Record Store Day: Abbey Road moment for York St John students results in first BBC Introducing vinyl

Now, musicians and students from Yorkshire are about to release a vinyl LP made at the studio in time for Record Store Day 2025.

It is the first official BBC Introducing vinyl release and will launch tomorrow after music production students from York St John University accompanied five artists from the region to London, working together in Studio 2 – where the Beatles recorded – to produce a "Live at Abbey Road" style album in two days.

The resulting record features BBC Introducing York and Humberside favourites Beth McCarthy, Kindelan, Ruth Lyon, Wanderland and Sam Johnson Trio.

The vinyl will be sold to raise funds for disadvantaged children and young people through BBC Children in Need.

BBC Introducing – which supports unsigned and lesser known acts, helping to launch the careers of George Ezra, Ed Sheeran and The 1975, among others – has been working with York St John University since 2023 to offer music production students the opportunity to create recordings of local artists every month. Usually recorded at the University’s Creative Centre, these are then aired on BBC Radio York and BBC Radio Humberside and known as the Balcony Sessions.

Chris Johnson, senior lecturer in music production at York St John University said: “We knew that the artists and the students on the music production course had the talent to shine in the most famous studio in the world. Even so, when we hit record and the artists started playing everyone in the control room at Abbey Road was astonished with how good it was! This is a fabulous record, and it represents a taster of the massive pool of talent that makes up our Yorkshire music scene.”

The tracks have now been pressed by Vinyl Press UK, a new vinyl maker based at Monks Cross, York, into just 200 special edition records.

Lucy Johnson, managing director, said: "Vinyl has come back in such a big way as an integral part of sharing music and for early career bands, having merchandise to sell at gigs is a way of funding tours. It's also really important that this generation understand the importance of vinyl in the history of the music industry and it's incredible how it is being embraced once again. We are delighted to be involved with this project and all of the artists involved."

The Abbey Road Project vinyl is available to buy at a free album launch event at York St John Creative Centre tomorrow, which includes performances from some of the artists involved in the vinyl (tickets are available from www.eventbrite.co.uk). A selected number of copies will also be available from Earworm vinyl store on Goodramgate, York.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Huw Stephens will be broadcasting his show live from The Record Café in Bradford between 4pm and 7pm today as part of Record Store Day and the city’s UK City of Culture year.