Combatting norms and cultivating a movement, Nova Twins are the rock duo shaking up the status quo. A MOBO Award nomination in tow, with a massive tour and All Points East appearance to come this summer, the pair talk festival essentials, celebrating Blackness, and leading the alt-rock revolution. 

When Nova Twins first emerged with their vivaciously volatile self-titled debut EP in 2016, the music industry didn’t really know what to do with them. Riotous yet refined, pop anarchists ill-befitting of society’s boxed expectations, Georgia South and Amy Love came with an image, energy and vision that was uncompromising, unique yet oddly ubiquitous. Through metal-fuelled mettle, they thundered into a white male-dominated scene. No longer will heavy rock be gatekept, their fierce growing catalogue and cultural domination said – not through words, but through actions. And now, a decade on, the frame has shifted. 

Alongside the likes of Blood Orange and Rachel Chinouriri, Nova Twins are nominated for Best Alternative Music Act at this year’s MOBO Awards – a category that the pair had a part in forming, campaigning with an open letter for its addition four years ago. Set to take place in Manchester on 26th March, the MOBOs lie centric to Black British musical culture. It’s the pair’s second nod, having been nominated for the same award back in 2023, and illustrates their enduring cultural impact and widespread critical acumen. 

Sitting pretty atop their niche, the duo’s trajectory looks nothing but upwards in 2026, helped by sharing their third and best record to date last summer. Parasites & Butterflies it’s coined, a real coming-of-age moment for the band as humans and musical pillars. A growth from the crunchy, uncontrollable excitement of their early work, this new body of music is urgent and captivating, a sophisticated and striking dissection of how darkness and light can co-exist, and navigating your truth within that. 

The album’s aftermath looks just as thrilling. Kicking off with a trip to Brighton’s CHALK this Friday 13th March, South and Love are heading out on the second half of their extensive UK and EU tour, before joining Evanescence for some US and European dates throughout the summer. 

Between their travels, Nova Twins are sandwiching in a must-attend showcase in late August, a little closer to home. They’ll be joining Twenty One Pilots, Wunderhorse and many more on the climactic day of this year’s All Points East. A quintessential stop-off point in any Londoner’s summer calendar, this year’s series of day festivals features some of the best line-ups they’ve ever put together – from Tyler, the Creator’s double-day party to Lorde bringing the pop girlies to Victoria Park, and this rock-fuelled bonanza on Sunday 30th August, there’s a little something for everyone; tickets here.

Ahead of their huge tour and APE appearance, Wonderland catches up with the duo, talking MOBOs love, festival essentials, and their drive to keep disrupting.

Listen to Parasites & Butterflies…

Read the exclusive interview…

You’ve achieved so much already in your career, from acclaimed projects to award nods and touring with the likes of Little Simz and Foo Fighters. How do you reflect on your journey so far? What have been the highlights?

Amy: It’s been so wild to reflect on how far we have come, from two naive girls with a dream to achieving so many of them, even in the face of resistance for how we look and the type of music we make.

One of our highlights has been helping to create an Alternative category at the MOBOs alongside Kanya King and Marshall. We never truly felt accepted as two mixed girls playing rock music, which is predominantly male. We didn’t want that for future generations to come, so we created space and awareness around where rock music really originates from. It was only fitting that we championed this category at the Music of Black Origin Awards.

Congratulations on your nomination for this year’s MOBO Awards! You’re up for Best Alternative Music Act — how are you feeling ahead of the ceremony?

Georgia: We’re so excited to be returning to the MOBOs. It’s such an important award show celebrating music of Black origin. We always feel so inspired and boosted after their events. Kanya King is a powerhouse for kicking down doors and changing the game for how Black music is celebrated on a mainstream platform. It’s been four years since we wrote the open letter to the MOBOs addressing the need for an alternative category, so rock music and all in between can be acknowledged at the MOBOs too. With Kanya King hearing us and adding the Alternative Award to the ceremony, along with Marshall sponsoring it, we’ve been so proud seeing the success of that category grow each year, with artists like Skindred finally getting their flowers and newcomers being given the platform to take the win too.

It’s rare to find your style of music getting the praise it deserves at the MOBOs. Do you think there’s still a lack of Black rock and metal artists? What do you see as the next step in making the genre more of a mainstay in Black music?

Amy: I think it’s rare to see the type of music we make at any award shows. It’s such a statement and almost a shock when late-night TV programmes have a rock act play the main ceremony or even be nominated. Even though rock is one of the biggest genres, it still feels like a swear word in the mainstream, with so much focus on songs from a three-second TikTok instead of championing musicianship and artists who have spent a long time crafting their art to reach a certain standard. I think the MOBOs having a band like us perform and acknowledging the category was a huge step in the right direction, a shake-up and a trailblazing move on their part.

What were the initial reactions to you as a Black rock-leaning duo? Do you think you had to prove yourself to a greater extent to be taken seriously?

Georgia: The initial reactions from most of the industry were that they did not know where to place us. We didn’t sound like R&B artists, yet we “didn’t look like” their typical rockstars either and sure weren’t porcelain blonde enough to be a riot grrrl. Along with us dressing in our own bold, customised way, they were extremely dismissive despite the fact that the audiences we’d play to accepted us with open arms, and our community was growing at a rapid rate. So of course in our Nova way we thought fuck it and built our own lane. We played hard, practised harder, and with the help of family and friends, we used every inch of our DIY resources and imagination we had and continued to be our most authentic selves. We felt confident and self-assured, looking at confused faces with a smirk tickling our lips, as we fully believed in what we were creating and that nothing was going to stop us, taking every show opportunity we could to make a point and prove so many ignorant people’s stereotypes of Black alternative artists wrong.

To you, as a ceremony that celebrates Black music and culture like no other in the UK, what is the importance of the MOBO Awards?

Amy: Without the MOBO Awards, the UK would be lost when it comes to Black representation in music and culture. They consistently highlight how influential and important it is to celebrate those voices because so often we get overlooked and have had to create our own lanes just to exist and express ourselves.

What are the main challenges you still face?

Georgia: Rock and alternative music still feel like taboo in the mainstream. You rarely see artists from those fields given the same opportunities to be heard in huge mainstream spaces as those in pop. We feel so lucky for the opportunities we’ve had so far, but feel like there’s still so much more to be done for the genre and for women in rock/alternative music. Not to mention how expensive it’s getting for artists to tour these days and how hard it is to make money from music that we have to put all of our time into. The system needs a shake-up, and musicianship needs to be valued fairly like any other workforce.

Your most recent album, Parasites & Butterflies, was a major success point last year. How do you feel about the record now that the dust has settled? How is the project emblematic of where you are as artists, and where you are headed?

Amy: It was such an important process for us, one filled with challenges and uncertainty. Having to face these head-on really taught us how to re-centre, what’s important and how we’d like to move forward. We’ve gone from Who Are The Girls?! to becoming those women. We’re no longer looking for acceptance. There’s a freedom in that, once you stop caring about opinions and get back to basics and why you started creating in the first place. That’s what’s important. While Parasites & Butterflies was about inner conflict, finding balance in chaos and beauty, the next chapter will explore what lies beyond that, now that the dust has settled.

You’re currently deep in rehearsal for your upcoming tour. What can attendees expect from a Nova Twins live show?

Georgia: It’s gonna be loud, in your face, and high energy! We absolutely love touring and playing shows, especially when we can jump in the crowd and forget our worries for an evening haha. You can expect to feel seen and be immersed in a safe space where you can be authentically yourself, surrounded by the most beautiful, kind, caring community. And if you fancy turning up in a dress code, it’s Parasites & Butterflies theme.

You’re also set to perform at All Points East this summer, alongside Twenty One Pilots, Wunderhorse and more. Have you attended the East London festival before? If so, what’s been your favourite memory?

Amy: You know what, we haven’t! We’re so excited though, we’ve heard so many great things about it. There are some amazing bands playing too.

Whose set are you looking forward to checking out on the day?

Georgia: We can’t wait to see Twenty One Pilots. We haven’t had the chance to see them live yet, but clips of their show look insane! We’re also so excited to watch our friends Kid Kapichi. We always love getting in a Kapichi mosh pit, so you’ll probably find us there.

What’s your festival survival guide?

Amy: As a punter, I’d say baby wipes, a pillow, layers, snacks, good quality Patron and a pocket mirror. If we’re playing, then apple juice, good rider snacks and a little calm followed by chaos. Simple to please really.

Lastly, what else is to come from you this year?

Georgia: We’re excited for the second half of our Parasites and Butterflies UK/EU tour next month, then heading on a three-month tour with the legends Evanescence with Spiritbox and Poppy, so it’s gonna be a rock girlie summer for us! We’ve also been cooking up loads of new song ideas that we’re excited about! As they say it’s the year of the Fire Horse baby haha.

Words – Ben Tibbits

Photography – Sarah Akomanyi