The LeftLion music awards: what we loved in 2025

Album of the Year: Drive To Goldenhammer by Divorce

From NME cover stars to touring all over the world, including a recent arena stint supporting The Last Dinner Party, indie quartet Divorce have had a massive 2025. However, their crowning achievement was the release of Drive To Goldenhammer back in March, which wasn’t just one of the best debut albums to come out of Notts this year but one of the best debut records of the last twelve months – period.

From standout singles like All My Freaks, Hangman and Lord, to tender album cuts like Old Broken String and Karen, it’s an impressively confident and accomplished debut where each song is as good as the last, with not a single dull moment to be found. Anchored by the enchanting harmonies of Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, alongside drummer Kasper Sandstrom and multi-instrumentalist Adam Peter-Smith, the album is a warm, cosy blanket that dances majestically along the lines between indie rock, folk, and country music. 

While 2025 saw an abundance of great Nottingham artists make a splash with their latest projects, Divorce’s Drive To Goldenhammer stood out in a stacked year for our city. Flying the flag for the Nottingham music scene wherever they go, we couldn’t think of a more deserving recipient for this year’s LeftLion Album of the Year prize. (Karl Blakesley)

Honourable mentions: Chaos Era by Midnight Rodeo, Happiness From Agony by JayaHadADream.

EP of the Year: CASINO FIGHT! By Revenge of Calculon

One of the most unique bands in our city, the mask-wearing Revenge of Calculon, were late entrants to the race for EP of the year, with CASINO FIGHT! only released at the start of November. What helped it take the win is the blend of danceable electronica, an air of tongue-in-cheek fun, and the band’s strong attention to their aesthetic. 

As reviewer Claire Spencer wrote recently, “Revenge of Calculon play sleazy, squelchy, funky dance-able bass lines that collide head on with space invader themed analogue synths.” 

The four-track EP opens with the title track, which features plenty of those sleazy sounds, played with guitars and synths, along with an intriguing spoken-word vocal which adds some new depth to the band’s usually instrumental sound. Basement Freeek is more upbeat, combining bouncy lo-fi electronic percussion and analogue synth sounds; then, Guerilla Shake continues the theme, but develops it with more layers of complexity.

The EP ends with The 8 Bit Creep – a stellar track with lots of dirty synth and distorted robotic vocals. “Definitely one to give you that warm space cadet feeling,” was Claire Spencer’s succinct and accurate summary. All in all, a very well-put-together record which gives a satisfying listen and sums up the verve and creativity of Nottingham’s musicians. (Phil Taylor)

Honourable mentions: The Seesaw by Swallowtail, Muscle Memory by Eleanor McGregor

Song of the Year: Bear Trap by Vona Vella

The story of Vona Vella is one which connects beautifully with Nottingham's independent live music scene. The band (fronted by singer-songwriters Dan Cunningham and Izzy Davis) were inspired to move here because of that scene, and ended up co-owning The Grove – now one of our city's beloved recording and live performance spaces. Bear Trap encapsulates that ambition and passion: an infectious energy which helped it take the winning spot this year.

Bear Trap is one of those songs with lots to unpack and new discoveries with each repeat play. Jangly guitars feature heavily in what develops into a pop-leaning slice of indie rock. There’s a sense of building energy right from the word go as Dan and Izzy trade vocals, weaving around each other and often blending their voices in tight harmony. The lead into the chorus really pushes the anticipation further, with a catchy guitar riff coming to the fore while the band issues playful lyrics. “I don’t want you” is the repeated refrain – a familiar motif which is frequently reshaped and reconfigured and takes the song through to its climax.

Vona Vella's second album, Carnival, is due for release in February 2026; the band have described it as a new page for them and Bear Trap serves as a fabulous signpost towards that next episode. (Phil Taylor)

Honourable mentions: The World In Your View by Bored Marsh, Scrape by Marvins Revenge

Large Gig of the Year: Father John Misty at Rock City

With the release of Mahashmashana late last year, Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty served us his best album yet. By turns witty, lush, cinematic and beautifully open, it represents a culmination of all of his previous ideas and a new high watermark for his discography.

At his Rock City gig in June, Tillman and his band managed not just to recreate the might of those songs, but to dispatch them with such assured aplomb that he surely cements himself as one of the most vital songwriters of his generation.

The stage was strewn with talented musicians, each using their instruments to compile complex songs that coalesced into something transcendental. Mahashmashana was reworked into something rawer yet no less emotionally deep, and the selection of songs from across his catalogue only bolstered what became an epic setlist.

Tillman himself is a born showman and his suave, sarcastic self held the audience in the palm of his hand from the first strains of the pithy I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All to the ecstatic conclusion of I Love You, Honeybear. Besuited and besotted with performing, he used every ounce of that showmanship to take the audience on an unforgettable journey.

There were so many incredible gigs throughout a year buffeted by economic uncertainty and financial strain, where it felt like every show needed to provide as much value as possible to the audience. Father John Misty delivered in spades by focusing on the thing that lies at the heart of it all – the music. (Kieran Lister)

Honourable mentions: CMAT at Rock City, Busted Vs McFly at Motorpoint Arena

Medium-sized Gig of the Year: Cliffords + Bold Love at The Bodega 

Unsurprisingly, The Bodega (itself an award-winning venue) featured in the majority of our nominations in this category. There’s something intrinsically special about that live music space which seems to infuse every band with vibrant energy from the moment they step on to The Bodega’s compact stage. At this venue, you know you’ll have a great time. That made this category a difficult one to call, but in the end there was one standout night for our contributors.

Visiting from Cork, Ireland in April were Cliffords. They brought Bold Love with them, and the two proved to be an ideal double act. The support band impressed with their immediacy and momentum, with the inclusion of keys alongside guitars and drums adding a special element to the sound. 

Despite admitting to suffering from some voice problems at this stage in the tour, Cliffords’ vocalist Iona Lynch was incredibly charismatic, bursting with energy and commanding respect and adulation. It was that personality combined with epic songs including Second Skin and My Favourite Monster – and the addition of a trumpet – which lifted this set even higher. The performance was also very boldly curated: the band chose to leave their breakthrough hit Bittersweet right until the end, but that felt just right. It was a beautifully balanced evening, with exactly the correct amount of movement, noise and silence – and, above all, genuine warmth and passion. (Phil Taylor)

Honourable mentions: Girl Scout at The Bodega, Self Esteem at Rescue Rooms

Small Gig of the Year: CMAT at Rough Trade 

While her instantly iconic performance at Rock City in November was also a late contender for Large Gig of the Year, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson – AKA CMAT – also stood out for her pair of Rough Trade album launch shows back in August. 

Taking place on the weekend of EURO-COUNTRY’s release, her acclaimed third album for which she would gain a prestigious Mercury Prize nomination in September, everyone in Rough Trade that day knew they were witnessing a one-of-a-kind artist at the peak of their powers. Performing solo and without the backing of her Very Sexy CMAT Band, the raw, intimate nature of the performance only added to the specialness of the occasion. That said, CMAT’s showmanship was still out in full force, getting the entire Rough Trade crowd to do the Dunboyne County Meath Two-Step to I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby!, before dramatically making her exit through the audience during a memorable and climatic rendition of Stay For Something.

A performer truly like no other, we wouldn’t be surprised to see CMAT headline Glastonbury in the coming years. Until then, let’s hope she keeps returning to Nottingham for more shows as good as this one. (Karl Blakesley)

Honourable mentions: Lizzie Esau at Billy Bootleggers, The Dirt at The Chapel

Festival performance of the Year: GIRLBAND! at Rock City for Dot to Dot

Girlband’s takeover of Rock City for Dot to Dot this year was always set to be something special, and they absolutely delivered. Even with the 2:30pm slot, a time when the Estrellas hadn’t quite yet been in full flow, the Nottingham favourites drew one of the most animated audiences of the day. From the moment they stepped onstage, the room was singing, chanting and moving with them, proving exactly why they’re LeftLion's festival performance highlight this year. 

Their thirty-minute set was a burst of energy, precision and personality, packed with the big-hitters that have fast become staples of Nottingham’s indie scene. 21st Century Suffragette was a particular standout – the track’s punchy guitar lines and sharp hooks were elevated even further by Rock City’s legendary production quality, giving it a bold, stadium-ready edge. But the truth is every track landed – the band held the crowd from the first note to the last. 

A huge mention must go to drummer Jada, whose live performance showcased a level of skill and dynamism that can only be fully appreciated in person. Her playing drove the set with power and finesse, earning more than a few awed looks from the crowd. And this wasn’t the only time that Girlband proved themselves this year – their set at Nottingham Pride was another triumph, further cementing their reputation as one of the city’s most exciting and essential acts. A worthy winner, and a band whose momentum is only growing. (Gemma Cockrell)

Honourable mentions: Evil Scarecrow at Beat The Streets, Bloodworm at Splendour