British alt-rock duo Nova Twins have spoken about the sexism they face as pedal-loving creatives and how many accuse them of miming – despite the fact they produce all their sounds live.
The guitar/bass duo of Amy Love and Georgia South are one of the most inventive rock acts to have risen from the underground in recent years, and their penchant for Frankenstein'ing the sounds of their instruments with ultra-weird stompboxes has captured the imagination of many. But the duo also have their detractors, and for all the wrong reasons.
“As a woman, you're constantly having to prove yourself,” Love, in conversation with Metal Hammer, says. “You have to be exceptional to meet a man's average. It's crazy,” echoes South.
They’ve never revealed what exactly is on their pedalboards; it’s an extremely well-kept secret. But there’s an overwhelming amount of options and weirdness going on in their songs. Doing it live isn’t easy, but the band aren't willing to cut corners..
“We love the challenge of playing everything live off pedals,” Love extends. “There are no synths on track or guitars on track. Men love to come along to our shows and say, ‘They're miming! They're not playing live!', but the sounds we make are all live.”
South also finds that they often have to win over crowds who “don't know what to expect” from their sets. That even happens backstage, too.
“We were setting up our gear,” she says of a show a few years back, “and someone asked our guitar tech, 'What guitars do you have?” Our tech said, 'Oh, no, those are the girls' guitars...' And the guy just ignored it. It was like he thought our tech was joking – the idea that the guitars genuinely belonged to us completely went over his head.”
In 2025, it’s a sad indictment of society. Inventive non-male players are everywhere and, stylistically, they operate in a wide range of genres – just look at Yvette Young, Grace Bowers, Lari Basilio, The Warning, and Molly Tuttle for examples.
The pair, who will release their third album, Parasites & Butterflies, later this year, are slaying such sexist preconceptions the right way: through their music.
South has previously cited a love for heavy electronic music and dubstep for her guitar signal warping traits, and texturally, the balance of their instruments is more like the former than traditional rock n' roll. That ripping up of the rulebook has seen them play virtually every major festival in Europe and the U.S., and collaborate with Bring Me The Horizon and Ho99o9.
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