Review | Nova Twins at The Wedgewood Rooms: 'A breath of fresh air'

It was terrible.

But it did gift us an incredible soundtrack – and one of the songs on it was a collaboration between The Prodigy and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello called One Man Army.

That sound is all over Nova Twins – thumping beats, a hip-hop element, mad rock guitars and a stomping bass.

That is not to say for a second that Nova Twins are some kind of ’90s revivalists.

They take that track’s DNA and run with it – filtering it through the experiences of two women of colour with a love of ‘out there’ music in the 21st century.

They open with recent single Antagonist, which appears to be a good indication of where they’re heading – heavy as a bag of spanners, hefty does of punk attitude, and already a huge earworm.

Amy Love on vocals and guitar is a veritable force of nature – listen to that howl when she lets rip – while Georgia Love on bass is whirlwind of movement and effects.

On record, the earlier material is more raw, but live, the pair, plus their drummer, combine to create a much more coherent and ferocious sound.

The longstanding friendship between Amy and Georgia is clear in the way they bounce off each other, obviously enjoying playing in front of a packed room.

Just how much work Georgia is doing with that bass becomes clear when Amy first puts her guitar down for Vortex.

The wide array of sounds she coaxes from her four-string is incredible, without ever sacrificing the song’s melody and rhythm.

New single KMB (Kill My Boyfriend) – released the day before the gig – lays on the rap-heavy verses before the singalong chorus. Boyfriends everywhere beware...

Their campaigning nature is a major element of who Nova Twins are – indeed there are posters up around the venue stating zero tolerance for a multitude of -isms and -phobias. It’s no mere pose – the sentiments are clearly heartfelt.

And their fans love them for it.

During final encore, Taxi, they pause to ask if everyone is okay in the mosh – and use it as an excuse to restart the song, attacking it even harder second time around.

Nova Twins are a breath of fresh air in a field that is far too often pale, stale and male.

Everything from their aesthetic – they design their own outfits – to their passion and their sound is winning them a growing army of fans.

This gig was originally meant to be in The Edge of The Wedge two years ago, instead they filled the far bigger Wedge.

With a second album looming, I’d be surprised if they’re not selling out bigger venues next time around.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, with 70 per cent fewer adverts for less than 20p a day.