diff --git a/federationapi/routing/events.go b/federationapi/routing/events.go
index a85b5067f..7f48ab521 100644
--- a/federationapi/routing/events.go
+++ b/federationapi/routing/events.go
@@ -60,21 +60,13 @@ func allowedToSeeEvent(
 	rsAPI api.FederationRoomserverAPI,
 	eventID string,
 ) *util.JSONResponse {
-	var authResponse api.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventResponse
-	err := rsAPI.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent(
-		ctx,
-		&api.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventRequest{
-			EventID:    eventID,
-			ServerName: origin,
-		},
-		&authResponse,
-	)
+	allowed, err := rsAPI.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent(ctx, origin, eventID)
 	if err != nil {
 		resErr := util.ErrorResponse(err)
 		return &resErr
 	}
 
-	if !authResponse.AllowedToSeeEvent {
+	if !allowed {
 		resErr := util.MessageResponse(http.StatusForbidden, "server not allowed to see event")
 		return &resErr
 	}
diff --git a/roomserver/api/api.go b/roomserver/api/api.go
index 73732ae32..777a512f7 100644
--- a/roomserver/api/api.go
+++ b/roomserver/api/api.go
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ type FederationRoomserverAPI interface {
 	// Query missing events for a room from roomserver
 	QueryMissingEvents(ctx context.Context, req *QueryMissingEventsRequest, res *QueryMissingEventsResponse) error
 	// Query whether a server is allowed to see an event
-	QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent(ctx context.Context, req *QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventRequest, res *QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventResponse) error
+	QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent(ctx context.Context, serverName gomatrixserverlib.ServerName, eventID string) (allowed bool, err error)
 	QueryRoomsForUser(ctx context.Context, req *QueryRoomsForUserRequest, res *QueryRoomsForUserResponse) error
 	QueryRestrictedJoinAllowed(ctx context.Context, req *QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedRequest, res *QueryRestrictedJoinAllowedResponse) error
 	PerformInboundPeek(ctx context.Context, req *PerformInboundPeekRequest, res *PerformInboundPeekResponse) error
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_backfill.go b/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_backfill.go
index 2ed7f6edb..115451be0 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_backfill.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/perform/perform_backfill.go
@@ -631,6 +631,7 @@ func persistEvents(ctx context.Context, db storage.Database, events []*gomatrixs
 
 		_, redactedEvent, err := db.MaybeRedactEvent(ctx, roomInfo, eventNID, ev.Unwrap(), true)
 		if err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).WithField("event_id", ev.EventID()).Error("Failed to redact event")
 			continue
 		}
 		// If storing this event results in it being redacted, then do so.
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/query/query.go b/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
index d901a6e52..2c181db2d 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/query/query.go
@@ -433,39 +433,39 @@ func (r *Queryer) QueryServerJoinedToRoom(
 // QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent implements api.RoomserverInternalAPI
 func (r *Queryer) QueryServerAllowedToSeeEvent(
 	ctx context.Context,
-	request *api.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventRequest,
-	response *api.QueryServerAllowedToSeeEventResponse,
-) (err error) {
-	events, err := r.DB.EventsFromIDs(ctx, nil, []string{request.EventID})
+	serverName gomatrixserverlib.ServerName,
+	eventID string,
+) (allowed bool, err error) {
+	events, err := r.DB.EventNIDs(ctx, []string{eventID})
 	if err != nil {
 		return
 	}
 	if len(events) == 0 {
-		response.AllowedToSeeEvent = false // event doesn't exist so not allowed to see
-		return
+		return allowed, nil
 	}
-	roomID := events[0].RoomID()
-
-	inRoomReq := &api.QueryServerJoinedToRoomRequest{
-		RoomID:     roomID,
-		ServerName: request.ServerName,
-	}
-	inRoomRes := &api.QueryServerJoinedToRoomResponse{}
-	if err = r.QueryServerJoinedToRoom(ctx, inRoomReq, inRoomRes); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("r.Queryer.QueryServerJoinedToRoom: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	info, err := r.DB.RoomInfo(ctx, roomID)
+	info, err := r.DB.RoomInfoByNID(ctx, events[eventID].RoomNID)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return allowed, err
 	}
 	if info == nil || info.IsStub() {
-		return nil
+		return allowed, nil
 	}
-	response.AllowedToSeeEvent, err = helpers.CheckServerAllowedToSeeEvent(
-		ctx, r.DB, info, request.EventID, request.ServerName, inRoomRes.IsInRoom,
+	var isInRoom bool
+	if r.IsLocalServerName(serverName) || serverName == "" {
+		isInRoom, err = r.DB.GetLocalServerInRoom(ctx, info.RoomNID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return allowed, fmt.Errorf("r.DB.GetLocalServerInRoom: %w", err)
+		}
+	} else {
+		isInRoom, err = r.DB.GetServerInRoom(ctx, info.RoomNID, serverName)
+		if err != nil {
+			return allowed, fmt.Errorf("r.DB.GetServerInRoom: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return helpers.CheckServerAllowedToSeeEvent(
+		ctx, r.DB, info, eventID, serverName, isInRoom,
 	)
-	return
 }
 
 // QueryMissingEvents implements api.RoomserverInternalAPI
@@ -487,19 +487,22 @@ func (r *Queryer) QueryMissingEvents(
 			eventsToFilter[id] = true
 		}
 	}
-	events, err := r.DB.EventsFromIDs(ctx, nil, front)
+	if len(front) == 0 {
+		return nil // no events to query, give up.
+	}
+	events, err := r.DB.EventNIDs(ctx, []string{front[0]})
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	if len(events) == 0 {
 		return nil // we are missing the events being asked to search from, give up.
 	}
-	info, err := r.DB.RoomInfo(ctx, events[0].RoomID())
+	info, err := r.DB.RoomInfoByNID(ctx, events[front[0]].RoomNID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	if info == nil || info.IsStub() {
-		return fmt.Errorf("missing RoomInfo for room %s", events[0].RoomID())
+		return fmt.Errorf("missing RoomInfo for room %d", events[front[0]].RoomNID)
 	}
 
 	resultNIDs, redactEventIDs, err := helpers.ScanEventTree(ctx, r.DB, info, front, visited, request.Limit, request.ServerName)
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
index 46bea37fc..ca24292d9 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
 
-	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/version"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/util"
 	"github.com/tidwall/gjson"
@@ -553,9 +552,8 @@ func (d *EventDatabase) Events(ctx context.Context, roomInfo *types.RoomInfo, ev
 func (d *EventDatabase) events(
 	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx, roomInfo *types.RoomInfo, inputEventNIDs types.EventNIDs,
 ) ([]types.Event, error) {
-	if roomInfo == nil {
-
-		roomInfo = &types.RoomInfo{RoomVersion: version.DefaultRoomVersion()}
+	if roomInfo == nil { // this should never happen
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to parse events without roomInfo")
 	}
 
 	sort.Sort(inputEventNIDs)