I was anxious about joining in with “Drum & Bass On A Bike”, but I didn’t have to be: I thought I might not fit in with the cool kids, but Dom Whiting has created an event which attracts the most diverse group of people you could ever meet, and for a short while we took the streets of Manchester.
Dom has a trike fitted with his mixing desk, and live streams himself playing Drum & Bass tracks while riding. He is supported by mates on cargo bikes, pulling speaker stacks which relay the rolling party to the hundreds of people who come along for the music, the cycling, and probably for the chaos too.
The music is loud, and as we cycle through Manchester crowds pour out of offices, shops, cafes and pubs to see what the fuss is about. Many grab a hire bike and join in… there are skaters, scooters, joggers and riders all bumping along together in good humour and without accident or incident. We take both sides of the road. Motorists in cars, buses and trucks give up, and sit still waiting for us to pass… anyone trying to push their way through gets stopped by police motorcyclists who are watching out for our safety.
There was a planned route. We don’t follow it. We cycle along four lanes of a dual carriageway, turning off before the motorway junction. A massive roundabout is blocked for a while as we slowly ride around it, and as we pass under bridges and through tunnels the music echos and reverberates with additional energy.
I brought a cheap point and shoot camera, something I find easy to use while cycling. A Boots 350 auto-focus camera. The lens isn’t great, and the vignetting gives a moody feel when used with black and white film. I loaded a roll of Kentmere Pan 100 and clicked away until the film ran out…
All black and white photographs taken with a Boots 350AF camera using Kentmere Pan 100 ISO film. © 2025, Graeme Holdsworth, all rights reserved.