Pop-up taxi disco gets go-ahead after Met Police attempt to shut it down fails

A pop-up DJ gig at a popular north-east London station has been given the go-ahead despite Metropolitan Police objections.

Boys in the Taxi, formed of DJ Boyblue and MC Dean C, have been given the nod to perform a two-hour disco on Saturday (November 14) after police failed to persuade Hackney Council to cancel it.

Instead, the gig will take place from the back of a black cab between 8pm and 10pm outside Hackney Wick train station.

Boys in the Taxi have staged several performances playing garage, party anthems and club classics out of a Hackney carriage across east and central London.

The pair sought a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) from Hackney Council to hold a mobile disco on the pavement outside Hackney Wick Overground station on Saturday.

But the Met objected, asking the council to instead serve a counter notice that would cancel the event. The council’s licensing sub-committee declined, allowing the pop-up to go ahead.

The Met cited concerns about noise nuisance, public safety and crowd dispersal in an “unrestricted public space” outside the station. At a licensing hearing last Tuesday (November 3), PC Chris Stockman brought up a “similar event” held in September where officers and Hackney’s noise enforcement team were called out after receiving complaints.

PC Stockman said officers arrived to find “between 100 and 150 people” gathering by the musical taxi and blocking the highway. “That incident raised concerns regarding attendance levels, crowd management, use of public space and the potential for public nuisance,” he said.

DJ Boyblue, whose real name is Jason Richards, had asked for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to allow a maximum of 400 people at any one time during the two-hour event. Richards told the committee he “did not realise” he needed authorisation for prior events held on the station forecourt.

PC Stockman said: “Police are particularly concerned that, once published, attendance may exceed the figures now suggested.” In that event, this could lead to overcrowding, obstructing the surrounding area, and an “increased likelihood of nuisance affecting residents and businesses,” the constable argued.

Though the applicant had supplied the Met with more information since the counter notice, PC Stockman said he was still not satisfied that enough safeguards were in place.

Mr Richards told councillors he was not planning for 400 people standing in the crowd at one time, which would be “about 100 people, maybe 120”. He added that when officers had turned up to the performance held on September 19, the event had already finished “dead on 10pm”.

Turning to the proposed street disco on November 14, Mr Richards said: “If for any reason it looks like it’s getting out of hand or rowdy, we will just stop the music and disperse the crowd. But that has never happened. We’ve never had any trouble whatsoever. Whoever’s turned up has turned up with good spirits.”

Boys in the Taxi have previously staged events in Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Hackney. Videos from the group’s social media claim to show over a dozen police officers being called out to one of their events held outside Boxpark Shoreditch in April 2025.

“We don’t make any money, we just do it for love. We enjoy doing what we do,” he told the committee. “You’re always going to get one or two complaints, no matter what you do. As far as safety is concerned, if there are any issues we’ll drop the music, turn it off and stop what we’re doing.”

Hackney Licensing Committee decided on Friday (November 6) that the event could go ahead as planned. Richards is now seeking a personal licence from the council, which would allow him to submit up to 50 TENs per calendar year.