It’s a seriously exciting time to be a rock fan. With festivals like Download and Reading turning up the volume, Yungblud launching his own festival, grunge pop taking over the charts and Bring Me the Horizon collaborating with Ed Sheeran and selling out UK arenas, there’s a fresh wave of artists pushing guitar music back into the spotlight. Even the BRIT Awards reintroduced a dedicated Rock/Alternative category in 2022, after it being missing for over a decade, while the MOBO awards added the brand new Best Alternative Music Act in 2022.
Rock ain’t dead - it’s having a long-overdue resurgence, and with new acts constantly redefining the genre’s boundaries, the speakers are about to go to 11. Don’t believe us? Just ask the Nova Twins - one of the UK’s most electrifying modern rock acts.
As Mercury Prize nominees, MOBO Award nominees, and vocal champions of diversity in rock (that new MOBO category came about after the rock duo penned an open letter on the need for representation), Nova Twins have earned critical acclaim not just for their explosive sound, but for kicking down genre barriers and rewriting the rules of who gets to take up space in heavy music.
Fresh off finishing their brand-new album (“we’re super proud of it,” says bassist Georgia South), the duo sat down with Shortlist to give us a sneak peek at the tracks on their backstage playlist - and offer a serious refresh to ours.
Blending rave, hip hop, rock, R&B and electronic influences, their sound is as unapologetic as they are.
“It’s just a mix of everything,” says lead vocalist Amy Love, namechecking everyone from Destiny’s Child and Prodigy to Betty Davis and FKA Twigs as key inspirations.
But it’s not just their own sound that’s breaking boundaries - they’re just as hyped about the scene around them. “There’s been a surge in new bands bringing it forward,” Amy tells us, “For a while, rock felt sidelined… but it’s amazing to see newer bands bringing something fresh to the table. Hopefully we can all become those headliners one day.”
Georgia agrees: “Seeing Bring Me The Horizon headline Download last year was amazing. They’re not new-new, but compared to KISS or Metallica, it showed we’ve got future headliners now. Their set was pyro central!”
That’s the dream, they admit - headlining a festival and smashing through the male-dominated legacy. “Skunk Anansie headlined Glasto and that gets forgotten a lot,” says Amy. “It’s time for more diversity to be recognised.”
So, ready to plug in? Here are the 4 bands - and the tracks - you need on your playlist, according to one of the most exciting bands in rock music. It’s time to get loud.
1. Kid Kapichi
Georgia South: We love Kid Kapichi. They’re from Hastings and they’re just incredible live and on record. They’ve got such bangers, and you’ll always find us in a Kid Kapichi mosh pit. They’re an incredible band - you should definitely check them out.
Amy Love: Listen to “Smash the Gaff!” It’s hardcore - it’s like a rage song.
Georgia: It goes hard. The energy! We always play it when we’re warming up to go on stage. We just play the heaviest tunes in the dressing room - and that’s on the playlist.
2. Ho99o9
Amy: Horror - or Ho99o9 - they’re an awesome two-piece from the US, and they are like this kind of hip-hop, but metal… I don’t know what it is, really. They’ve got their own sound, and we absolutely love them. Again, you’ll see us in their mosh pits! Super high energy, theatrical performance. There’s a real punk energy they bring to the stage. They’re just one of our faves.
Georgia: A lot of the time they’re on the pre-gig playlist, too! “Mega City Nine,” is the track we always play.
3. HotWax
Georgia: HotWax are another amazing band. They’re from Hastings, a three-piece, and they’re incredible. Super new on the scene, incredible live - kind of quite punk, but kind of funk… it’s punk funk!
Amy: They’ve got their own sound again. It’s kind of got a punky, surfer attitude. They’re a new band bringing it fresh. I can’t define them, really - but they’re brilliant.
Georgia: Listen to “Barbie (Not Yours)” - they’re rejecting those kinds of beauty ideals and standards; the stuff society pushes on us. They’re two young girls rejecting that sh*t and being really noisy about it.
4. Cassyette
Georgia: Cassyette! We’ve also been in her mosh pit - there’s a theme here! She’s incredible. She’s kind of like ethereal goth, kind of metal, with her own sound.
Amy: She’s a great vocalist with really cool songs. “Petrichor” is really cool. And “Dear Goth” is really fun.
Nova Twins pick their own key tracks
And what about the Nova Twins themselves? We asked the duo for THE tracks that define their sound to get you hooked on their unique brand of riffage...
Georgia: If we were going to pick a track you should listen to of ours? It’s tricky because there’s so many.
Amy: There are different flavours. We’d say listen to three, and then you’ll get it.
Georgia: Here are three that sum us up a lot - “Cleopatra,” “Sleep Paralysis,” and “Choose Your Fighter.” They’re all very different vibes. “Cleopatra” is quite hip hop grooves, but still heavy. “Sleep Paralysis” is our dark, ethereal, kind of theatrical tune.
Amy: It’s still heavy though, and quite dynamic.
Georgia: Some more electronic as well - it’s cool. And “Choose Your Fighter” is our favourite festival song to play. It’s super energetic.
Amy: We end the set on that! It’s awesome.
Nova Twins spoke to us in collaboration with the Jack Daniel’s Live to Vinyl series. Nova Twins’ upcoming album, Parasites & Butterflies, is out Aug 29th 2025.
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