The Amorettes

Formation

The Amorettes were formed in March 2009 when vocalist and guitarist Gill Montgomery met drummer Hannah McKay at Stevenson College in Edinburgh. Influenced by bands such as AC/DC, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Girlschool and Thin Lizzy, they developed a similar classic hard rock sound, described by the band as "hard, fast rock 'n' roll". The three-piece lineup was eventually completed by Hannah's younger sister Heather as bass guitarist. The band was named after Montgomery found the name 'Amorette' in a book of baby names.

An early break arrived in 2010 when they supported W.A.S.P. at The Garage in Glasgow at very short notice when the scheduled band was delayed.

Haulin' Ass

The Amorettes' debut album Haulin' Ass was recorded in Livingston and released independently in May 2010. Geoff Barton of Classic Rock magazine rated it as 8/10, describing it as "Three minute stun gun bursts full of humour and hellion fury."

The band won Group of the Year at the 2011 Scottish New Music Awards, and they played Hard Rock Hell in 2011 and 2013. They continued to tour and perform regularly, playing the Hard Rock Hell festival in Ibiza in May 2014; opening for Sebastian Bach and Black Star Riders at the Steelhouse Festival in Wales in July, and playing at Bloodstock Open Air and earning sponsorship from Jägermeister in August. In October 2014, they were announced as the support act for the double-headlining tour of the UK and Ireland by Europe and Black Star Riders. Europe frontman Joey Tempest and Black Star Riders singer Ricky Warwick both welcomed the band, with Warwick stating, "We loved The Amorettes when they opened for BSR this last summer – they represent the heart and soul of The Runaways combined with The Donnas with great songs to boot... and even better, they are Scottish!!"

Game On

Alongside the release of the "Fire at Will" EP which included live recordings and demos, The Amorettes recorded their second album, Game On, in 2014 with experienced producer Chris Tsangarides at his Ecology Room Studios in Kent. They signed with record label Off Yer Rocker in February 2015, and the album was released in March. On 2 February, the band performed a track from the album, "Rock Me, Roll Me", live on The Fountainbridge Show on STV Edinburgh.

The album's release was followed by the tour with Black Star Riders and Europe in March, then shows in the Netherlands, including the Dijkrock Festival on 18 April. Returning to Scotland, the band supported Ash in Montrose on 22 May, and Black Stone Cherry at The Garage in Glasgow on 11 June. The band also performed at Sandnes in Norway on 20 June, and played at the British Steel Saturday Night Festival in Fismes, France, on 3 October.

On 5 September 2015, the band supported Gun in Troon. Later in September The Amorettes toured the UK and Ireland supporting Canadian band Danko Jones, followed by a short tour of Germany and France in November supporting Thunder, and a full UK tour supporting Ash in December.

Following promotional videos for "Fire at Will" (23 March 2015) and "Bull by the Horns" (7 May), a video for "Give 'Em Hell" was released on 28 September 2015.

On 22 January 2016, a UK tour supporting The Treatment was announced for late April and May. On 12 March, Hannah and Heather McKay won their respective categories at the 2016 Pure Rawk Awards in London.

White Hot Heat

The band's third album, White Hot Heat, was recorded at Leeders Vale Studios in Ebbw Vale in April 2016, and was marketed via PledgeMusic. Produced by Luke Morley and engineered by Nick Brine, the album was released on 27 June. Morley also co-composed three of the songs on the album, with Ricky Warwick contributing to another, the first single, "Let the Neighbours Call the Cops". Morley stated, "I think we've captured something really special with the album, and I think it will surprise a lot of people."

Neil Jeffries of Classic Rock magazine gave the album 8/10, describing it as a "game changer". He cited comparisons with Getcha Rocks Off-era Def Leppard, and AC/DC during their early period with Bon Scott, and claimed the riff from the album closer "Stealing Thunder" to be "the best I've heard all year". He summed the album up as "pure hook-driven overdrive".

On 18 April, The Amorettes were confirmed for the 2016 Download Festival on Friday 10 June. They also played at T in the Park 2016 on 8 July, Hard Rock Hell on 10 November, and Planet Rockstock in December.

On 10 June, a performance of "Let the Neighbours Call the Cops" was aired on The Friday Night Rock Show on Vintage TV, presented by Nicky Horne. Two further tracks were recorded for subsequent broadcast; "Crusader" on 24 June and "Give 'Em Hell" on 8 July. "Let the Neighbours Call the Cops" was also performed live on STV on 27 June. In late September, the band undertook a nine-date UK tour co-headlining with punk rock band Love Zombies. They also supported Airbourne at the first three UK shows of their Breakin' Outta Hell tour in November 2016 alongside Crobot.

2017

The video for the second single from White Hot Heat, "White Russian Roulette", was unveiled by Planet Rock on 23 January 2017.

In March, The Amorettes again accompanied Black Star Riders on a tour of the UK and Ireland, supporting alongside Gun at the first five dates.

In February it was announced that the Amorettes would appear at Rockingham Festival 2017, to be held at Nottingham Trent University between 20 and 22 October. Other festival dates were also announced, including Nordic Noise (Denmark) and Wildfest (Belgium) in May, and Amplified Festival and the Rock and Blues Custom Show in July.

Personnel

Albums

EPs