Freshly arrived in Europe for the final leg of the tour for their hit album Supernova, Georgia and Amy open up in this interview, just before their much anticipated concert at the Botanique.
You’ve done shows in big venues as well as smaller ones like tonight in Belgium. How does it feel to play at the Botanique tonight ?
Amy: The place is beautiful with all the gardens and sometimes the more intimate shows are the best. You can see the crowd having a blast, you can feel the heat and the sweat. It’s quite a different feeling from festivals for example.
You are a duo in the studio and a trio on stage, what are the qualities and drawbacks of this type of formation ?
Amy: Since there are two of us, things are easier to do whereas with bands with more members you often have to navigate between different personalities. On stage, it makes us happy to have such a big sound with just two instruments (+ drums).
Georgia: This gives us the opportunity to use our pedalboard to the fullest and to go as far as possible with the concept.
We saw you at the Brit Awards recently. How does it feel to be invited to such big events coming from a music that was undeground.
Amy: Rock music has often been sidelined in recent years for such ceremonies. It’s nice that we too have the chance to be put under the spotlight to celebrate rock, metal and alternative music. This is coming back to the forefront…
Why do you think rock music is coming back ?
Georgia: Maybe the new generation needs something new, something that touches them deeply and rock and metal bring that freshness. You can see for example on Tiktok how the hashtag Alt (alternative music) is one of the most popular tags. Social networks help this breadth of musical choice and prevent gatekeeping.
Amy: The scene is also very diverse between women, non-binary, and transgender, it’s a change from the days when this scene was more like a boy’s club. Like the mixes that were created when Rage Against The Machine and Limp Bizkit came into the public eye, I think history is now being repeated in a deeper way.
Are there still bands that influence you on the current scene ?
Georgia: We saw The Prodigy on their last tour and it was one of the loudest experiences we’ve ever seen. A very interesting artist is FKA twigs. These are artists who extend their craft and it’s not just about the music. Sometimes there is lifestyle, dance, aesthetics that extends over the whole project, sometimes even the pedalboard.
Amy: Artists are digging a little deeper, I’m not saying we weren’t doing it before, I’m just saying it’s a very noticeable effect of this new generation of artists.
Georgia: I think everyone feels more free
Amy: Yes, we go even further and we try to reach other horizons.
You were talking about social networks, how important is it for a band right now ?
Amy: sighs (laughs)
Georgia: You have to be an expert in the group and in social networks at the same time. As an artist we have to take that into account, it’s not like before when you could just be a good band and that was enough so this is something we have to master.
Amy: It’s hard because sometimes you just want to play music but you also have to let your audience know where you’re playing or what’s going on.
Your last opus Supernova broke everything when it was released and this all over the world. How do you feel about the project right now ?
Amy: We are very proud of it. This album came out of the lockdown, out of the pandemic, and it’s really close to our hearts. Even before it was released we loved it and that the most important thing about a piece of work. We are very happy to be able to promote it with this tour and it continues to receive awards this year.
A small deserved break is necessary …
Amy: Not at all, we are coming to America (laughs)
Georgia: We do have America and festivals coming up this summer.
You have a great freedom in your inspirations and in your compositions, just like your discography. Do you have any rules to guide you to achieve this result ?
Georgia: We never use synthesizers, all the sound comes out of our pedalboards and guitars.
What can you expect from a Nova Twins show for a novice ?
Amy: Ho! … Lots of energy, lots of excitement. Georgia will surely dance on stage and on her pedalboard. I’ll probably headbang a lot !
Georgia: We are lucky to have a very good audience, very respectful, very welcoming and receptive and you can really feel that from the pit.
I understood that you were also into fashion with notably the confection of your gig clothes. Can you compare your way of creating an outfit to the way you create a track ?
Georgia: This is a very good question …
Amy: Yes, our clothes have many layers and textures. We love to use different elements so yeah, I think it’s comparable to our music.
Georgia: Our fashion sense comes directly from the music world.
Amy: We dress as we sound like !
Some of your lyrics of your project are about how difficult it is to be a black woman in this rock music world (like on Cleopatra). Have things changed since your debut ?
Georgia: It was harder to navigate at first. Nobody knew what to think of our band because it didn’t exist. The industry tried to put us in different boxes but couldn’t. We couldn’t fit into hiphop because we were too rock and they couldn’t fit us into hip hop because we were too rock. Now we are nominated for awards, we are on big festivals and we arrive in a mainstream world. I think it offers a message of hope to the younger generation that anything is possible.
So you’re going to the US soon, but what can we hope for the future of your project, maybe a return to the studio…
Amy: Yes our focus is on touring and then why not come back to the studio for a new album…
Any information to give us on this return ?
Amy: No ! It’s a little early, but it will happen… Maybe …
We’ll see you at Rock Werchter this year, how does it feel to be on this kind of event ?
Amy: The vibe is very different but in a good way, the crowd doesn’t just come for you, so you have to be able to captivate them. It’s a time when people come to have a good time, so it’s nice to be discovered by strangers and vice versa. Also discovering different cities, cultures, and then it’s often chaos but a good kind of chaos.
What is the best reaction you have ever had from a fan ?
Georgia: The best reactions are the most honest ones, when you can talk with them as friends and just enjoy that little moment you can have after or before a show.
Amy: Sometimes it is also the fact of talking to us about the feeling they have on a song and what it means to them. That sometimes it can help them in complicated moments or on the contrary comfort them, give them confidence. We try to encourage the differences that we can have and that’s what’s so great about humanity. We are thrilled to have an audience of young people, women, non-binary people, older men. It’s a great mix and everyone is welcome !
Last question, what is your favorite track in your discography ?
Georgia: Sometimes it’s very different live than on the album… I really like “A Dark Place For Somewhere Beautiful” because we have a special arrangement for the shows.
Amy: For me it will be “Sleep Paralysis“, it’s a little dark, complicated song…
An incredible meeting ! Thank you to the Nova Twins for their time, for their high-flying show and to the Kinda team for allowing us to ask our questions to this exciting duo. If you want to know how the show went, it’s here !