Stronger Together: Nova Twins Unite the Crowd at Luxor
After releasing their third studio album ‘Parasites & Butterflies’, Nova Twins — the dynamic duo of Amy Love (vocals & guitar) and Georgia South (bass & additional vocals) — hit the road for an EU/UK tour. One of their stops? Cologne’s intimate Luxor, the city’s longest-running live music venue. This historic stage has hosted artists like Blur, R.E.M., and Lenny Kravitz. Supporting Nova Twins on the tour is alternative rock band HotWax, who released their debut album Hot Shock in March of this year.
HotWax
The night started out strong with the trio of Tallulah Sim-Savage, Lola Sam and Alfie Sayers — better known as HotWax. There’s a more or less known secret about German crowds: either you win them over and get them moving, or they simply don’t. Opening with ‘She’s Got a Problem’, HotWax had no trouble grabbing the audience’s attention. Their second song ‘Rip It Out’ is where their grunge roots really started to shine, and they kept on shining with an energy-fuelled rock show that could even inspire the next up-and-coming female-fronted bands. The set closed with the crowd’s favourite, ‘One More Reason’, proving Hot Wax to be a perfect fit as support for Nova Twins. I’m excited to see where they go from here.
Nova Twins
When Nova Twins hit the stage, they greeted us with vibrating walls and an equally vibrating floor from moshing feet. Both signs of a great show, and a clear indication that Nova Twins isn’t just any band. Known for their incredibly strong bass sound, courtesy of Georgia South, and equally powerful drum lines, the first song, ‘Black Roses’, would have introduced the band perfectly to any new face in the crowd. For this gig, though, there was no need for introductions — no one at Luxor had come by accident. Nova Twins have long since stopped being a word-of-mouth duo and are now one of the names to watch when it comes to female-fronted bands.
’Soprano’ was yet another song that made you realise these girls did not come to play. By combining electronic sounds, grunge inspired bass with beat-driven rap and high-hitting notes by singer Amy Love, they nearly put anyone else to shame who dares to call themselves innovative. “I like to stay high, feel that bass down low, frequency melt your brain like wow”, sang Love — perfectly describing their unique sound in one line.
Going straight into ‘Hide & Seek’, the crowd transformed into a single body of jumping feet. If you’re not one to dance or mosh, you’d better stick to the sides, because this wave doesn’t stop for anyone. To the dear reader: this doesn’t mean anyone is going to get hurt at a Nova Twins gig. It was obvious from the very start that these girls have built a community of respect, not just in the scene, but with their fans as well.
With N.O.V.A., it’s clear they’ve written their anthem — the crowd screaming their own a cappella version of the chant: “What’s the name, bitch? Say our name. All you bitches say N.O.V.A!” Halfway through their set, it was certain: the best things always come in twos.
During ‘Choose your Fighter’, Georgia South and Amy Love even dared to go into the crowd, jumping and dancing in the pit while never missing a single note on their guitars.
This is where I think they’ve truly earned the respect of everyone in the scene: Amy Love took a short break to tell the sweating masses that we’re stronger together than apart. Pointing at the crowd, she said, “Look at how different we all are!” and stressed that this is a time when we need to care about our community more than ever. A political statement in highly political times. “Raise your voices!” she exclaimed, which, at a show like this, always carries more than one meaning.
It’s amazing to see Georgia South and Amy Love — two Black rock musicians from London — making waves in a scene where artists like them have long been underrepresented. Their presence alone challenges norms, even if it shouldn't have to. Yet they go beyond that, using their platform to speak out against growing divisions — something many of their peers choose not to do.
With this energy, they launched into ‘Piranha’, Love singing, '“There’s something in the water, open up the border, and asking, Are you terrified?”
They ended the set (before their encore) with the nearly worshipful experience that is ‘Hummingbird’. The crowd swayed as one, the deep bass and electronic hum contrasting beautifully with Love’s soaring soprano. More than one pair of eyes closed in the revels of music.
This did nothing to lessen the energy thrumming in the nightclub that could be well described as a dark, intimate room. The second they left the stage, fans began a rhythmic chant: “NOVA - TWINS! NOVA - TWINS!” calling them back out for three additional songs.
The encore ended on a high note, or rather, high notes, with ‘Glory’, the opening track from their latest album. At times reminiscent of a hymn sung by angels, not just in the religious imagery of the lyrics, the song was artfully contrasted with their signature electronics- and bass-heavy sound. A powerful ending to an incredible show.
If you haven’t had the chance to catch them live yet, take it. You won’t regret going to a Nova Twins gig.