Manchester entrepreneur Dez Derry is launching a new venture in the live events market that is rooted in his own experience of trauma and the relentless pace of business life. 

Derry, who founded and sold tech business Blume to Sun Capital and helped take law firm Fletchers Group past £100m turnover, says Escapism is a new premium events brand bringing world-class electronic music, high-profile DJs and gourmet food to iconic venues.

There are two important rules: no phones on the dance floor, and everyone home by midnight.

The brand launches at Victoria Baths (pictured below) in Manchester on 10th October 2026, with events planned for London, Leeds and Bristol to follow. 

Derry, who became an Ambassador for Adoption Matters after speaking publicly about his own experience of being adopted, says the venture is driven by equal parts personal passion and commercial instinct. He knows from both his upbringing and years in high-pressure business that people carry more than they let on.