In April last year, York St John University music production students took 5 of the best BBC Introducing artists to the world famous Abbey Road Studios to make a record. They worked together in Studio 2, where the Beatles recorded most of their albums, and produced a “Live at Abbey Road” style album in just 2 days. This continues a long running partnership between the University and the BBC, where the monthly ‘Balcony Sessions’ has the students recording BBC Introducing artists for broadcast on BBC Radio York.
An event to launch the album they made in Abbey Road happened earlier this month. 4 of the artists – Kindelan, Ruth Lyon, Wanderland and the Sam Johnson Trio – performed their songs from the record to a live audience in the Creative Centre.
The event was hosted by the BBC Introducing presenter for York and Humberside, Jericho Keys.
Many of the student producers who have managed the Balcony Sessions, and who were part of the production team in Abbey Road, help to produce the live event.
The artists captivated the audience with intimate and exquisite performances of their songs, along with their personal reflections on the Abbey Road sessions and the BBC Introducing and York St John University partnership.
The album was on sale for the first time, having been delivered that same morning! We sold a lot of them at the event an all profits are being donated to BBC Children in Need.
About the Artists
KINDELAN weaves her passion for dense jazz harmony with authentic, poignant lyricism to craft a sound that is distinctly her own. With rich, emotive vocals and intricate guitar-driven arrangements, her music delves into the intricacies of human connection and life’s in-between and unspoken moments.
The SAM JOHNSON TRIO, led by pianist Sam Johnson bring a classic mid-century jazz vibe in the style of the Vince Guaraldi Trio and the Oscar Peterson Trio.
RUTH LYON is a singer-songwriter of intense honesty and an impulse to say it how it is. Making a unique brand of ‘baroque-pop’ she bares her soul with courage and conviction – full of stark self-reflection but also a knowing nod to the absurdity of life.
WANDERLAND is the songwriting project of duo Jazz pianist and producer Matt Robinson (Snowpoet) and vocalist and visual artist Natalie Wildgoose. After setting up in a remote old mill next to a waterfall in the north of the Yorkshire Dales, the duo wrote and recorded their debut EP ‘Songs, I’. The introspective and isolated setting became an incredibly generative time and they dubbed the project Wanderland intentionally as it was born out of the exploration and dreamscapes of the wilderness.
And on the album, but unable to attend the launch is BETH MCCARTHY . Beth is a pop-rock singer from York, first gained attention as a 16-year-old contestant on The Voice UK in 2014. Since then, she has gone on to carve out her own path, gaining a loyal following for her achingly relatable lyrics and pertinent LGBTQ+ themes. Beth enjoyed her first viral breakout single ‘She Gets The Flowers’ in 2021. Introducing fans to her unique blend of breezy pop melodies and powerful rock vocals, the track quickly garnered critical and commercial success, and remains McCarthy’s most-listened-to effort with more than 23 million Spotify streams to date.
