Image screenshotted from documentary on YouTube
Manchester’s Finest has dropped a powerful new short film charting the rise of The Derby Brewery Arms, better known as DBA, which it calls “one of the UK’s most important queer venues.” Premiered on August 17, the documentary traces the venue’s journey from a working-class pub in Cheetham Hill’s so-called “Strange Quarter” to a beating heart for queer and marginalised ravers.
Opened in 2021 and owned by Joseph Holt, DBA has already become a magnet for cutting-edge talent, hosting heavyweights like I. JORDAN, Shy One, Or:la, Blasha & Allatt, Iceboy Violet, Mura Masa, Angel D’Lite, and Hyperaktivist. Locals call it a “safe haven” — a space where self-expression reigns and the community comes alive under the lights.
This month, DBA will also host a DAYTIMERS fifth-anniversary party on August 30, with Samrai, Gracie T, and Lotus Phaze set to bring the heat. For anyone seeking the roots of queer rave culture in Manchester, this documentary is essential viewing.
Watch the documentary below:
