As the final curtain falls on 2017, The Amazons are undoubtedly one of the year’s biggest success stories in the world of breaking British rock bands. Their self-titled debut album smashed into the album charts at #8 when it was released in the summer, and it also landed two places higher on the vinyl album chart. They made a triumphant return to her hometown festival Reading when they played to a packed BBC Introducing Stage, while their autumn headline tour was entirely sold-out in advance.

Now the quartet put the finishing touches to a triumphant year by sharing a new video for their debut album’s closing track ‘Palace’. The video juxtaposes live footage from their sold-out show at the O2 Kentish Town Forum with clips of frontman Matt Thomson performing the song in his garage. It encapsulates the band’s meteoric rise: songs which were written long before The Amazons made a name for themselves are now hollered back at them by a growing devoted fanbase.

The foundations for their success were set long before the year started. A Music Week survey demonstrated they were were the most hotly-tipped guitar band of 2017, notably by being listed in the BBC Music Sound of 2017 poll. They ticked off a rush of accomplishments - extensive Radio 1 support and a set at the Big Weekend, debut performances on ‘Later.. With Jools Holland’ and ‘Sunday Brunch’, and a Live Lounge performance that included a reinvention of Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules’ - in a year that their debut album cracked the charts.

The Amazons also made inroads towards making a name for themselves internationally too. Over the course of the year they toured Europe extensively, played their debut Stateside shows in New York and Los Angeles and even hit Japan for the Fuji Rock festival.

February

1st - Birmingham, O2 Institute

2nd - Glasgow, Garage

3rd - Manchester, Albert Hall  - SOLD OUT

8th - Cambridge, Junction 1

9th - Portsmouth, Pyramids

10th - Reading, The Hexagon

The line-up of the tenth iteration of Hamburg's Reeperbahn Festival, with it's focus on acts emanating from Finland this time around, continues to grow.

Over and above those acts such as Mirel Wagner, K-X-P and Tropics that were initially revealed as appearing over the course of 23 - 26 September a slew of further international bands and performers have been added in recent days including Cosmo Sheldrake, Dralms, Fatherson, Girlpool, Happyness, Menace Beach, Lusts, Palace and a host more.

Additionally on the first night of the event the Wunderkinder initiative takes place, showcasing ten German acts ready for the international stage and just in need of the final piece of the puzzle to make an impact beyond their own shores.

Four day tickets (at a modest 89 euros) can be purchased via the event website here & that's obviously also where you can keep up to date with further developments in the coming months as well as find out fuller details of where to stay in Hamburg etc.