By Heidi Hardman-Welsh
Warrington has always sat in the shadow of Manchester and Liverpool when it comes to music. But Big Pink Music, a new recording studio run by local musicians Andy Fairnington, 47, and Joe Hatton, 35, are putting Warrington on the map by making professional recording affordable for the artists who need it most.
Andy has been part of the scene for decades. A bassist with his band The Ambersons, he’s toured festivals, supported the Happy Mondays, and even played alongside an orchestra. But after years working long hours as an engineer, he admitted he “hit a bit of a midlife crisis.”
“I was doing sixty, seventy hours a week, away from home, miserable,” he said. “So I quit. I had this old rehearsal space, met Joe for a coffee, and said, ‘Do you want to do something with it?’”
Joe, fresh out of BIMM Manchester with a degree in music production and songwriting, was ready. “I was raring to go,” he remembered. “It was literally the last month of my degree. Timing-wise, it couldn’t have been better. Andy had the room, I had the energy, and we just built it up.”
Accessibility First
From the beginning, the pair agreed on one thing: the studio had to be affordable. “I know I personally couldn’t afford £800 a day in a Manchester studio,” Joe said. “But I could probably save up £200 to come here. That’s what accessibility means to me, making sure people can get professional recordings without it being out of reach.”
Andy agreed: “You can go to the big names and pay £500 per day. But honestly, what’s coming out of here isn’t miles off that quality. And we do more than just press record. We’re jumping in, writing harmonies, adding bass, even helping out with music videos if people want. We go above and beyond.”
That attitude and commitment has quickly won them loyal clients. “The feedback’s been great,” Joe added. “People keep coming back because we’re giving them more than just a guy behind a desk. We’re part of the process.”
Their recording and production rates start from £35 per hour with access to industry-level services and radio play potential. No matter the budget, they ensure that their artists get the quality and attention they deserve.
Community Spirit
Affordability, though, is just one part of the vision. Big Pink has become a hub for local musicians, doubling as a rehearsal space and creative hangout.
The studio is located at Bank Quay Trading Estate in Warrington. Andy said: “There’s so much going on here. We’ve got bands rehearsing in the building every night, artist studios all around us. It’s like a little creative quarter.”
The pair also host Unsigned Up, a podcast featuring local and emerging acts, which was started by their client Glen Screeten. “It started with us just setting up the mics,” Andy laughed. “But I ended up co-hosting. We’ve had loads of great bands in, even a former Happy Mondays drummer. It’s been loads of fun and it gives these artists a platform.”
Real Results
The impact of their approach is already showing as Andy said: “There are artists coming through here who wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise, and you hear their songs and think, these deserve to be heard. That’s why this is all so important.”
Dylan Rodrigues, 24, a singer-songwriter from Warrington who has been working with Big Pink Music on his new single Love Shack, has commended the studio’s quality production.
Dylan said: “Working in the Big Pink studio has been amazing, Joe is a talented producer, and I love making music with him, I will be doing so many more songs with him. It was completely worth my time and money.
“I’ve worked with Joe before and I know what he’s capable of, the level production is perfect if you want to record a radio-ready song that can be easily uploaded on all streaming platforms.”
What can we expect next from Big Pink Music?
Still less than a year old, Big Pink is already planning upgrades, including a vintage 24-channel mixing console and possibly expanding into another unit.
They are also looking to enhance community engagement by introducing songwriting and production workshops.
But the heart of the project will remain the same: keeping doors open for musicians who might otherwise be shut out.
“All roads lead to Warrington,” Andy jokes. “We’re 20 minutes from Manchester, 20 from Liverpool. But this is home, and it deserves its own scene.”
As Joe put it: “If we can give people a professional recording, they can be proud of, at a price they can actually afford, then we’ve done our job. That’s what Big Pink is about.”
Heidi Hardman-Welsh 