Scottish rock trio The Amorettes have released the surprise news that two-thirds of the line up are leaving. Drummer Hannah McKay and her bass playing sister, Heather, are to depart the group which they've been a part of for ten years, leaving only singer/guitarist Gill Montgomery in place.

The news was released in a statement on the band's Facebook page, where the departing duo said, "Our time in the Amorettes turned into way more than we ever imagined. The people we met, the places we saw, the opportunities we were given, we will never forget. From carrying our gear to gigs in bin bags in the early days to walking onstage at Shepherd's Bush empire, to getting an album in the charts, or witnessing the angel of darkness Marilyn Manson tackling a salad bar, to playing in a town centre where not even the grannies stopped to have a listen.

"Its been a wild old time and we have worn out that many pairs of converse that we kept sports direct in business. A decade on, we feel the time is right to move onto pastures new so we want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of our amazing fans, everyone that's supported us throughout the years."

Remaining member - and chief songwriter - Gill Montgomery has decided, however, to keep the band going - and it seems she has already found two new bandmates, although their identities are still being kept under wraps for now. In a follow-up post on the band's page Montgomery said, "To lose Heather and Hannah from the band is of course absolutely devastating - The girls are my sisters, and we've been through so much together. Whilst I must admit that there have been times over the past couple of months where I've thought about putting The Amorettes to bed, I feel there's so much more to come, and we're not going down without a fight! The Amorettes WILL carry on!"

"I have some rather AWESOME ladies coming to joining me on Team Amorette" she goes on, "They have some large shoes to fill but are definitely up for the job! I can't reveal ALL to you quite yet, however please stay very tuned! CHIN UP! And If life gives you lemons, you can either bugger off or make a Gin and Tonic! Once again, I am so grateful for all of your support and kind words, it really does mean the world to me."

The group, who all hail from Bathgate in West Lothian, have made plenty of waves in the rock scene over the past decade from their self-released debut album, 'Haulin' Ass' in 2010 through to last year's 'Born To Break' which was produced by Luke Morley of Thunder and released via Steamhammer/SPV. In between times the group wrote songs with Black Star Rider's Ricky Warwick, toured with BSR and Europe, and supported bands like The Dead Daises, Gun, Thunder and Ash amongst many others. They have also appeared at festivals including Download, T In The Park and TRNSMT. Born To Break hit #13 in the Scottish Album Charts last April and the band undertook their first full headline tour of the UK in November.

Watch the lyric video for 'Born To Break' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol3nrReBDg8

For the latest news go to the band's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theamorettes and visit their official website: http://www.theamorettes.com/site/

Author: Cameron Arndt

Cameron Arndt is a musician and freelance writer from Glasgow, Scotland. He writes for his own music review website (www.rockandrolltraffic.com) and also contributes to Music Talkers.