Small band, big noise: Nova Twins live in London

Nova Twins are a small band who make a lot of noise. Formed by south-east London friends Amy Love (vocals/guitar) and Georgia South (bass), these ladies brought their unique mix of punk and grime - all undercut with badass bass lines and a whole lot of attitude - to the basement of a tiny pub in south London.

Named by Tom Morello (of Prophets of Rage) as “the best band you’ve never heard of”, their reputation is certainly set to change after the two years they have just had. Amassing a touring schedule to rival that of bands about five times their size, they have performed at Download, Boomtown and Hellfest festivals over the summer, as well as supporting both Prophets of Rage and Skunk Anansie in the last few months.

Coming straight off the back of that summer into a headline tour would leave a lesser band feeling tired and lacking in energy, but not Nova Twins. They took to the stage last night with an energy which can only be brought by a band like these guys coming back to their hometown to play a headline show for the first time in far too long. Both Love and South strode onstage in their custom made boiler suits (part of their Bad Stitches clothing brand of DIY merch) and immediately started the set with their hit song ‘Bassline Bitch’. It’s full of the kind of attitude which could only ever come from south London, and in Amy’s words, this gig felt like “coming home”.

Their set passes quickly, far too quickly for how much fun their performance is. The audience’s energy matches that of the girls onstage, with moshpits opening during every song from the very beginning. Both Love and South make their way into the crowd at point of the gig to headbang with the whole crowd, and hand out checkered race track flags during the performance of latest single ‘Vortex’.

It feels like a party, but it also feels like a secret we are in on. We are all the fans who were there at the beginning, who partied with Nova Twins while they still played in venues small enough for there to be no barrier between the floor and the stage. This is all set to change, of course. There’s no way a band this good can stay small for long.