The film portrays the Manchester music scene and the Hacienda nightclub as diverse and inclusive environments. While LGBTQ+ individuals were part of this historical context, the narrative does not feature specific LGBTQ+ characters with developed arcs or explicitly explore queer themes. Their presence is incidental to the main story, neither affirming nor denigrating, resulting in a neutral overall impact.

The film portrays Alan Erasmus, a real historical figure and co-founder of Factory Records, as Black. Historically, Alan Erasmus was white, constituting a race swap for a documented individual.

The film portrays family life as largely unstable and secondary to individual pursuits and counter-culture hedonism, featuring unstable marriages, absent parenting, and normalized sexual freedom, with chosen communities often taking precedence over biological family.