In recent years, Nottingham has become somewhat of a musical and cultural hub of the Midlands and even the UK as a whole. The emergence of Jake Bugg in 2011 followed by the success of Dog Is Dead, Indiana and Saint Raymond has reignited a once struggling music scene. Our city's venues are amongst the best in the land - and I'm going to take you through them, from the big to the not so big so by the time you arrive in Nottingham, you'll be the first down the front!

Obviously Motorpoint is the biggest venue in the city,  the National Ice Arena (which seems to change its name every ten minutes) is the home to the Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey team but also regularly hosts big gigs from world renowned artists and also some of the biggest names in comedy. Not the most scenic place in the world and a pint will cost around the same price as an all inclusive holiday but if you get a good sound man you will have a great time - unless you're sitting of course!

Without doubt Nottingham's most famous music venue, for over 30 years Rock City has been hosting some of the biggest names in world music. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has recently called it one of his favourite venues on earth, and that is a justified remark. Big sound, big atmosphere, VERY sticky floors, VERY sweaty. Highly recommended.

Rescue Rooms is a fantastic venue situated next door to Rock City, and is usually the destination of choice for bands on the way up (and quite a few on the way down to be fair). With a capacity of 450, you get the intimacy of a small gig combined with the Soundsystem and set up of a big gig, and with a great bar and restaurant next door, you will have a fantastic time. Rescue also hosts a great pub quiz on a Wednesday night followed by a karaoke night if anything you've seen at a gig inspires you!

With a capacity of just 250, The Bodega is home to a brilliant atmosphere and attracts bands from all over as well as a full range of local bands and club nights. I've been to shows here where the floor is literally bouncing and the huge soundsystem will leave you thinking you've seen something special. Bands who have passed through here in the early stages of their careers include Coldplay, The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, so if you are into discovering brand new bands who will go on to be huge, head to a show here, and take advantage of the dirty cheap happy hour, a happy hour that for some reason lasts four hours, but no one is complaining.

The Chameleon is potentially my favourite venue in the city - it's completely independent and completely barmy. Essentially a glorified living room, this venue is the home of the Nottingham DIY scene, with independent promoters putting on gigs here almost daily, for dirt cheap and it can often get wild. Also includes some of the wackiest beers you've ever seen. Recently the toilets were renovated, which for many regular attendees is one of the most important developments ever in the city of Nottingham (trust me if you had seen the previous state of them you would understand why!!)

Another of Nottingham's independent venues, The Maze is one of the pillars of the local music scene. Many a local band start their careers here. The Maze is renowned nationally for its reputation amongst acoustic music fans, with a young Ed Sheeran appearing here a few years back in his busking days. Take a trip up Mansfield Road to visit and enjoy some great local beers too.

For you dance music fans out there.  Stealth is a legendary venue amongst the dance community and puts on some of the best club nights in the UK including Dollop and Detonate. Recently refurbished with a new system, you will be able to enjoy the delights of local, national and international DJs on an almost daily basis.

One of the city's quirkiest outlets, The Jam Cafe is simply delightful. If Jazz is your thing then head down here on a Friday night for a brilliant atmosphere. The food here is great and the drink ain't bad either. When in the Jam Cafe you will feel as if you are out of the UK, in something almost Parisian. Recommend this venue greatly.
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Finally in our whistle stop tour of the city's venues, we arrive at Nottingham's newest and coolest venue. The legendary Rough Trade, a record shop with homes only in London, New York and now Notts, has a great little gig venue and cafe located above the shop, a place that hosts gigs, signings, film screenings, fairs, debates - the list goes on. Situated in the heart of Nottingham's Creative Quarter in Hockley, it is already becoming a figurehead of the local scene and you simply MUST check it out.

One of Nottingham's only surviving original Victorian Musical Halls, the Malt Cross is brimming with history and atmosphere and the presence of regular music adds to it. Recently refurbished and offering tours of the below caves and the music hall itself, grab yourself a beer and sit on the balcony and party like it's 1899.

​We LOVE making our guests feel welcome and providing them with a bespoke personal service, that's what Nook & Cranny is all about. And we'll always do our best to help – whether that’s helping guests find a school, introducing them to other families staying nearby, telling them about the great stuff going on in the area, or giving them some insider tips for relocating to the UK.
 
The truth about viewings!
Lots of our visitors ask to view the apartment they might stay in before they book it, I would do too if I was moving to a new area and potentially spending a few months or more somewhere. We always do our absolute best to show someone their possible new lodgings, we book viewings in 7 days a week not quite 24 hours a day (but at least 12!). So it really pains me that a lot of the time we can’t arrange viewings and we HATE disappointing people but there's a really good reason for it: we’re nearly always full!

Even now we've got 21 apartments they are nearly all booked all of the time! And just like I wouldn’t want someone looking round my house we don’t arrange viewings in apartments with guests staying. We’re really happy to show you other similar apartments and we’re happy to meet up and show you the area (because we know you’ll fall in love with it!), we just can’t guarantee that we can show you the flat that you’ll be staying in.

But do not worry. All of our apartments have the same high standard of décor, the same gorgeous furnishings, and they've all been kitted out with the same luxury mod cons. If you're thinking of staying with us and we can't set up a viewing (sorry!), hopefully these videos will give you a pretty good idea of what your apartment is like. 

This is a video of one of our lovely one-bed flats:

All of our apartments are light and airy, they're freshly (and tastefully!) decorated, they're all fitted and kitted to a really high standard and have:

• a Nespresso machine
• a washing machine/dryer
• a fridge & freezer
• a dishwasher
• private parking for 1 or 2 cars
• unlimited fast, free WiFi

They're all close to the centre of West Bridgford with its park, the river, pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops, and excellent transport links to Nottingham City Centre, East Midlands Airport, Leicester, Derby and Loughborough.

Now you know why we may not be able to show you your apartment before you book it, we hope you can understand! We're always happy to answer any questions about your booking or West Bridgford so get in touch any time, and here are lots more snaps of our flats (click on a name to see more pics) and the area – enjoy!

We are thrilled that our sporting neighbours down the road in Leicester have had such amazing success recently (if you've been on the moon for the last week, Leicester City completed their fairytale season by winning the Premier League having been close to relegation just a little over a year ago). As the UK city of sport we welcome a bit of healthy competition, and Nottingham has so much more to offer our visitors than just sport.

Recently I visited the Nottingham Contemporary museum of art to see an exhibition by Turner Prize-winning artist Simon Starling, once a Nottingham resident. As a student of art I found it fascinating. This type of art, in my opinion, cannot be defined easily and might be a bit tricky to understand. It is conceptual, industrial and crosses artistic boundaries but, trust me, it is certainly worth the effort to grasp. And the beauty of smaller galleries like the Contemporary is that smaller focussed exhibitions allow the visitor to spend time concentrating rather than flitting from one picture to the next. It is often a deeper more satisfying learning experience. I plan to return very soon to go even deeper. I recommend you check out the exhibition here (it's on until June 26th).

itsLocated in the heart of Nottingham’s historic Lace Market there is plenty else to do if art is either not your bag or you simply need to get some fresh air. Shops, restaurants and bars abound and it's only a short walk up to the superb Iberico Tapas, or if you are a lover of all things Italian, like me, a short hop across the road to Veeno’s. If you wish to walk for 5 minutes more you enter into Hockley where non-corporatised privately owned bars and restaurants hustle together and provide lots of choice at reasonable prices.
 
Around the corner is the outstanding Broadway Cinema, with its Paul Smith designer furnishings, it's my favourite cinema in Nottingham. Once again small but beautifully formed, it shows both mainstream and alternative films and presentations. The bar area is fun and you can grab a bite to eat before the film there too.

So back to the Contemporary. If you need something to eat sooner why not just stay where you are and try out the delights the Nottingham Contemporary cafe has to offer. And then you can get straight back to the art.

​For more information about what to see and do during your trip to Nottingham please get in touch, we're very happy to tell you about our favourite places and give you a few ideas.