Live review: Nova Twins, London Heaven

“You know what we stand for,” proclaims Nova Twins singer/guitarist Amy Love. “Pro love, pro respect: it doesn’t matter what you look like, everyone is welcome here!”

This in itself is a wonderful thing. Tonight’s show is a sold-out affair with a crowd from every single walk of life. Nova Twins are a band championing unity, the show a place where those who feel marginalised can be part of something special. You can feel that energy in the room; everyone is free to express themselves however they like in one of the most inclusive rock shows you’re ever likely to see.

Signs pepper the venue reading “No Harassment. No Racism. No Homophobia. No Transphobia. No Xenophobia. No Ableism” making tonight feel like one the most welcoming spaces in rock music. All we see and feel in the room is love; love for Nova Twins, love for each other and love for ourselves.

The pandemic may have scuppered the following life-cycle of debut album Who Are The Girls?, but in that time, they have created something gloriously exciting. Here is a band pushing the boundaries, giving representation and leading the charge in the diversification of rock music, and we are absolutely here for it. This show was originally due to take place before “the unprecedented times” in a 250-cap room in Dalston, instead we’re here at Heaven in a 1,100-cap room just a couple of months out from the release of their second album Supernova. They’re already on course to reach the glitzy-heights of huge academies and arenas, and their arsenal of riot grrrl meets funk punk tunes are perfectly made for those settings.

To mark the occasion, pyro introduces the duo in front of the sludge-heavy riffs of Antagonist, allowing the crowd to familiarise themselves with a Nova Twins mosh-pit again. Amy and bassist Georgia South instantly feel like the superstars they’re undoubtedly going to be, with the quickfire sounds of Bullet and the flow-extravaganza of K.M.B illustrating they’re a band not to be pigeonholed into one genre. Without any synths in sight, the band use their instruments to create a concoction of abrasive, catchy riffs as if they’re the world’s biggest DJs. The sounds, mixes and tones that erupt from their stringed-axes are enigmatic, authentic and utterly exhilarating to witness.

One of the most poignant moments of the night is the culturally-charged behemoth that is Cleopatra, a song written in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. The song, laying out what it’s like to be a woman of colour in a white dominated industry, whilst also paying tribute to their ancestral heritage is a real smashing down of the door for rock music. The most compelling part of all of this, isn’t just their undeniable talent but what they and their audience stand for. The future is here, and Nova Twins are leading the revolution.

Read this: Nova Twins: “We don’t want to follow trends, so we try to push it in a new direction”