diff --git a/synapse/storage/__init__.py b/synapse/storage/__init__.py
index ba88a5497..3bd63cd19 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/__init__.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/__init__.py
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ class DataStore(RoomMemberStore, RoomStore,
                 PresenceStore, TransactionStore,
                 DirectoryStore, KeyStore, StateStore, SignatureStore,
                 ApplicationServiceStore,
+                EventsStore,
                 EventFederationStore,
                 MediaRepositoryStore,
                 RejectionsStore,
@@ -73,7 +74,6 @@ class DataStore(RoomMemberStore, RoomStore,
                 PusherStore,
                 PushRuleStore,
                 ApplicationServiceTransactionStore,
-                EventsStore,
                 ReceiptsStore,
                 EndToEndKeyStore,
                 SearchStore,
diff --git a/synapse/storage/appservice.py b/synapse/storage/appservice.py
index 9f12b360b..31248d5e0 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/appservice.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/appservice.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from twisted.internet import defer
 
 from synapse.appservice import AppServiceTransaction
 from synapse.config.appservice import load_appservices
-from synapse.storage.events import EventsWorkerStore
+from synapse.storage.events_worker import EventsWorkerStore
 
 from ._base import SQLBaseStore
 
diff --git a/synapse/storage/event_federation.py b/synapse/storage/event_federation.py
index 65f2d19e2..14500ee59 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/event_federation.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/event_federation.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from twisted.internet import defer
 from synapse.api.errors import StoreError
 from synapse.metrics.background_process_metrics import run_as_background_process
 from synapse.storage._base import SQLBaseStore
-from synapse.storage.events import EventsWorkerStore
+from synapse.storage.events_worker import EventsWorkerStore
 from synapse.storage.signatures import SignatureWorkerStore
 from synapse.util.caches.descriptors import cached
 
diff --git a/synapse/storage/events.py b/synapse/storage/events.py
index 200f5ec95..dbbfe0488 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/events.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/events.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ from synapse.api.errors import SynapseError
 from synapse.events import EventBase  # noqa: F401
 from synapse.events.snapshot import EventContext  # noqa: F401
 from synapse.metrics.background_process_metrics import run_as_background_process
-from synapse.storage.events_worker import EventsWorkerStore
+from synapse.storage.event_federation import EventFederationStore
 from synapse.types import RoomStreamToken, get_domain_from_id
 from synapse.util.async import ObservableDeferred
 from synapse.util.caches.descriptors import cached, cachedInlineCallbacks
@@ -193,7 +193,9 @@ def _retry_on_integrity_error(func):
     return f
 
 
-class EventsStore(EventsWorkerStore):
+# inherits from EventFederationStore so that we can call _update_backward_extremities
+# and _handle_mult_prev_events (though arguably those could both be moved in here)
+class EventsStore(EventFederationStore):
     EVENT_ORIGIN_SERVER_TS_NAME = "event_origin_server_ts"
     EVENT_FIELDS_SENDER_URL_UPDATE_NAME = "event_fields_sender_url"
 
diff --git a/synapse/storage/roommember.py b/synapse/storage/roommember.py
index 027bf8c85..10dce21ce 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/roommember.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/roommember.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ from canonicaljson import json
 from twisted.internet import defer
 
 from synapse.api.constants import EventTypes, Membership
-from synapse.storage.events import EventsWorkerStore
+from synapse.storage.events_worker import EventsWorkerStore
 from synapse.types import get_domain_from_id
 from synapse.util.async import Linearizer
 from synapse.util.caches import intern_string
diff --git a/synapse/storage/stream.py b/synapse/storage/stream.py
index 66856342f..9d85dbb1d 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/stream.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/stream.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ from twisted.internet import defer
 
 from synapse.storage._base import SQLBaseStore
 from synapse.storage.engines import PostgresEngine
-from synapse.storage.events import EventsWorkerStore
+from synapse.storage.events_worker import EventsWorkerStore
 from synapse.types import RoomStreamToken
 from synapse.util.caches.stream_change_cache import StreamChangeCache
 from synapse.util.logcontext import make_deferred_yieldable, run_in_background