REM Sessions at Mr Shaws House Are Exactly What Derby’s Going Out Culture Needs

There is something happening at Mr Shaws House that feels increasingly rare in modern nightlife. No inflated ticket prices, no velvet rope exclusivity, no pressure. Just good people, great DJs, proper music culture and one of the most welcoming atmospheres you will find anywhere in Derby.

Over the past few weeks, the REM Sessions have quietly become some of the best little day parties in the city.

Held inside the intimate surroundings of Mr Shaws House up on Sadler Gate, these events have captured something many venues spend years trying to create. Relaxed crowds, genuinely quality music, affordable entry prices and an atmosphere where people actually want to stay for hours. It feels natural, unforced and built around community rather than hype.

Karl and Emma have spent the last three years turning Mr Shaws House into one of Derby’s true grassroots success stories. It is not just a bar. It has become a genuine creative hub for the city. Whether it is live bands, acoustic sessions, DJ nights or alternative culture events, there is always something happening, and importantly, it always feels inclusive.

The venue itself plays a massive part in that. Mr Shaws House is one of those places that instantly feels comfortable the second you walk through the door. The bar has an intimate charm to it, tucked away up on Sadler Gate with a carefully curated selection of craft beers and IPA’s that already make it one of the better drinking spots in the city centre. Add music into the mix and it becomes something even more important.

The first REM Session I attended was REM Sessions 03-MUSIÇASA on 25th April 2026, an eight-hour session running from 3pm until 11pm for just £5 entry. In a time where nights out can easily become expensive before you have even bought your second drink, that alone deserves credit.

Musically, the event delivered all day long.

Progressive house and breaks filled the venue courtesy of Marc Westcott, Chris Goy and Andy Croson, with the kind of flowing, uplifting selections that perfectly matched the mood of the day. The tunes were banging from start to finish, but never in an overpowering way. It was the sort of session where people could properly settle in, grab a drink, move between conversations and dancing naturally, and just enjoy themselves.

The event also doubled as the official opening of Mr Shaws Yard, a fantastic outdoor space hidden away at the back of the venue. With speakers running outside as well, you could still hear the DJs perfectly while sitting in the sunshine with a pint in hand. Throughout the afternoon and evening, people drifted between the indoor dancefloor, the garden and the front seating area overlooking Sadler Gate itself.

That balance is what made it feel special.

At several points during the day, I found myself sat outside with an IPA watching Derby city centre move around us while the music rolled on in the background. It felt continental at times. Relaxed, social and genuinely enjoyable in a way that British nightlife often forgets it can be.

A week later came REM Session-RHYTHMIC SUNKISSED HOUSE on Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, and once again the atmosphere was spot on.

This time the soundtrack leaned into Afro, Latin and disco house across a free-entry session running from 1pm until 5pm. Once again, the turnout was excellent. Once again, people were dancing, smiling and properly engaging with the music rather than treating it as background noise.

That is one thing these REM Sessions seem to consistently achieve. They create events where people actually connect with the atmosphere around them.

The crowd across both sessions felt incredibly welcoming and mixed. Some people were there clearly for the music itself, others for a relaxed afternoon with friends and drinks, but it all blended together naturally. There was no ego to the room, no pretentiousness and no sense of trying too hard. Just feel-good vibes from start to finish.

That matters for Derby.

For years, conversations around nightlife and city centres have focused heavily on decline. Empty units, quieter weekends and fewer independent venues. But places like Mr Shaws House prove there is still a genuine appetite for grassroots culture when it is done properly.

Sadler Gate remains one of the best areas in Derby for independent nightlife and alternative culture. Within a few streets you can still find bars with personality, quality music programming and venues willing to take risks on grassroots events instead of simply chasing safe commercial formulas.

Mr Shaws House has become one of the anchors of that scene.

Importantly, they are not limiting themselves to one audience either. Across the calendar you will find house music sessions, acoustic performances, live bands, alternative nights and singer-songwriter showcases. That variety is part of what keeps a venue culturally important. It allows different scenes to overlap and grow together.

With Bustler Market set to open nearby soon, there is real hope that this part of the city centre could become even busier over the next year. More footfall, more people staying around Sadler Gate and more opportunities for venues like Mr Shaws to keep building momentum.

If that results in even more gigs, DJ sessions and grassroots events, then Derby will be better for it.

Next up is another REM Session that already sounds set to continue that momentum. On 30th May 2026, REM Session FUNKY HOUSE celebrates three years in the house with a vinyl-only celebration dedicated to the golden era of early 2000s house music.

Expect classic sounds inspired by the days of Miss Moneypenny’s, Hed Kandi and Federation, with DJs Craig Lee Bird and Nick Hopewell taking control from 4pm until 11pm. Advance tickets are priced at £8, rising to £10 on the door, and the vinyl-only format should make this one particularly special for genuine house music lovers.

There is something timeless about watching experienced DJs spin records the old-school way. In smaller venues especially, it creates a different energy entirely. More human, more tactile and more connected to the crowd.

More than anything though, this event feels like a celebration of what Karl and Emma have built over the past three years. A venue with personality, warmth and genuine cultural value to Derby.

The REM Sessions are not trying to be superclubs. They are not pretending to be Ibiza. They are simply creating fantastic grassroots dance music events in an intimate Derby venue with affordable prices, welcoming crowds and brilliant music.

Sometimes that is exactly what people want from a day or night out.

And judging by the turnouts so far, Derby clearly agrees.

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