Nova Twins reigned supreme at their London homecoming show during the last night of the tour for their critically-acclaimed third album, Parasites and Butterflies.
It’s the stuff of fairytales. A very talented DIY band who starting out in grassroots venues (including a LOUD WOMEN gig at The Lexington), ascended the music world, playing major festivals, supporting artists such as Muse whilst bringing out three powerful albums, culminating in their biggest headline show to date at the O2 Kentish Town Forum.
The stage was beautifully decorated with faux white paper roses and black roses wrapped around the mic-stand and giant amps with butterflies on them. The London duo consisting of Amy Love (vocals, guitar) and Georgia South (bass, Vocals) strode onto the stage and lit it up.
Kicking off their set with high-energy number ‘Black Rose’, they sent the audience wild and proceeded to command the venue for the next hour and a half.
Amy’s powerful vocals slipped seamlessly between rock, rap, grime, pop and metal, whilst she strode around owning the stage, and Georgia’s bass and pedals managed to simultaneously fill the venue with a massive sound, whilst making other-wordly noises from it that are rarely heard from bass guitars. Special shout-outs for their stage outfits which they make themselves!
Highlights included oldie-but-goldie ‘Taxi’ from their Hercury Award-winning debut album Who Are The Girls? as well as the high octane ‘Soprano’, ‘Piranha’ and ‘Drip’ from the latest album.
I’ve rarely seen a band so in sync with the audience. This was most evident on ‘N.O.V.A’, where Georgia and Amy got the whole audience involved, hands in the air, singing along to:
What’s the name, bitch?
Say our name!
All you bitches say: N-O-V-A!
Chaos also ensued on ‘Choose your Fighter’ from second album Supernova, when HotWax and Ashaine White joined them on stage for a riotous rendition. ‘Hummingbird’, which Amy told us was about going through grief, was a tender moment, in an otherwise full on rock show. The last two songs ‘Monster’ and ‘Glory’ ramped up the party atmosphere as the ladies crowd-surfed and the mosh-pit moshed and pretty much the whole audience was singing along.
As it was the final show on the tour they thanked their whole team and acknowledged how hard it is to do live music these days. There was a twinge of sadness as they said goodbye to their drummer Jake.
Another highlight was when they unfurled their banner of love over hate in support for Amnesty International. The message of love and inclusivity was a thread throughout the evening, as all three acts spoke out about its importance.
I feel like a proud mama bear when I see how far the Nova Twins have come. The Nova Twins remind us that DIY bands with oodles of talent can fight their way through the music industry, make a statement and receive the success they so richly deserve.
As Amy so eloquently put as she left the stage:
Keep supporting live music!! That’s what feeds your soul
Nova Twins, long may your reign continue.
HotWax exploded onto the stage like a glittery firebomb. The Hastings-based alt-rock trio consisting of Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocalist and guitarist), Lola Sam (bassist) and Alfie Sayers (drums) tore through their eight-song set with an angsty fervour.
Songs such as opener ‘Hard Goodbye’ and closer as well as single ‘One More Reason’ were lifted from their acclaimed debut album Hot Shock released in March 2025 and sounded even more ferocious live than on record.
Alfie’s thumping drums, along with Lola’s stomping dirty basslines, were the perfect backdrop for Talullah’s impassioned vocals and fuzzy guitars, reminding me of icons past such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes and Blondie.
Other highlights included fan favourite ‘Rip It Out’ which got a huge cheer and latest single ‘Tell Me Everything’s Alright’, the latter a perfectly anthemic grunge-rock masterpiece.
Their all too short set closed with the rabble-rousing ‘She’s Got A Problem’, with plenty of struts and screams culminating in Lola going into the crowd and walking off at the end. Rock-star behaviour of the highest calibre.
Opener Londoner Ashaine White was ready to rock from the moment she entered the stage and seemed pretty comfortable in front of the (almost capacity) audience. She thanked everyone for arriving early and proceeded to entertain with her own brand of grunge-soul.
Songs such as ‘Animal’ and ‘Whole Lot of Me’ – both from her debut EP Look what you made me do released in May 2025 – went down a treat, as she combined her effortless soulful vocals with harder grungier riffs and full-on rock sound from her band.
Her authenticity shone through as she happily chatted to the crowd and explained the inspirations behind her songs. Definitely keeping an eye on this one!