The Amorettes wow gig goers at Stramash

Stornoway’s charity music festival Stramash rolled out the green carpet in front of the castle for the West Lothian trio who headlined this year’s Stramash Rocks festival – a trip drummer Hannah McKay was only too thrilled to make.

“It went really well,” Hannah told the Gazette, “I think people liked us, the tent was nice and busy, the sound was good and we were pretty happy with it.”

The Amorettes - singer and guitarist Gill Montgomery, bass guitarist Heather Mckay and Hannah on drums - are a band the rock world have long since been awoken to.

Their third album ‘White Hot Heat’ was released via a Pledge crowdfunding campaign which was a huge success and the 10-track slab of rock was mailed out to all who invested in the Linlithgow Runaways.

It follows in the musical footprints of earlier full length releases ‘Haulin Ass’ and ‘Game On’ and their Pledge campaign raked in almost 300 per cent of the required funds to make the record.

‘White Hot Heat’ was produced by Thunder mainman Luke Morley while Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick co-wrote the barnstorming ‘Let The Neighbours Call The Cops.’

“Ricky has been so supportive from the start and he has really championed the band,” he said. “It was during the Black Star Riders tour that his manager approached us and said Ricky was keen to co-write a song with us if we wanted to do that. He’s just a really nice guy and a great song writer.”

She continued: “Gill writes most of the stuff but as far as her lyrics go they are based on real life situations she has been in but very much with a tongue in cheek twist. There is a lot of humour in them too.

“For example our song ‘Pervert Alert’ is just in general and could be from a males point of view as well.

‘Eyes On The Prize’ could be about us. We are a young, new band in the music industry which has changed so much. It is a really difficult thing to be in but if you are passionate about something you have to try and keep pushing and keep going.”

Amongst the ever-growing number of big-selling bands to have taken The Amorettes under their wing and onto both European tours or support slots on home soil are American rock veterans W.A.S.P - but this was a break which almost didn’t happen recalls Hannah: “W.A.S.P was one of the first bigger shows we ever got and I remember it was last minute, literally the night before, that we were asked if we could do it after the scheduled support band couldn’t get into the country. It was unreal to be playing on same stage as these bands you grew up having posters of on your wall.”

Back in 2010 The Amorettes reached the final of a Battle of The Bands competition – with the prize of a slot playing at the Download Festival for the winner.

The girls plugged in and unleashed a stunning set on the crowd which they hoped would lead them down the yellow brick road to a set at Download. It wasn’t to be but the girls were far from downhearted.

And then this summer the girls finally got their date with Donington. Purely on the strength of their own music, burgeoning reputation and every growing fan base – Download came calling and the girls were happy to boot the door off it’s hinges and turn their instruments to stun.

“We did Download in June which was amazing especially six years after we entered a Battle of Bands to play Download and didn’t win,” she said. “Now this year we were asked to play there and it was amazing. It was a rainy day so a lot of people came into the tent when we were playing which was brilliant. It was a great moment for us and we’d love to go back next year.”

Next up for The Amorettes is a nine-date co-headline tour with LA band Love Zombies throughout the UK before another festival appearance at Hard Rock Hell.

“I didn’t think we would last to be honest,” laughs Hannah as she looks ahead to the rest of the year.

“It just started out as a bit of fun. Gill and I met at college and we bonded over a love for the Donna’s and AC/DC and it started as fun and a little jamming. When we first played a couple of gigs people seemed to really like us and from there … it’s just spiralled out of control and here we are.”