The long-standing Manchester club will relaunch with a calendar of house, techno and funk DJs
Ahh, Joshua Brooks, one of the many rites of passage of Manchester’s student scene. Who among us doesn’t have murky memories of late-night, good times under its hallowed roof? Its charm has always been in its unpretentiousness despite throwing some of the coolest events on the sticky-floor calendar.
To tie in with the food, there will be Cuban-themed cocktails
Ole Joshua might have grown a beard of wisdom and put on a few pounds during lockdown - didn’t we all? But he’s spent a bit of time and money (£200k actually) on a makeover and he’s ready to hit the post-pandemic (wait, what? It’s still ongoing? But what about “Freedom Day”? Oh…) dancefloor with a sassy new spring in his step - and some brand new Cuban heels.
OK, not Cuban heels but something far, far better: Cubanitos.
Cubanitos are doing the food - what can you expect?
The itinerant pop up with its Cuban sarnies of dreams has parked its campervan in Joshua Brooks’ kitchen to provide all-day dining (well, 12-11pm). As well as traditional Cuban sarnies (essentially a porky version of a Reuben, for the uninitiated), expect spicy burgers, hot dogs, beef stew and empanadas as well as desserts themed around rum cocktails. A small plates menu featuring authentic, traditional Cuban dishes through a modern lens will also launch in early August.
Joshua Brooks' new look
The venue has had an extensive “back to brick” refit with emphasis on its warehouse-style exposed brickwork as well as new comfy seating and a “revamped bar”. To tie in with the food, there will be Cuban-themed cocktails as well as a beer list that includes Camden Hells, Goose IPA and Manchester's own Union Lager. There’s also a new look outdoor terrace.
The basement club will continue to host gigs and techno, house and funk DJs. Every weekend from 11 pm-4am will see sets from Phase One DJs including Manchester heavyweights Mason Collective, drag Queen DJ and producer Jodie Harsh, D&B and Jungle DJ Kahn, Global Fire Record label owner Guy J, French House and Disco DJ Jeremy Underground.
The Manchester venue has new owners
Under the new ownership of Jorge Meehan and Brian Murphy (of Manchester-based events specialist JBM media, both also having done time at Victoria Warehouse), Joshua Brooks will reopen for bevs, butties and beats on Friday, 23 July 2021. On Saturday 24 July, techno heavyweight Darius Syrossian, and legendary House DJ Mark Knight will kick off proceedings with a boom.
Jorge MD of Joshua Brooks and JBM Events said:
"We are so excited to reopen the doors to Joshua Brooks. When we found out it was no longer returning as a club, we felt compelled to take the project on so Manchester did not lose yet another clubbing institution.
We have so much love for the space after running events there for over seven years, and we are so proud to be able to open up once again with the new additions of the kitchen, the terrace and, of course, some of the world's finest DJ's."
Phase One DJs A-Z
ANOTR
BELLAIRÉ
DARIUS SYROSSIAN
DAVE LEE ZR
DRS LIVE
GUY J
JEREMY UNDERGROUND
JODIE HARSH
JOHN SUMMIT
KAHN
MARK KNIGHT
MASON COLLECTIVE
NATASHA DIGGS
NEEK
NEW ORDER OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY
NICK WARREN
SLAM
Buy tickets (From £8) for Joshua Brooks reopening weekend here.
Joshua Brooks 106 Princess Street, Manchester
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