Nova Twins don’t do subtle. They never have. At the sold-out Amersham Arms, part of Independent Venue Week, subtlety didn’t stand a chance. The tiny venue was packed, every corner of the floor claimed by fans eager to get up close and personal with the South London duo.
Playing this stubbornly unpolished New Cross room - so small it still looks shocked when bands of this calibre turn up - Nova Twins seemed entirely at home. The low ceiling, cramped floor and slightly overworked PA became part of the experience rather than a hindrance.
Musically, they remain gloriously difficult to pin down. Opening with Cleopatra, Sandman and Taxi, heavy bass collided with jagged guitar and electronic textures, driven by beats as indebted to hip-hop as to rock. Abrasive, hypnotic, genre-defiant - they shift direction like rules were optional.
By the time Soprano and Hide & Seek landed, the crowd was fully engaged. The bass thumped through the floorboards while fans bounced, sang along and pressed closer to the stage, all but ignoring personal space. N.O.V.A and Drip pushed the energy further: fists punched the air, heads nodded in time with the rhythm, and the room felt alive with a focused, infectious intensity.
A highlight came with Choose Your Fighter, when the band abandoned the stage and performed right in the middle of the crowd. In a venue this size, it felt less like a gimmick and more like a natural extension of their confrontational, all-in approach: chaotic, sweaty and hugely effective. Monsters stripped away any remaining restraint, before Antagonist and Glory brought the set to a triumphant close.
Carving a space somewhere between rock, punk and hip-hop, Nova Twins collect festival slots, praise and loyal fans without sounding like anyone else – or trying to. Loud, uncompromising and oddly uplifting, they reminded everyone why being challenged at a gig beats boredom hands down. And if you’re still trying to process it… congratulations, mate, you’ve officially entered “too old to cope” territory.
