What's On in Nottingham

Soil | Rock City | 4:30pm | Check website | Category: Live Music — Rock City is one of the great British rock venues, and American heavy rockers Soil are exactly the kind of band built for its sweat-soaked floors and thunderous sound system. Doors are early at 4:30pm, so this is the rare gig that lets you be completely destroyed by loud guitars and still make it home for a late dinner. Check the website for tickets — and do it soon, because this room fills up.

Arthur Smith W.I.P | Canalhouse Bar | 6:30pm | £10 | Category: Comedy — For a tenner, you get to watch a genuine comedy legend road-test brand new material in the intimate surroundings of the Canalhouse Bar, right on the water. Work-in-progress shows are a special thing — rawer, more surprising, and often funnier than polished tours, because anything can happen. Doors at 6:30pm make this a brilliant way to kick off a Friday evening before the night really gets going.

Stu Larsen | The Bodega, Nottingham | 7:00pm | Check website | Category: Live Music — Australian singer-songwriter Stu Larsen has spent years wandering the world and quietly turning those miles into beautifully crafted, intimate folk songs, and the Bodega is just the right kind of cosy, character-filled room for him. If you want an evening that feels genuinely human — a single voice, a guitar, and stories worth listening to — this is your Friday night. Check the website for ticket details and do not sleep on it.

Paddy Young: Will Sir Be Laughing Alone? | Canalhouse Bar | 8:15pm | £20 | Category: Comedy — The Canalhouse is pulling double comedy duty tonight, and Paddy Young's full show at 8:15pm is the centrepiece of the evening — a proper, fully formed hour from a comedian clearly hitting his stride. The title alone suggests something self-aware, a little melancholy, and very funny, which is exactly the right combination. At £20 it is a proper night out, but one that will have you quoting lines on the walk home.

Groove City: COTU | Secret Vault | 9:00pm | £10–£20 | Category: Nightlife — The Secret Vault is one of those Nottingham venues that feels like it was built specifically to make electronic music sound enormous, and Groove City know exactly how to fill it. From 9:00pm and priced at £10–£20, this is a Friday night that earns its name — expect deep grooves, a crowd that actually dances, and the kind of energy that makes you forget it is November outside. Get there early to secure your spot in what promises to be a properly atmospheric night.

Workforce & LSB | The Cell | 10:30pm | £10 | Category: Nightlife — For the drum and bass faithful, The Cell at 10:30pm with Workforce and LSB is the unmissable late-night ticket — LSB in particular is an artist who brings genuine musicality to the dancefloor, blending liquid and deep sounds in a way that works at any volume. Ten pounds gets you into one of Nottingham's most dedicated underground venues for what should be a relentless, hypnotic few hours. This is the place to be if you want to see the sun come up with a smile on your face.