© CPU – Nathan Dobbelaere (Archive)
Do the Nova Twins have the word ‘rest’ in their dictionary? At least we doubt it! The power duo from South East London continue a good year on the road for their new album Supernova to propose. From Worst National as a support act for Yungblue, to selling out festivals like Buickelpop and Lowlands in the US and Australia; Wherever the two go, they leave a strong impression. Just ask Tom Morello, who recently praised Nova Twins and described them as one of the best bands around. So there’s a certain urgency and relevance to Noah Twins’ grime-influenced rock, and it’s refreshing in a way that’s still largely a white male bastion. During their performance at the Botanique in Brussels, they threw away everything we thought we already knew and played a really strong show.
Masterpiece completed his own tour through the United Kingdom, and the British artist was given the opportunity to prove himself in front of a foreign audience in support. Too bad he sent his DJ and guitarist up front to fire a few shots at the audience. He had little left to show his talent in half an hour. It was a bit too much that he demanded a lot of energy and dialogue from the audience, but there is no doubt that he has good songs. For example, “Achilles Heel” is a very catchy song that has the potential to become a huge song. Unfortunately, her vocals fail a bit with “Overdrive”, though she quickly makes up for it with the energetic “Veronica”. Blur’s “Song 2” cover was over the top, but we understand the intent of rallying the public to your side. With his last song, “Get Naughty,” he asked the audience to sit down and succeeded brilliantly. It’s a messy collection, but one that pleases us.
It was immediately clear with opener “Fire & Ice” that Nova Twins now knew how to put a concert together. Where on their album the song was somewhat mumbled and therefore inconspicuous, it took center stage in the set. Having a slightly different arrangement helped a lot. The flame was already in the pan in the first minutes and the Nova Twins kept it going. One of their best-known songs, “Cleopatra,” was then played vigorously, and thanks to the roughness, the room was a little looser. However, the audience was initially very timid and subdued, and the Nova Twins were happy to change.
On stage, both appeal to each other Additional Drummer Tim Nurgent. His contribution yesterday was less, but still good. The focus was completely on Amy Love and Georgia Southern. Above all, the duo has such a strong stage presence that it fills the room almost effortlessly. However Love kept it very short and concise in his binding texts. For example, for “Wave,” which has a very strong ending, he told us about the early days of the band. In the following “Puzzles” he spoke of their shared love of hip-hop, which was also evident in the solid live version. The first pit of the evening was a reality and Love and South really got going on their guitars.
While Love won the accolades for his excellent vocals, South impressed us with his excellent bass playing throughout the performance. Effects pedals were eagerly used in every song, giving the songs a gritty and particularly rough character. We couldn’t catch Georgia Southern doing anything wrong, even during a well-played “Taxi.” From the song, especially in terms of that intense energy, we got the rage against the mechanical vibes. This was reflected in the Orangery, which became increasingly relaxed and lively. At Love’s request, the band got two crowd surfers during “Losing Sleep,” though it turned out to be the opening shot of a full-on set.
Nova Twins concerts are safe places for everyone. They made this clear, on the one hand, with some posters at the entrance, but also during the set. ‘We don’t discriminate’ the two said “Bullet” before going through the church like a bullet. Nothing is perfect, which is why “Somewhere in a Dark Place” was a slightly different man in that place on the set. The mysterious first part of the song was reminiscent of fka branches and you could feel the hunger for energy in the room. They felt that “Somewhere in a Dark Place” had an even more frenetic ending on stage.
The regular set was over, but the trio definitely returned to their plant-adorned status. As soon as the first hints of “enemies” began, the fire immediately rekindled, and the spirit in the room became a little rougher. This was followed by “Undertaker” with another strong and raucous song that left little to the imagination, but finally melted away with the arrival of “Pick Your Fighter”. A humble circle heralded the maddening scenes that were to follow. Both Love and South jumped into the audience, including bass guitar, and were literally and figuratively applauded. Venom was well distributed throughout the set, but especially towards the end.
It’s great to see how fast a group can evolve in such a short period of time and grow into what it represents now. Yesterday they were not lacking in credibility, intensity and passion, with which they got Botanic very loose. This was evident at the end by the sweat dripping down the faces of those in the audience and the solid pits. With a similar set at Rock Werktor, Nova Twins break the slope with ease and we’re happy to contribute to the crowd.
On Sunday, July 2, the Noah twins wake up Rock Verture.
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Set list:
Fire & Ice
Cleopatra
Toolbox
wave
Riddles
Sleep paralysis
carriage
KMB
Loses sleep
Bullet
Somewhere beautiful is a dark place
the enemy
Undertaker
Choose your fighter
