Riff-tastic, explosive and gnarly: How the Nova Twins are changing rock music’s mould with Fender
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
Sitting down at The Blues Kitchen in Camden, we meet London’s hottest young rock duo, the NOVA TWINS, ahead of the launch of FENDER’S latest guitar series, Player Plus.
Phoebe Shardlow: Do you remember the first song you wrote together?
Both: Let Your Hair Down!
Amy Love: We weren’t a band yet though, we were just hanging out and did this song called Let Your Hair Down. I think you (Georgia) already had the tune?
PS: How long ago was that?
Georgia South: *Giggles* Probably like eight years ago now.
PS: When was the moment you realised you wanted to work together musically?
GS: I think the moment was when you ‘band proposed’ to me?
AL: Yeah after Let Your Hair Down we wrote another song together… and then another and another… We thought, ‘hey this is sounding pretty good,’ and did a couple of open mic nights. Everyone could feel the energy but we were kinda scared, like with a first relationship. We said to each other, ‘if we do this, we’re fully in this - we’re going long haul. Let’s be a band!’ We did a little toast.
GS: We had some wine and sipped it.
AL: Did a little handshake. That was it and we stuck to our word.
PS: That’s so cute!
AL: We can be cute sometimes.
PS: Do you remember what you wore for your first ever show?
GS: Was it hot pants or ripped jeans?
AL: The open mic night!
GS: We always wore either really ripped jeans or hot pants and a boot.
AL: We were going to this open mic night - we weren’t quite a band yet…
GS: Oh, I remember what I wore there - it was this neon green t-shirt with nude written on it. My Dad went on tour with someone and that was their band merch.
AL: We loved shorts and tights with platform boots.
GS: A classic back in the day. Our old school style was always hot pants.
AL: Tights! Loads of tights even on top of each other - leopard print, everything.
GS: And a baggy t-shirt.
PS: Very Tumblr and of the time! If you could describe your sound at the moment in a few words, what would it be?
AL: Rifftastic, that’s cringe-y but it works.
GS: Explosive!
AL: Gnarly.
PS: Writing and recording or performing?
Both: Performing.
PS: If you play anywhere where would it be?
AL: For some reason, I’ve always wanted to play the Roundhouse - we’re getting to play it with FRANK TURNER in a few weeks.
PS: If you could have any designer or brand do all of your stage costumes for a tour - who would you choose?
AL: *Laughing* DIOR and GIVENCHY! We love all these designers that we can’t afford -
GS: We look on Pinterest!
AL: Because of that we ended up making our own clothes. *Points to her trousers* I mean, these trousers you could probably tell…
PS: I love them!
AL: So, to answer your question, we’d love to find a seamstress that we’d give our designs to and they could make them! We don’t have a lot of time.
GS: We’d love to design clothes in the future, we have a tiny clothing line called BAD STITCHES. We love clothes and fashion.
AL: For Reading and Leeds festival we had no clothes to wear because once we make something we rinse it. We’ve rinsed so many of our clothes.
PS: Who have been your biggest musical influences growing up?
GS: N.E.R.D, KANYE WEST, MISSY ELLIOTT, BEYONCÉ, Destiny’s Child. Growing up I listened to Donny Hathaway too.
AL: I was just a mixed bag - at one point I remember really liking The Spice Girls? A lot of soul because my Mum really liked it so Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston. Luther Vandross got smashed a lot. Bands like New York Dolls too. There was Missy Elliott and Destiny’s Child - I loved seeing these beautiful women on mainstream television that looked like us, in terms of women of colour being presented like that it felt like a game changer. They were strong and independent. It’s endless when you have to think about it.
GS: It’s hard!
PS: Have you ever felt starstruck?
GS: *Whispering* I have but it’s embarrassing, I won’t tell the full story but I really love PHARRELL. When I met him I was so speechless; nothing came out.
AL: It was quite funny, I don’t know why you don’t tell people.
GS: We were on a job that wasn’t Nova Twins related… it was more like acting.
AL: We had all this Vaseline on our face?
GS: My hair was incredibly wet but also dry.
AL: Everyone was swarming him so I tried to approach him (on behalf of the stunned Georgia watching on) but the first thing I said was, ‘I don’t want a picture with you,’ which I didn’t mean to say! It came out all wrong and I was babbling on. He just looked at me like ‘cool, man’ and walked off.
GS: I was just watching the whole thing like what?!
AL: She got very upset.
GS: Hopefully we meet him again, I’ll manifest it.
PS: If you could work with anyone, would it be Pharrell? Who else?
GS: Mine’s Pharrell. Also, TIMBALAND would be sick.
AL: I wanna say Jack White.
GS: A Jack White tour would be on the bucket list. He’s fucking incredible live.
AL: Bit of an animal live.
GS: That voice…
PS: I am so sorry for asking this because if someone asked me, I’d start crying but; where would you like to be in five years’ time?
GS: Ooh, I almost don’t wanna say it in case it doesn’t happen! That would be embarrassing.
AL: I think selling out big shows and just doing what we’re doing now in a bigger way.
GS: It’s all about the journey… the climb. MILEY said it!
AL: Cliché, but so right. It all counts we love looking back at it.
GS: We are living the dream.
AL: Yeah, we’re working with FENDER and we love that. I’d love if we could encourage more new bands and guitar-driven bands to do something like this too.
GS: Especially ones that look different too!
AL: The alt crew.
PS: How would you like to change the music industry?
AL: That’s a very big question… because it’s so fucked.
GS: We want to continue to open it up and change the mould! Challenge things, make it more diverse, add some more colour to the rock industry.
AL: There are a few things in the mainstream industry we’d like to change. For example, if you’re a Black woman there’s a presumption that you’re hip-hop or R&B… But we wanna change that, not only for ourselves but for the new-gen too! I also think it’s so important for artists to hold onto their rights and own their music. We should strike deals in a different way, too many artists are getting stuck - it’s damaging and dangerous! Let’s do partnerships instead of signing your soul away.
PS: Right, I always ask this - you can invite three people dead or alive to a dinner party, who are they?
GS: Paul Walker.
PS: The guy that was in Fast and Furious?
AL: She’s got a CRUSH on him.
Someone in the background: It’s a dinner party, not a date.
GS: RIHANNA!
AL: Yeah, of course and I like David Chapelle, that would be funny.
GS: Rihanna, David Chapelle, and Jimi Hendrix!
AL: Okay that would be cool.
GS: We had a photo of him on the wall when we were recording our music, felt like he was looking into our souls.
AL: He’s constantly there. When we’re having a bad day in the studio we look over at Jimi, we put little lights around him.
GS: It’s like a shrine.
PS: What would you cook for everyone?
AL: I’ve got a secret Persian dish.
GS: And for dessert I make a mean, mean apple crumble.
The Nova Twins are part of Fender’s latest Player Plus series, helping out and supporting the latest generation of guitar players. Tickets for their 2022 UK & Europe tour are available here.