Leeds Bands Rock Emmaus

On December 17th 2007, The Bedroom Orchestra and The Jutes played at Emmaus Leeds. The bands performed as part of a BBC podcast which was being recorded at Emmaus Leeds.

The Bedroom Orchestra aka. Tristan Mackay as many may know him, or those that don’t know his name will certainly have heard him; Tristan regularly busks in Leeds City centre near towards HMV and WH Smiths. Usually performing a range of songs from Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ to Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’. But hardcore fans will know him from his acoustic performances in such Leeds venues as The Cockpit and The Faversham.

The second band The Jutes, are another Leeds band tipped for big things this year. They have supported the likes of The Pigeon Detectives. The Jutes are a five piece band; they can be likened to fellow Leeds band The Sunshine Underground and Wakefield trio The Cribs. The band is also up for nomination in NME’s breaking bands competition so they are quite highly regarded in the music world.

The concert lasted around 45 minutes and both The Jutes and The Bedroom Orchestra played there part in entertaining the crowd.

Audience member Kirk (Who is also a companion at Emmaus Leeds) said ‘The bands were really good, brilliant in fact, I especially liked The Jutes as they had a more punk edge to them, but then again The Bedroom orchestra was brilliant, I can’t wait for Emmaus to do more events like this’
The event was very much a success for all those in attendance and hopefully this type of event could be the first of many for Emmaus Leeds. Neil from The Jutes said ‘The gig we recently did at Emmaus was perhaps the most rewarding gig we have ever done’ ‘As for the charity, Emmaus has given a lifeline to people who really need it. What makes Emmaus so special though is the fact that this lifeline isn't just a handout or a freebie, it allows the people who live there the chance to work to pay their way.’.

Concerts like this really do help make a difference in the community and a great day was enjoyed by all.

To Visit the bands myspaces click on the links.

The Bedroom Orchestra
The Jutes

By Tom Holynski

Published on 18th December, 2007