflix series bases its story on the novels, but is clearly influenced by the games from the franchise and shows future filmmakers that the key to success is to not take things too seriously. Embrace the games with all their weird and wonderful features rather than shying away from them. The Witcher has a number of faults, including a pretty illogical storyline and some very questionable dialogue, but there is a joy to its selfawareness. It pokes fun at the gruff grunts of Henry Cavill’s Geralt, the insane range of characters in the show and the general ridiculousness of its entire genre, but it makes the series more entertaining as a result. There is fan service aplenty from a cast and crew who clearly enjoy the games themselves, which has led to an instant cult following and overwhelmingly positive response from the people that really matter: those who play the games.
Brian Clough: Fifty Defining Fixtures
Marcus Alton (Amberley Publishing) There are few characters in Nottingham’s history that have provided as many hours of endless entertainment as the late, great Brian Clough. Countless books have been written on Ol’ Big Head but, whether it’s his personal or professional life (if you can really make a distinction between the two), Clough provides a seemingly endless well of fascinating, hilarious anecdotes. Focusing more, although not exclusively, on the football side of things, Marcus Alton’s comprehensive, endlessly readable Fifty Defining Fixtures is a must-read for any who have an interest in Clough’s life. Alton’s uncluttered, entertaining narrative flair is perfect for providing the backstory on the football games that made Clough a legend, delivering a perfect balance of statistics, first-hand accounts and context. Whether you’re reading cover-to-cover, or dipping in and out for specific games, it’s a genuinely absorbing read. Ashley Carter
The lesson for filmmakers is this: if you are making a movie based on a game, embrace it Face Blind in Berlin, Suffolk and Gedling The Memoirs of Chris Cook Cann (Loaf on a Stick Press)
Mushroom Bookshop served as Nottingham’s premier radical bookshop from the early seventies until its closure in 2000. With its roots firmly set in the anarchist movement, it blessed Heathcoat Street with a selection of counter-culture, lesbian and gay literature for almost three decades, courtesy of cofounder Chris Cook Cann. While Cann’s endlessly enjoyable memoir, Face Blind in Berlin, Suffolk and Gedling, covers this distinctive period in Nottingham’s cultural history, it also delves into many more chapters in the author's fascinating story. Her life’s events, which span from growing up as something of a child spy in sixties Berlin, her involvement in non-violent direct action in the eighties and her campaigning efforts to save day case at Hayward House, are also accompanied by the list of books Cann was reading at the time, providing an interesting, contextualizing insight into her mindset and changing interests. It’s a hard book to review in as much as the most honest thing I can say about it would be: just pick up a copy and start reading. Cann writes with wit, wonderfully capturing some of the weird and wonderful idiosyncrasies of life, as well as providing a unique insight into an incredibly important chapter in Nottingham’s past. Helen Baxter-Clark
This is the complete opposite to 2016’s Assassin’s Creed, a snooze-fest so devoid of enjoyability that it makes The Da Vinci Code feel like a comedy. The film introduces new characters to which audiences have no prior affection and attempts to develop a fresh storyline with depth and mystery. But it doesn’t appreciate the history of the game and its lore, and fails to acknowledge the wit and humour in the series. It considers itself better than the game it’s inspired by and is more focused on a mass market than the actual fans of the franchise. As a result, the film struggled at the box office and was mauled by audiences who felt betrayed by the direction it took. So the lesson for filmmakers is this: if you are making a movie based on a game, embrace it. Don’t consider yourself better than the game developers and don’t take things too seriously. Video games and their stories are often weird, bizarre and flawed, but that’s what makes them great. Make these films for the fans and it might just become a success. The Witcher showed filmmakers how it’s done. Here’s hoping they listen. words: George White leftlion.co.uk/issue122 39
“One of the most exciting things I’ve seen all year.” Evening Standard
Nottingham Cathedral Choir Musical & Amicable Society Baroque Orchestra Alex Patterson conductor
“A thrilling grime musical.” The Guardian
J. S. BACH
St John Passion 19–21 Mar A Royal Court Theatre Production
Saturday 7 March 2020, 7.45pm Nottingham Cathedral By Debris Stevenson feat. Jammz
A coming of age story inspired by Dizzee Rascal’s seminal album nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk 0115 941 9419 Originally co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and the Royal Court Theatre in 2018, supported by Jerwood Arts.
Derby Road, Nottingham, NG1 5AE
Tickets: £16, £12, £10 available online from www.nottinghamcathedralmusic.com Nottingham Tourism Centre 1-4 Smithy Row, Nottingham NG1 2BY tel. 08444 77 56 78 or at the door (subject to availability)
BEST OF FEBRUARY Casino Zero When? Friday 21 February, 7pm Where? Nonsuch Studios How much? £7 Our very own Editor-at-Large Bridie Squires has created her own onewoman-show Casino Zero. It’s all about a newly-recruited croupier, who is faced with lairy situations aplenty and moral compasses that are replaced with roulette wheels. We chatted to her on page 18 about how she created it and why you should pop along.
Light Night When? Friday 7 February Where? Across the city centre How much? Some events free, others paid Yes, it’s still winter, but the bright lights and glowing atmosphere that will be around this evening will make it feel like summer again. There will be parties in Old Market Square and Sneinton Market, workshops at places such as Handmade and Malt Cross, plus lots more at all your favourite venues.
PVC: A Virtual Reality Ambush When? Thursday 27 February, 6.30pm Where? New Art Exchange How much? Free
Open Dome: Exploring Skyscapes When: Friday 28 February, 7pm Where: Nottingham Contemporary How much? Free
Chronic Insanity are here to disrupt everything you know about theatre, so bring your socks because they’ll be sure to be knocked off with this media mixin’ performance. Expect to be plunged into a world of live performance, virtual reality, and a lot of side-splitting laughter.
You know that thing above us? Well, NTU is celebrating the sky in style at the Nottingham Contemporary. Notts writers, poets, astronomers, and photographers are gathering together to put on a truly immersive night. Head over for a starry night full of all things arty.
Yazmin Lacey When? Saturday 8 February Where? Peggy’s Skylight How much? £14.30
Surface: Department for Dance When? Saturday 8 February Where? Surface Gallery How much? £8 on the door
Yazmin Lacey will be gracing Peggy’s stage with her glorious fusion of lover’s rock, soul, jazz and techno. After the show head over to Suede where Yazmin and friends will be taking over the decks to keep the party going on till late. See you there, pears.
If reality has got a bit much for you lately, boogie on over to the Surface Gallery for two floors of music and psychedelic heaven. With a mission to be bigger, better, and weirder, this is going to be a look into the world of disco. Dust off your disco pants and get ready to dance the night away.
Festival of Science and Curiosity When: Wednesday 12 February to Wednesday 19 February Where: All over the shop How much? Some events free, others paid
Just the Tonic Comedy Club Featuring Spencer Jones When: Saturday 15 February Where: Metronome How much? £12 - £16.50
This wonderfully whimsical festival is taking place across the Nottinghamshire area, with workshops, events and lots more for peeps of all ages. Whether you’re into the sciencey bits or just fancy seeing summat a bit different, you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy.
Just the Tonic always puts on a corkin’ night, but this one is going to be a real treat. Double-BAFTA nominated comedian Spencer Jones is taking to the stage for some glorious standup. Afterwards he’ll be doing a 50-minute Disco Experiment, so stick around for that if you’re as curious as we are about it.
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What’s on? SATURDAY 1 FEB
MONDAY 3 FEB
TUESDAY 4 FEB
WEDNESDAY 5 FEB
THURSDAY 6 FEB
đ&#x;˜‚ Milton Jones in Milton: Impossible Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ30, 7.30pm
đ&#x;”§Â Reiki Nottingham Womens Centre ÂŁ5, 2pm
♍ Apollo5 University Hall £5 - £25, 7pm
♍ Catrin Finch & Cimarrón Lakeside Arts £20, 7.30pm
♍ The HallÊ Goes To Nashville Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £19.50 - £39.50, 7.30pm
đ&#x;”§Â Words for Wellbeing St Anns Allotments ÂŁ35, 10am
đ&#x;“– The Island Child Five Leaves Bookshop ÂŁ4, 7pm
♍ Tamaryn The Chameleon £10, 7pm
♍ Piatti String Quartet Lakeside Arts £18, 5.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Life Drawing with Tas Severis Patchings Art Centre ÂŁ52, 7pm
đ&#x;Ž¨ Explore Art Club New Art Exchange Free, 4pm
đ&#x;”§Â Open Hack Night Nottingham Hackspace Free, 6.30pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Treasure Island Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ19.50, 7pm
đ&#x;“– Words for Wellbeing St Anns Allotments ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ45, 10am
đ&#x;ŽĽÂ Kinky Boots Savoy Cinema ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ13.50, 8pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Black Creatives Network New Art Exchange Free, 6pm
♍ Michaela Anne + Jack Klatt The Bodega £14 - £15.40, 7pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Strictly Come Dancing Motorpoint Arena Nottingham ÂŁ51.60, 7.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Line Drawn Portraiture Workshop City Arts ÂŁ7, 5.45pm
♍ Caramello: Lost City Of Atlantis Rock City £7.50 - £10.24, 10pm
đ&#x;š˛Â Race Night (Scalextric) The Dragon ÂŁ5, 7.30pm
♍ Sam Lee Rescue Rooms £13.75 - £19.25, 7.30pm
♍ The Game Rock City £30.25, 6.30pm
đ&#x;”§Â Words for Wellbeing St Anns Allotments ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ45, 10am
đ&#x;ŽÂ Top Flight Time Machine The Glee Club ÂŁ14.25, 7pm
♍ Freewheelin The Plainsman Free, 9pm ♍ Carnaval Transatlântico Alberts £11 - £15, 8pm
SUNDAY 2 FEB đ&#x;˜‚ Carl Hutchinson Live 2020 Canalhouse ÂŁ12, 5pm ♍ Sam Baker The Old Cold Store ÂŁ16, 7.30pm đ&#x;Ž Jean Selim Abdelmoula Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ11, 11am đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Stella and the Starshiners Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8.50 - ÂŁ10, 1pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Stitch and Bitch Crafty Crow Free, 5pm đ&#x;“– Book Signing: Kwoklyn Wan Waterstones Free, 10.30am ♍ The Interrupters Rock City ÂŁ20 - ÂŁ22, 6.30pm ♍ NTU Vocal and Instrumental Competitions University Hall Free, 1pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Desert Island Flicks Bonington Theatre ÂŁ8, 7.30pm đ&#x;“ŁÂ Tony Law: Identities The Glee Club ÂŁ13.60, 7pm đ&#x;“ŁÂ Harry Potter Game Day Waterstones Free, 1pm ♍ Georgie Metronome ÂŁ8, 7pm
FRIDAY 7 FEB
SATURDAY 8 FEB
SUNDAY 9 FEB
MONDAY 10 FEB
TUESDAY 11 FEB
đ&#x;˜‚ Friday Night Rally Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ8 - ÂŁ10, 7pm
♍ Iceland Symphony Orchestra Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £9 - £37, 7.30pm
đ&#x;”§Â Argentine Tango 62nd Scouts Hall ÂŁ7, 3.15pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Overheard Lakeside Arts ÂŁ12, 6pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ An Inspector Calls Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ35.50, 7.30pm
♍ Bam Bam: The Launch Night The I Club £7 - £13, 8pm
đ&#x;?´Â Napoleon Dynamite Food and Film Night Rough Trade ÂŁ20, 7pm
đ&#x;”§Â Now a Major Motion Picture Broadway Cinema ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ70, 7pm
đ&#x;Ž˛Â The 1UP Video Games Quiz Broadway Cinema ÂŁ1, 8.45pm
đ&#x;”§Â Words for Wellbeing St Anns Allotments ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ45, 10am
đ&#x;Ž¨ Body As Canvas / Surface New Art Exchange Free, 1pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Pastel Course with Chas Wood Patchings Art Centre ÂŁ52, 10am
đ&#x;ŽÂ ...If We’ve Never Been To The Moon? Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ10, 7.30pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Light Night Sneinton Market Free, 5pm ♍ Harleighblu Peggy’s Skylight ÂŁ12 - ÂŁ17, 8pm đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Glowstick Trials The National Justice Museum ÂŁ3.50, 6.30pm đ&#x;Ž¨Â Exhibition Launch Party & Light Night Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6.30pm đ&#x;Ž¨ Light Night: An Alternative Fashion Show Soul and Flare Free, 6.30pm đ&#x;?´Â MJ the Art Traveller + Cocktail Lab MinorOak Free, 6.30pm
42 leftlion.co.uk/issue122
♍ Mimm Present Yazmin Lacey (DJ Set) & Friends Suede Bar Free, 11pm đ&#x;”§Â 500 Words: A Workshop for Young Writers Nottingham Writers Studio ÂŁ10, 2pm đ&#x;”§Â Candle Jar Craft Workshop Malt Cross Free, 5pm ♍ Music for a Better State of Mind Rough Trade ÂŁ3, 7.30pm ♍ Definitely Oasis Rescue Rooms ÂŁ13.20, 7pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Drawing Workshop The Playwright 38 ÂŁ20, 1pm đ&#x;ŽĽÂ Kinky Boots Savoy Cinema ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ13.50, 2.30pm ♍ Fiona Stein Peggy’s Skylight ÂŁ3 - ÂŁ5, 1pm ♍ Hypersensitivity The Chameleon ÂŁ3, 7.30pm ♍ Sonny Rollins and the Modern Jazz Quartet Peggy’s Skylight ÂŁ8 - ÂŁ16, 6pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Two Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ11.50, 7.30pm ♍ Pkew Pkew Pkew The Bodega ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ11, 7pm ♍ Shopping Rough Trade ÂŁ10.99 - ÂŁ19.99, 6.30pm đ&#x;Ž˛Â Malt Cross Pub Quiz Malt Cross ÂŁ1, 8.30pm
đ&#x;?Ť Open Critique Night Nottingham Writers Studio Free, 7pm ♍ Billy Lockett The Glee Club ÂŁ14.75, 7.30pm đ&#x;˜‚ Eric and Ern Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ23, 7.30pm đ&#x;˜‚ Jokes and Jerk The Angel Microbrewery Free, 7pm
WEDNESDAY 12 FEB
THURSDAY 13 FEB
FRIDAY 14 FEB
SATURDAY 15 FEB
SUNDAY 16 FEB
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Nottingham City WI International Community Centre ÂŁ4, 7.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Ivon Hitchens: Gallery Tour Lakeside Arts Free, 1pm
đ&#x;?´Â Valentine’s Day Gin Tasting Malt Cross ÂŁ30, 7pm
đ&#x;”§Â Ancient Crafts: Flintknapping Lakeside Arts ÂŁ40 - ÂŁ50, 11am
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Chloe and the Colour Catcher Lakeside Arts ÂŁ7.50 - ÂŁ8, 1.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨ Line Embroidery Workshop City Arts ÂŁ10, 5.45pm
đ&#x;?ŤÂ CAMPUS Talks: Quinsy Gario Bonington Gallery Free, 6.30pm
♍ Cabaret Evening Nottingham Cathedral £12 - £12, 7.45pm
đ&#x;ŽŠ Watson Fothergill Walk Tourism Centre ÂŁ12, 10am
♍ Oh Wonder Metronome £19 - £31, 7pm
♍ JazzSteps: Xhosa Cole Quartet Bonington Theatre £5 - £12, 8pm
♍ Valentine Burlesque Variety Show Alea Casino £16 - £50, 7pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Fat Thursday On A Saturday New Art Exchange Free, 2pm
đ&#x;Ž˛Â 90s TV Film & Music Quiz Night Bunkers Hill Free, 7.30pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ The Naughty Fox Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ8, 10.30am
đ&#x;˜‚ Miz Cracker The Glee Club ÂŁ21.60, 7pm
♍ Washdown Open Mic WOLF Italian Street Food £8, 7.30pm
đ&#x;ŽĽÂ Shutter Island Nottingham Contemporary ÂŁ5, 6.30pm
đ&#x;š˛Â Unibet Premier League Darts Motorpoint Arena Nottingham ÂŁ29.20 - ÂŁ148.20, 7pm  ♍ Jimi: The Legend Lives On Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ24, 7.30pm
♍ Alan Barnes with The Nottingham Jazz Orchestra The Federation Club £10, 8pm
đ&#x;“ŁÂ Beeston Tales The Beeston Victory Club ÂŁ6 - ÂŁ7, 7.30pm ♍ Lunchtime Recitals University Hall ÂŁ3, 1pm đ&#x;˜‚ £1 Comedy Night Canalhouse ÂŁ1, 8pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ In Progress: The Glad Game And Aftershock Rescue Rooms ÂŁ5, 8pm ♍ Claudia Huckle Contralto & Simon Lepper Piano Lakeside Arts ÂŁ18, 5.30pm
♍ Wholesome Fish Malt Cross ÂŁ5, 7.30pm ♍ Emily Hodkinson Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Free, 1pm đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Cocktails and Crime The National Justice Museum ÂŁ21.95, 7pm ♍ Heartbreakers Ball The Space, Nottingham Contemporary ÂŁ11, 8pm đ&#x;“ŁÂ Iain Dale: All Talk With Kenneth Clarke Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ23.50, 7.30pm đ&#x;“– An Evening with Kate Spicer Waterstones ÂŁ5, 6.30pm
♍ Marvin’s Revenge The Angel Microbrewery ÂŁ8, 7.30pm ♍ Just the Tonic Presents: Spencer Jones Metronome ÂŁ12 - ÂŁ16.50, 7pm đ&#x;ŽÂ Chicago Nottingham Arts Theatre ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ14, 2.30pm ♍ The 1975 Motorpoint Arena ÂŁ41.52 - ÂŁ129, 6.30pm
♍ Tori Freestone & Alcyona Mick Peggy’s Skylight ÂŁ6 - ÂŁ10, 6pm ♍ God Damn The Bodega ÂŁ6, 7pm đ&#x;”§Â Argentine Tango: All-Day Beginners Course 62nd Scouts Hall ÂŁ25 - ÂŁ40, 9.30am đ&#x;Ž¨ Paint a Pot The Harley Gallery ÂŁ5 - ÂŁ22, 10am
MONDAY 17 FEB
TUESDAY 18 FEB
WEDNESDAY 19 FEB
THURSDAY 20 FEB
FRIDAY 21 FEB
đ&#x;”§Â DSLR Photography: Embedding Your Skills Broadway Cinema ÂŁ90 - ÂŁ100, 6pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Build a Cardboard City Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8, 10am
♍ Mà nran Lakeside Arts £18, 7.30pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ From Landscape to Monoprint Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8, 10am
đ&#x;ŽÂ Oi Frog Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ11.50 - ÂŁ13.50, 3.30pm
đ&#x;“– Nottingham City WI Book Club Broadway Cinema Free, 7pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Young Physicist for a Day Lakeside Arts ÂŁ5, 1.30pm
♍ Oysland City Arts £10, 7.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨ Explore Art Club New Art Exchange Free, 4pm
đ&#x;ŽĽ The Sleeping Beauty Savoy Cinema ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ13.50, 2pm
đ&#x;ŽĽÂ Pink Flamingos Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ7.50, 8pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Everyday Life in Roman Margidunum Lakeside Arts Free, 1pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ A Monster Calls Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ16.50 - ÂŁ36.50, 7.30pm
đ&#x;Ž¨ The Ripple Effect New Art Exchange Free, 4pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ A Heart To Love Bonington Theatre ÂŁ7, 7.30pm
đ&#x;“– Poetry from Helen Mort Five Leaves Bookshop ÂŁ2 - ÂŁ4, 7pm
♍ Tori Freestone Trio Southwell Library £10, 7.30pm
đ&#x;“ŁÂ Castle Rock Brewery Coach Tour The Fox and Crown ÂŁ15, 10am
đ&#x;“Ł Listening: A Crisis Nottingham Contemporary Free, 6.30pm
đ&#x;˜‚ Jordan Brookes The Glee Club ÂŁ11.60, 7pm
♍ Tori Freestone Trio West Bridgford Library £10, 7pm
♍ Lauran Hibberd The Bodega £9 - £9.90, 7pm
♍ Gentleman’s Dub Club Rescue Rooms £20.35, 6.30pm
♍ Sorcha Richardson The Bodega £9, 7pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ SFiCE Social Cafe Hill View Community Centre Free, 5pm
đ&#x;‘Ş Peer Support Group Nottingham Womens Centre Free, 1pm
đ&#x;“ŁÂ An Evening with Charlie George The Southbank City ÂŁ16.50 - ÂŁ38.50, 6.30pm
♍ Heron Music Cafe The Poppy and Pint Free, 10.30am đ&#x;”§Â Words for Wellbeing St Anns Allotments ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ45, 10am ♍ Totally Wired! Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ11.50, 7.30pm đ&#x;‘Ş Tell Your Story! New Art Exchange Free, 1pm ♍ Tori Freestone Trio Beeston Library ÂŁ10, 7.30pm đ&#x;”§Â Animation Technologies Workshop Nottingham Contemporary Free, 5pm
♍ My Pet Fauxes Metronome ÂŁ5, 7pm ♍ The Black Charade Alberts ÂŁ8.80 - ÂŁ14.30, 7.30pm ♍ The Pete Wylie Show The Bodega ÂŁ17 - ÂŁ18.70, 7pm đ&#x;ŽÂ Casino Zero Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ7, 7.30pm ♍ Lazy Dog The Plainsman Free, 9pm đ&#x;?´Â Chateaubriand & Wine Evening Hart’s Hotel and Restaurant ÂŁ75 - ÂŁ150, 7.30pm
leftlion.co.uk/issue122 43
What’s on? SATURDAY 22 FEB
SUNDAY 23 FEB
MONDAY 24 FEB
TUESDAY 25 FEB
đ&#x;ŽĽ Kes Film Screening Mansfield Central Library ÂŁ3, 1.30pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Igloo Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8, 11am
đ&#x;ŽŠÂ Georgian Delights: Gallery Tour Lakeside Arts Free, 3.30pm
đ&#x;Ž˛Â Pub Quiz The Sir John Borlase Warren ÂŁ1, 8.30pm
♍ Songwriter Sessions: City Arts £4, 7pm
♍ Irish Traditional Folk Music Session Malt Cross Free, 3pm
đ&#x;ŽĽÂ Beetlejuice Savoy Cinema ÂŁ5 - ÂŁ6.95, 8.30pm
♍ Shakespeare’s Songs Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall £11.50, 7.30pm
đ&#x;?ŤÂ Shakespeare’s Inspiration Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall ÂŁ11.50, 7.30pm
đ&#x;”§Â Teenage Flicks Broadway Cinema ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ70, 7pm
đ&#x;Ž¨Â Practical Art-Exploring Painting Nottingham Writers Studio ÂŁ66, 10am
đ&#x;“– Between The Lines Book Club New Art Exchange Free, 6pm
đ&#x;”§Â The Language Philosophers Use The Nottingham Mechanics Institute ÂŁ54, 6.45pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Pyramus and Thisbe The Studio Theatre ÂŁ8.50 - ÂŁ10, 7.30pm
♍ Twin Peaks The Bodega £13 - £14.30, 7pm
♍ Massicot + Slagheap + The Mysterious Monopole JT Soar £6 - £8, 8pm
đ&#x;Ž¨ Aardman Model Making Workshop Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ25, 11am ♍ Brandon Block + Alex P Alberts ÂŁ11.25, 8pm ♍ Sigala Rock City ÂŁ19.80, 6.30pm đ&#x;ŽÂ DirtyFilthySexy Presents: Queer Sounds Rough Trade ÂŁ6, 9pm
♍ Nearly Dan The Glee Club ÂŁ19.60, 7pm đ&#x;ŽÂ Qawwali: NFAK Tribute Tour Nottingham Arts Theatre ÂŁ17 - ÂŁ25, 7pm ♍ Griever + The Oklahoma Kid Ye Olde Salutation Inn ÂŁ7.70 - ÂŁ10.20, 8pm đ&#x;š˛Â Wilder v Fury II The Southbank City ÂŁ5.50, 2am
♍ Goo Goo Dolls Rock City £35.75, 6.30pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Missimp: Improv Triple Decker Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ7 - ÂŁ9, 7.45pm
♍ Kiefer Sutherland Rock City £32 - £35.20, 7pm
đ&#x;˜‚ Just the Tonic Metronome ÂŁ7 - ÂŁ13, 6.45pm
đ&#x;“– Tales of Frost & Firelight City Arts ÂŁ5 - ÂŁ25, 3pm
THURSDAY 26 FEB
FRIDAY 27 FEB
SATURDAY 28 FEB
SUNDAY 29 FEB
♍ The Chase The Chameleon £6.60, 7.30pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ How to Be Amazingly Happy! Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ7.50 - ÂŁ15, 7.30pm
đ&#x;‘Ş YOUnique Festival 2020 New Art Exchange Free, 12pm
đ&#x;‘ŞÂ Virtual Reality: A New Reality? New Art Exchange Free, 6.30pm
♍ Jungle Cakes The I Club £12 - £15, 10pm
đ&#x;˜‚ Stephen Bailey: Can’t Be Bothered Metronome ÂŁ10.50 - ÂŁ14.50, 6pm
đ&#x;˜‚ Lucy Beaumont: Space Mam Canalhouse ÂŁ12, 8pm
♍ Michael Ball + Alfie Boe Motorpoint Arena Nottingham £46 - £90.80, 8pm
đ&#x;”§Â Eco-Cleaning Workshop Malt Cross ÂŁ26.64, 1pm
đ&#x;˜‚ Howl at The Den WOLF Italian Street Food ÂŁ5 - ÂŁ9.50, 8pm
đ&#x;“ŁÂ Open Dome Nottingham Contemporary Free, 7pm
đ&#x;‘Ş Yoga Sound Movement: Grounding Nottingham Contemporary ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ25, 11.30am
♍ Portico Quartet Metronome £17.50, 7pm
♍ Near Mrs + Special Guests Rough Trade £8, 7.30pm
♍ Big Thief Rock City £23, 6.30pm
♍ Quartet Com Alma: Jazz of Brazil Peggy’s Skylight £5 - £8, 8pm
♍ AC/DC UK Rescue Rooms £13.20, 6.30pm
♍ Magic of the Musicals Nottingham Trent University £8, 7.30pm
đ&#x;ŽÂ Witches Can’t Be Burned Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ5, 7.45pm
đ&#x;“ŁÂ PuNk It uP! Presents: Brian James In Conversation Rough Trade ÂŁ13.52 - ÂŁ15, 6pm
♍ The Marcus King Band Rescue Rooms £22, 6.30pm
♍ Etta Bond Metronome £12.50 - £15, 7pm
♍ Cara Dillon Lakeside Arts ÂŁ20, 5.30pm đ&#x;?Ť Food Tales: Doing Things Differently Lakeside Arts Free, 1pm đ&#x;Ž¨ City WI Craft Club Broadway Cinema Free, 6.30pm đ&#x;ŽÂ Pyramus and Thisbe The Studio Theatre ÂŁ8.50 - ÂŁ10, 7.30pm đ&#x;“ŁÂ Take Off 20 Antenna Media Centre Free, 8am đ&#x;”§Â 1525: Arts Funding Workshop Nottingham Contemporary Free, 5pm - 7pm ♍ Jared James Nichols Rescue Rooms ÂŁ13.75, 6pm đ&#x;“ŁÂ Food Tales: How a Bakery Can Change Their Food System Lakeside Arts Free, 1pm
đ&#x;”§Â Now a Major Motion Picture Broadway Cinema ÂŁ35 - ÂŁ70, 7pm
♍ Laurence Fox The Bodega ÂŁ17.50 - ÂŁ19.25, 7pm đ&#x;š˛Â Yoga Nottingham Womens Centre Free, 1pm
đ&#x;”§Â Stage Fighting Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ35, 2pm ♍ Ambient presents Subb-An The I Club ÂŁ8 - ÂŁ9, 10pm
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44 leftlion.co.uk/issue122
Use code VRLEFTLION for an exclusive 50% discount* *Can be used for all experiences at meetspaceVR in Nottingham. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Online bookings only. Only available for mid-week booking from Weds to Friday. Only for bookings with 8 or less players.
ONGOING STUFF LIKE EXHIBITIONS AND PLAYS AND THAT đ&#x;Ž¨ Encroachments New Art Exchange Free Sat 18 Jan - Sun 15 Mar
đ&#x;š˛ Winter Olympics Qualifying Games Motorpoint Arena Nottingham ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ178.08 Fri 7 Feb - Sat 8 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ A Black Canvas New Art Exchange Free Sat 18 Jan - Sun 15 Mar
đ&#x;Ž¨ Volunteer Response Exhibition Backlit Gallery Free , 12pm Fri 7 Feb - Sun 9 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Journeys to Nottingham from the Windrush Generation Bonington Gallery Free Mon 27 Jan - Sat 1 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Denzil Forrester: Itchin & Scratchin Nottingham Contemporary Free , 10am Sat 8 Feb - Sun 3 May
đ&#x;Ž Nell Gwynn Lace Market Theatre ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ11 Mon 27 Jan - Sat 1 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Diane Simpson: Sculpture, Drawing, Prints 1976–2014 Nottingham Contemporary Free , 10am Sat 8 Feb - Sun 3 May
đ&#x;Ž¨ Angela Verdon Djanogly Art Gallery Free Mon 27 Jan - Sun 9 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Sung Tieu: In Cold Print Nottingham Contemporary Free ,  10am Sat 8 Feb - Sun 3 May
đ&#x;Ž¨ EXAGGERATE EVERYTHING Backlit Gallery 12pm Mon 27 Jan - Sat 15 Feb
đ&#x;Ž Chicago Nottingham Arts Theatre ÂŁ11 - ÂŁ14 , 7.30pm Thu 13 Feb - Sat 15 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Ivon Hitchens: Space through Colour Djanogly Art Gallery Free Mon 27 Jan - Sun 23 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Matt Woodham: Sensing Systems Bonington Gallery Free , 10am Sat 15 Feb - Sat 28 Mar
đ&#x;ŽŠ Georgian Delights: Life During The Reign of George IV Lakeside Arts Free Mon 27 Jan - Sun 29 Mar
đ&#x;‘Ł Made in Dagenham The Space @ Nottingham Girl’s High School ÂŁ9 - ÂŁ15 , 7.30pm Tue 18 Feb - Sat 22 Feb
đ&#x;Ž¨ Brick by Brick The Harley Gallery Free Mon 27 Jan - Sun 19 Apr đ&#x;˜‚ Stewart Lee Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ26.50 , 7.30pm Wed 29 Jan - Sat 1 Feb đ&#x;Ž Holes Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ12.50 - ÂŁ25.50 Wed 5 Feb - Sat 8 Feb đ&#x;Ž Nottingham Chinese New Year Gala 2020 Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8 - ÂŁ10 Thu 6 Feb - Sat 8 Feb
đ&#x;Ž Moonlight And Magnolias Nottingham Playhouse ÂŁ8.50 - ÂŁ37.50 Fri 21 Feb - Sat 7 Mar đ&#x;Ž¨ Off the Wall Lakeside Arts Free Sat 22 Feb - Sun 29 Mar đ&#x;Ž A Servant of Two Masters Lace Market Theatre ÂŁ10 - ÂŁ11 , 7.30pm Mon 24 Feb - Sat 29 Feb đ&#x;‘Ş Feb Half Term Activities: Sonic Moves Nottingham Contemporary Free ,  11am Sat 15 Feb - Sun 23 Feb
CELEBRATING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHS 12-19 FEBRUARY đ&#x;?´ The Science Behind Beer Barley Twist Free, 7.30pm Wed 12 Feb
đ&#x;Ž Flight by Darkfield Lakeside Arts ÂŁ8 Sat 15 Feb – Sat 21 Feb
đ&#x;“Ł Are We Addicted to the Internet? Rough Trade Free, 7pm Thu 13 Feb
đ&#x;Ž˛ Sci-Fi, Science & Curiosity Quiz Broadway ÂŁ1, 8pm Sun 16 Feb
đ&#x;Ž Tom by Wilkie Branson Lakeside Arts ÂŁ12, 6pm and 8pm Fri 14 Feb
đ&#x;˜‚ Camp Querdy Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ6, 7pm Tue 18 Feb
đ&#x;Ž Tom by Wilkie Branson Lakeside Arts ÂŁ12, 4pm and 7.30pm Sat 15 Feb
đ&#x;“Ł Science in the News: The Infinite Primate Crate Nonsuch Studios ÂŁ5, 7.30pm Wed 19 Feb
đ&#x;“Ł Anatomy Nights: Valentine’s Day Special Canalhouse ÂŁ5, 7pm Fri 14 Feb đ&#x;‘Ş Wikipedia EditAThon: Women Scientists Backlit Gallery Free, 11am Sat 15 Feb
đ&#x;“Ł Rudolph Steiner Green’s Windmill ÂŁ5, 7pm Wed 19 Feb
NOTTSFOSAC.CO.UK
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leftlion.co.uk/issue122 45
illustration: Natalie Owen
illustration: Natalie Owen
When you think of Nottingham’s rich sport and gaming history, your mind might immediately wander to the worldwide success of Warhammer, the unprecedented double European Cup winning Forest team, or even Herbert Kilpin, the Notts legend that founded A.C Milan. What you might not know is that the city hosted the 1936 Nottingham Chess Tournament, which is still remembered as one of the most legendary events in the history of the game... Nottingham might not immediately spring to mind as a great chess city. Certainly not ahead of cities like Havana, St. Petersburg, Vienna or New York, which have all produced grand champions and hosted legendary games. But the 1936 Nottingham chess tournament is still remembered in almost mythological terms. Dr J. Hannak even went so far as to describe the tournament, which was held at the University of Nottingham between 10-28 August, as the “greatest chess tournament ever,” – sentiments echoed by W.H. Watts, who called it “the most important chess event the world so far has seen.” The reason? It remains one of the few tournaments in chess history to include five past, present or future grand champions: Russians Mikhail Botvinnik, the future three-time world champion and the methodical Alexander Alekhine; Dutch grandmaster Max Euwe; legendary Cuban world champion José Raúl Capablance, considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time, and Emanuel Lasker, the enigmatic German genius who had reigned as champion from 1894-1921 – the longest reign of any officially recognised World Chess Champion in the history of the game. It was a coming together of giants of the game, and a generational clash for the ages. Imagine Martin Scorsese, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock all competing for the Best Director Academy Award; it was almost unimaginable that, not only had these five greats gathered together in one place, but four of them would return home having lost. The tournament also represented something of a changing of the guard in world chess. Three true veterans of the game were present, including Milan
Object Walk “This is really good. It reminds me of that bit in The Shawshank Redemption when he gets a rock hammer and makes the little figurines, doesn’t he?”
Vidmar, whose career pre-dated World War One, Efin Bogoljubow who, though past his best, was still optimistic of success and Savielly Tartakower. It’s hard to imagine a sporting entrance more dramatic than Tartakower’s, who sent shockwaves through the tournament before a single game had been played. The night before the opening match, a Dutch ship believed to be carrying him sank to the bottom of the Thames during a storm. Tournament organisers, assuming he had died, hastily announced his passing to a hall full of shocked attendees, only to have Tartakower stroll in twenty minutes later, very much alive and ready to play.
The 1936 Nottingham chess tournament is still remembered in almost mythological terms These established players were widely expected to be challenged, if not surpassed, in Nottingham by four young pretenders to the throne, Sam Reshevsky, Reuben Fine, Salo Flohr and, in only his second voyage to a tournament not in the Soviet Union, Mikhail Botvinnik, who turned 25 during the eighteen-day tournament. Many of the details of the tournament come from the methodical writings recorded by Botvinnik’s fellow Russian, Alexander Alekhine, who kept a detailed account of each and every game. The British press reported that the atmosphere was one of incredible tension – helped in no small part by false death rumours – and that Alekhine, a notorious chain-smoker, went through over 100 cigarettes during a single game. The pressure ultimately told on both the experienced and younger players, as the tournament was decided by an
uncharacteristic, extraordinary series of blunders which helped determine the top five places. It was to be the last tournament for the great Emanuel Lasker who, having utterly dominated chess with his unique psychological approach to the game for almost three decades, was ultimately defeated, and died four years later in New York at the age of 72. The eventual winner, young Mikhail Botvinnik, seized victory in somewhat contentious circumstances. Having methodically worked his way to seven draws and seven victories, he met with last-placed British master William Winter, who completely outplayed him on the final day. With first prize on the line, and defeat seeming certain, Botvinnik was inexplicably offered a generous draw by Winter. Why? Winter was a well-known Stalinist, and would have rather seen a Soviet player crowned as champion. His wish was granted, and Botvinnik became the first Soviet player to achieve success outside of the Soviet Union. In an era when world-class players meet one another every three or four months, modern chess fans have grown accustomed to the regularity of matches between true greats. But 1936 was a wildly different time for chess, and tournaments like Nottingham’s were incredibly rare – that calibre of competition was not matched for almost two decades. While Vienna’s 1882 tournament or the 1924 tournament in New York may be considered the most legendary in the early years of the game, neither matched Nottingham’s 1936 tournament for its ability to bring the sheer number of grand champions together in one city for a tournament that is rightly considered as one of, if not the, greatest in any era of the game.
We’ve teamed up with the National Justice Museum to put objects from the past into the hands of people of the present. This month, we took a chess set and playing cards, hand-crafted by prisoners, to Steve at The Dice Cup photos: Fabrice Gagos words: Andrea Hadley-Johnson
“This is actually quite impressive. I don’t think I would be able to do that. These must have taken a lot of time to make and sculpt when you’re in prison.”
“I’m not sure what piece it is. It can’t be a King, because then it would have to be taller than the Queen. Maybe it’s a Bishop, because it does kind of look like a Cardinal.”
“I think I could have done a better job of making playing cards when I was eight, but they didn’t have the same tools I would have had. I guess they weren’t allowed scissors.”