A last-minute text led me to one of the best DJ sets I’ve ever been to
The secret set was held at BOXPARK over the weekend(Image: Liverpool Echo)
They say your life can change in a split second, and mine did over the weekend. Except it wasn’t a split second, but rather 15 minutes. I was among the hundreds who attended a secret – term used loosely – set on Friday, September 26, in the heart of the Baltic Triangle.
Hosted by international DJ MK, it was a platform for the American to promote his new song, aptly named, Come Find Me. The house music artist is one of those who you think you don’t know any of his songs, but really, he is behind some of the biggest hits over the last few years.
Also known as Marc Kinchen, the 53-year-old worked on Piece of Me, My Head is a Jungle, Dior, Rhyme Dust, Chemical, and the iconic 17 – the latter of which is when I first, like many others, became a fan of him.
To gain access to the secret set, you had to have put the graft in a few days before. I say that, but really, you simply signed up for an email list that was plastered all over his social media.
A huge queue formed in the city centre for the secret set(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The DJ asked fans to pre-save his song, and in return, they would receive a text with the location of the secret party, 15 minutes before it began.
I signed up, initially, only for journalism purposes. However, when I saw it was a stone’s throw away from where I lived, I figured I would head down and see what it was all about, but not before getting changed out of my Grinch-themed pyjamas.
The secret set was held at BoxPark, and upon arrival, you were met with a sea of Scousers eager to get in the door. It was clear from the get-go that this was the worst-kept secret going and understandably so – no ticket was needed. The only requirement asked was that you had to be 18-years-old and over.
A text message was sent to fans with details of the location(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Luckily, we were among the first in allowing to secure a gold-dust-like barricade spot. From the off-set the atmosphere was buzzing. It was clear the crowd was made up majority of students.
However, dotted throughout the intimate venue, were people, like myself, who had just finished work and were stone-cold sober.
Unfortunately, it operated on a one-in-one-out system, meaning the toilet was a risk as you feared not getting back in. This, coupled with the only small bar opened running out of alcohol, other than warm beer, just over an hour in, left me muttering “f*** this”.
That being said, the actual event itself; was unreal, better than events that I’ve forked out well over £50 for. If you ever need a reason to show someone why events keep coming to Liverpool, this would be a prime example.
DJ ‘MK’ at Made Birmingham festival, Digbeth.
The hitmaker effortlessly flew through his most-streamed hits with the crowd delivering a bigger reaction each time than the one before. The beauty of the event was that even those who didn’t secure entry, still enjoyed themselves outside.
MK last played in the city in November 2024, taking over Blackstone Street Warehouse in collaboration with events organisation Circus. When the tickets were initially announced, I was already double-booked that weekend.
However, after that set, and if the opportunity ever arose again, I know which event I’d be choosing to go to.