Venus Manchester | 05-12-26

Venus returns to Joshua Brooks. The format has not changed and does not need to: residents-led, music first, no flown-in name doing the heavy lifting on the flyer.
The night belongs to the residents. Chris J Frater, John Steward, Matt Lightfoot and Mike Lee build it together across the night rather than handing off to a string of guests. It is a different way of running a room, and it is the reason Venus has lasted.

What you get is funky house, played the way Venus has always played it. Piano lines, big vocals, the Venus classics people keep coming back for, and the records that put every hand in the air. Selections made for the room, not for a clip.

The basement is built for it. Low brick arches, a Void Acoustics rig that rewards records made to be felt as much as heard, and a floor that keeps everyone close to the booth. This is the room that hosted The Chemical Brothers' first residency, and it still puts the sound first.

Residents, the room, the records. Venus has run on that for the best part of thirty years, and it holds up still.