Georgia South and Amy Love, or better known as «Nova Twins». It is about the explosive duo, which aims at creating a sound, that we have never heard bef:ore and challendes the crowd to «lose its head for a while». They have been on the road with Prophets of Rage, winning at the same time a spot in the «new bands», presented weekly by «Τhe Guardian» and in Tom Morello’s heart. They refuse to soften their sound, filter their lyrics and they go on stage, giving unforgettable lives, which are characterised by a furious combination of grime and punk. From their music to their self-made outfits,«Nova Twins» are two dynamic, full with energie women, who, no doubt, can not go unseen.
Eleanna Skiasa (Lavart) – How were “Nova Twins” created?
Amy – Through our friendship! We have been like sisters for years, always hanging out within the same music scene. Eventually we decided to write a song together, one rainy day! The rest is history.
Georgia – We came up with Nova Twins, Nova meaning the beginning of something new and a ball of energy (supernova) and Twins because we’re very in sync!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – When, where and how did you first meet?
Amy – Me and Georgia’s brother also grew up together and played in bands as teenagers, we got introduced and we all became part of each other’s family.
Georgia – We met about 10 years ago, as Amy went to college with my brother, so we hung out and became very close!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) –What was the fact that linked you as a group?
Georgia – We used to gig together but in different bands. We were on the same line ups all the time, until we thought why haven’t we written a song together, as we have a really strong friendship! The first song we wrote was called ‘Bad Bitches’ and we feel like we pretty much landed on our Nova sound straight away!
Amy – We are always on the same page, musically, fashion, thoughts, even dreams at times haha! That’s why we work so well together. Our friendship is the makeup of Nova Twins.
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Could you describe your first live as “Nova Twins”?
Amy – Our first gig as Nova Twins was in a pub during an open mic night in South East London. We didn’t have the band name but we had practiced and wrote some songs together. Everyone went mad for it. Then we decided to become an ‘official’ band shortly after.
Georgia – I remember not having a drummer, only a backing track and not having any amps, just a tiny practise amp in the venue haha!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) –You grew up in a jazz family environment. When did you start diverging from these sounds?
Amy – My family listened to soul music and my aunt encouraged me to sing. I have less of a jazz background but down the line I started to learn about the bands that Georgia’s dad introduced us to!
Georgia – My family listened to a lot of different music! I always loved hip hop and heavy tunes from a young age. I listened to all kinds of music from Donny Hathaway to Kanye West. So, I’ve always been open to different types of music and loved the various elements of them all.
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Do you remember what kind of music you were listening to as teenagers?
Georgia – N*E*R*D, Destiny’s Child, Kanye West, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Eminem.
Amy – It was a big mix from pop, alternative, UK garage, 90’s R&B, late 60’s garage and 70’s glam punk!!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Would you say that your interplay is so “explosive” as your music?
Amy – We put everything into our shows, the audience gives us so much energy that we want to give them just as much back!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Once people tried to transform your music into something else, like pop and “American like” sounds. You decided to resist. Do you think that it is risky to create music that you like rather than follow the music industry?
Georgia – We don’t find it risky, as the kind of music we make comes naturally to us! Early on, people tried to tell us to dumb down our musicality and be super pop because of the way we look. Naturally we ignored what they said, as dumbing down our riffs and using backing tracks would never fulfil us!
Amy – I’d rather be happy doing something that I love than risk being miserable doing something that some else loves. Always stay true to yourself, that way you can’t really go wrong!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – What’s inspiring for you? For example, how did “Devil’s Face” and “Bassline Bitch” come up to you?
Amy – Inspiration can come from anywhere. ‘Devils Face’ was about the tension we were feeling around Brexit! And the hidden racism that was creeping out of the woodworks,which we experienced. Sometimes you think you know someone but underneath it all they have a whole different perception of things. ‘Bassline Bitch’ is a song for the underdogs, as we often feel like that.
Georgia – Like Amy says, ‘Devils Face’ was written in the most heightened stages of Brexit. We noticed micro-racisms directed at us and people around us at the time, so we wrote the track to reflect that.
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – You have stated in a former interview that the diversity in your audience is important for you. Why is that?
Amy – Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing, the UK is built on it. The problem is this country doesn’t always reflect or acknowledge that achievement. Rock shows can sometimes feel like a white-male heterosexual club, but it’s getting better. At our shows women come to the front and rule the mosh. They are diverse and fierce and it’s such a great thing to see. We want to keep pushing that movement at our shows so everyone can feel free to be themselves and part of the bigger picture.
Georgia – Diversity at our shows is crucial, as we didn’t have anyone diverse to look up to in the rock scene, as we were growing up. So, we like to welcome other people who feel like a minority at rock shows. We want them to come forward and attend, so they don’t feel alienated being there like we did. We want a community of people from all different races, ages, genders, sexualities to come and enjoy the show, celebrating each other’s differences and similarities!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Which of your songs would you recommend to someone who has never listened to your music?
Amy – Vortex
Georgia – Same!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – You are working on your first album with Jim Abbiss while you are on a European tour. Isn’t it difficult to combine both of them?
Amy – We wrote the songs before all the mad gigging started and recorded them in between. It can be hard to do both, so this winter we will take the opportunity to write before festival season starts again.
Georgia – Working with Jim is great! We also eat the best take outs and his studio environment is super peaceful, so it was actually fine! We were anxious that we were going to be too tired, as we got ill on tour and in the studio but the excitement of recording a new tune got us through haha!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – What should we expect from your new album?
Georgia – Tonnes of new pedal board sounds and tricks, lots of light and shade… Well a lot more shade than light haha! We feel like it sums up our friendship and hope that people will feel empowered listening to it! We’re really proud of it and are itching to show everyone.
Amy – We will keep the rest as a surprise…
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – Could you detect your best live?
Amy – There has been so many great gigs. Hell Fest was epic, as it was our biggest crowd to date. Also, our headline shows really meant the world to us, as it was the first time we had properly done a headline tour and the audience were amazing and so supportive! That was a good moment!
Georgia – Agreed! Hell Fest was very memorable. A crowd of over 22,000, it blew our minds!
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – What is the “must know” about Nova Twins?
Amy – It’s not really a must know but some people get confused and think we use a backing track when we play live, but we don’t! It’s all live, done manually on our guitars and pedal boards, joined with a drummer. Its just a simple 3 piece that can make a lot of noise.
Eleanna Skiada (Lavart) – What should we expect from your live at Street Mode Festival in Thessaloniki?
Georgia – We’ve never played in Greece before, so we’re excited to see what the Street Mode crowd are like! We always give our full energy and want the crowd to forget their worries and lose their heads for a while!
Amy – Carnage!
Interview: Eleanna Skiada
Cover photo: Sanaa Abstrakt
