By Kiana Greenan

Dumfries band The Lutras https://www.facebook.com/TheLutras really have given it up for Christmas this year. The four young boys from Dumfries have released a new single called ‘Give It Up For Christmas’ with all proceeds going to Shelter Charity https://www.shelter.org.uk and Music Venue Trust http://musicvenuetrust.com. The boys have went for the slogan:

Buy a record, save a venue and give someone a bed this Christmas.

‘No label, no budget, just loyal fans & hard work.’

The Lutras

The single was released on 5th December and saw immediate success by reaching number 9 in the iTunes Charts. The band had no budget or record label for this and thank their fans for all their success.

‘Getting up the charts is a bonus but to help out those in need is obviously the main goal.’

Lead singer Ben Clements describes reaching number 9 in the iTunes Charts as an amazing achievement, however it is only a bonus to the band as the main goal is helping those in need. Shelter UK are a charity in the UK with the sole purpose of fighting homelessness. There has been a 4% increase in homelessness this year in comparison to last, and Ben explains the motivation behind this charity is due to the pandemic with more job losses than ever that no one deserves to sleep rough on the streets at Christmas.

‘No one deserves to be sleeping rough on the streets at Christmas’

The Music Venue Trust is the other charity The Lutras are donating proceeds to. The Music Venue Trust are there to give advice and support to grassroots venues across the UK with the #SAVEOURVENUES campaign. This is a particularly personal charity to the whole of the band as many venues they have played are struggling right now. Ben explains that these venues are the bread and butter for unsigned bands and highlights the importance of them now more than ever when the arts are struggling.

‘It’s trying to save places that are bread and butter as unsigned bands from a small town especially and we would be absolutely nowhere without them’

The Lutras are making the most of the situation they are in right now by hosting a live fundraising Q&A on their Facebook on Sunday 20th December at 7pm where they will also be playing a few songs.

‘Give It Up For Christmas’ is available to buy on all streaming platforms.