Venus Manchester | 22-08-26

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. Andy Clarke, Chris J Frater, John Steward and Mike Lee lead the club, with Matt Lightfoot on the bar, the collective building 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 house in its proper form. Piano house, vocal house, rolling sounds that are given space to breathe over a long night, with room for disco, vocals and the records that only really land once the floor is full. 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.