Annie Mac shares anonymous note that was left after stolen USB stick was returned

The USB stick containing years’ worth of music was stolen from her Before Midnight event in December

Broadcaster, DJ and writer Annie Mac has had her “truly precious” USB stick, containing years’ worth of music, returned to her with an anonymous note.

Mac originally appealed for the safe return of the files in December.

The 44-year-old had been DJing in London at her Before Midnight club night on Friday 9 December, when the USB stick was reportedly stolen. The USB “carried over 10 years of music”.

“The music on that USB is truly precious and really important to me,” Macmanus had written in a statement at the time.

“It’s years and years of collected music from shows I’ve done all over the world and it would mean so much to me if you could do me the grace of returning it,” she added.

Now, Mac has revealed that the USB has been returned. She shared the news by posting an image of the stick alongside an anonymous note.

The note reads: “Really sorry for distress caused. We haven’t accessed it. It was a moment of drunken madness. So sorry.”

In her caption, Mac explained how the USB stick had been stolen when she was standing just “a few feet away, chatting to attendees”.

“The music was backed up badly, over four laptops. It would have been impossible to replace as it was, music filed gig by gig, set by set,” she wrote in the caption.

“More than the inconvenience caused by the theft, the whole thing felt so discordant with the spirit of the evening, which had felt so joyous up to that point.”

Explaining how it had been returned, she said: “We received an email just before Christmas, sheepish tones. It was stupid. A drunken mistake.”

“Now it’s in my manager’s office waiting for me to pick up. I’m so glad, and relieved that it wasn’t some calculated malevolent act,” she wrote.

Mac was forgiving of the culprits: “It was a drunken mistake and by God haven’t we all done those in our time. To whoever you are, THANK YOU SO MUCH for sending it back. And to those yelling at the screen right now, yes I will back it up properly!!!”

When the stick was originally stolen, Mac assured whoever the culprit was that there would be no consequences if it was returned.

“There will be no repercussions, I just want the music back,” she wrote at the time.

Macmanus launched her Before Midnight club night this year, aimed at music lovers who enjoy clubbing, but don’t like going to bed so late.