-
- Singapore concerts
-
Artists
Get your tour dates seen by one billion fans: Sign up as an artist
37,101 fans get concert alerts for this artist.
Join Songkick to track Lightning Bolt and get concert alerts when they play near you.
Touring outside your city
Be the first to know when they tour near Singapore, Singapore
Join 37,101 fans getting concert alerts for this artist
Channeling the pummeling savagery of Black Flag and the free form bizarreness of the Boredoms, Lightning Bolt embodies a dichotomy of visceral fun and cathartic terror. Their sound assaults the senses leaving the listener exhilarated, but not free from questioning what they just experienced.
Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson met and formed Lightning Bolt while attending Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Chippendale acted as the group’s drummer and Gibson assumed the role of bassist. Shortly after playing their first show Hisham Bharoocha entered as guitarist/vocalist; however, he left in 1996 to join another Rhode Island noise project called Black Dice. Chippendale took over as the group’s lead vocalist.
Much of Lightning Bolt’s early work was strictly improvisational. They toured frequently around the United States, but were not serious about recording material until 1997. They presented many of their early ideas at the venue Fort Thunder, a warehouse in the Olneyville district that Chippendale and his art school friends Matt Brinkman and Brian Ralph converted into a performance space.
Over the years the group concocted a sound unlike anything heard at that time. Though they cite minimalist composers like Phillip Glass as an influence their work is more akin to the sludge metal work of Melvins, atonal escapades of Sonic Youth and the freneticism of Melt-Banana. Though all these influences can be detected in their style, their music never sounds like mimicry. Their experimental nature is one key in preventing this. Chippendale’s drumming is sporadic and brooding and implements special effects such as the KMD 8021 Drum Exciter. His vocal presentation is also entirely unorthodox but incredibly unique. Instead of singing in a traditional microphone he employes the type used in a telephone receiver, attaching it to a mask and running it through multiple effects pedals. Gibson is noted for playing his bass guitar in standard cello tuning and for using banjo strings for A and E. Gibson likewise alters his sound with a hoard of effects pedals and generally plays at ear-shattering volumes.
Though Lightning Bolt prefers playing live verses recording in a studio, they have put out seven albums as of 2015. Their self-titled studio debut came out in 1999 through Love Records and was originally pressed on a limited run of 750 vinyl copies, which was accompanied by a cassette release of the bonus track “Zone”. A CD version of the album was later issued with the inclusion of the bonus track.
“Ride the Skies” saw release in 2001 and was critically lauded by Pitchfork and Robert Christgau. Their 3rd album “Wonderful Rainbow” claimed even more attention and was included on Pitchfork’s top 200 albums of the 2000s, Tiny Mix Tapes’ best albums of the 2000s and in the book “1001 Albums You Must hear before You Die”. Their follow up “Hypermagic Mountain” perhaps generated the most critical acclaim of the group’s entire career, landing at no. 42 on Metacritic’s all-time highest rated albums list. Despite the group’s lo-fi approach of recording the album onto a 2 track DAT master tape, this album is considered one of their most accessible and consistent releases.
Lightning Bolt’s next album “Earthly Delights” did not come out until four years later, but like it’s predecessors it received high praise. In 2012 they issued their 6th studio album “Oblivion Hunter” and in 2015 they put out “Fantasy Empire”, which marked their 1st album to be released through the label Thrill Jockey.
Read moreThis was my first Lightning Bolt concert and it certainly isn't my last- these guys know just how I like my tinnitus.
My unfamiliarity with their music is laughable, although I do appreciate the themes that noise rock has to offer; grit, passion, endurance. Why not check these guys out at the Chapel, a great venue on Valencia street in San Francisco?
If there is anything to be said that isn't inherently obvious, it's that Lightning Bolt are not snobby in the slightest. Drummer and vocalist Brian Chippendale, in a somewhat prideful manner, sets his kit up himself- engaging with fans who squeezed themselves into the front row for an opportunity for small talk that he'll certainly entertain. Bassist and chief noisemaker Brian Gibson arrived just as punctually- maybe five minutes after opener Liturgy (side note: great drummer) packed their instruments. Beer in hand, he sets his pedals up and in no time the noise begins.
The show itself was loud enough that i'm still feeling it the next day (WEAR EARPLUGS KIDS), and the crowd was certainly into it, shoving and from the first note until the end drone. Gibson's lax style of fucking my ears up paired with Chippendale's energy and personality is kind of refreshing- the focus of a wise old man and the enthusiasm of a kid playing on his first tour (not to take away from the difficulty of drumming while singing for an hour and a half) makes for a chemistry that is front and center- everyone knows their roles and everyone performs those roles to the best of their ability. Gibson's stoicism doesn't take anything away from the personality of his bass guitar and Chippendale sings like many do in the shower- with passion and security, only serving to add to the organized chaos that is his percussion.
Shoving, screaming, near deafening noise levels- everything about this show seems like something out of a metal or screamo concert but what makes Lightning Bolt Lightning Bolt is the smile on their music's face as it physically and mentally fucks you up. Everything about the band from it's music to it's aesthetic is an earthquake in a radioactive paint factory. A strange metaphor for two people who on the outside seem like pretty average guys, sipping beer and saying hi when said hi to. Which just goes to show how selfless one can become when all of your passion is injected into what you love most. It doesn't seem to be about the image; it's about the art. It's hard not to back these guys 0 and it's even harder not to enjoy yourself at one of their shows. Noise rock isn't for everyone, but for the open-minded individual looking for a rowdy good time with some noise that would make any mom question your judgment, check out a Lightning Bolt concert.
Lightning bolt are a delightful noise-rock duo hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, made up of a pair of Brians, Brian Chippendale on drums and Brian Gibson on the bass guitar. I had heard the band had a knack for playing in the middle of the floor with the audience around them, feeding off the energy, but I had no such luck, they were nevertheless lively and unrestrained.
There was relentless movement, relentless sound, relentless vibrations, and relentless hustle and bustle from the crowd around me, and relentless energy from the Brians, who I’m pretty sure were giving everything they had. It’s the first band where I’ve seen the drummer pretty much stand up more than he was sitting down, he was restless and he was hitting those drums so damn hard, he must have broken about 8 sticks during the set, and how he maintains such complex rhythms I have no idea.
And the bass has such a luxuriously distorted fuzz and buzz, so much so you feel the sound will break out of the room and try to impose itself on other spaces. The band is distinctively lo-fi but holds so much power, they even played on the doorstep of the radio DJ John Peel during the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in 2004.
Superb High-End speaker system, able to reproduce the filled and complex passages of this music event or specially the Industrial parts in last one´s A L'ARME opening party. Clearly, that is why this location is getting chosen for atmospheric sound events periodically. I can not comment on club nights, but concerts at these coordinates are from sound enthusiasts for sound enthusiasts. Thanks to the acts and the hosts.
Ive seen the twice both time truely something to admire energy they played on the floor with the people watching circleing around tightly like aglove that was at the thompson house in ky its on youtube so is the e s jungle frm the indy show they played
this was so damn beautiful and perfect I think I almost hate myself for having attended it. also starting sign language classes on Monday to prepare for my new life.
Want to see Lightning Bolt in concert? Find information on all of Lightning Bolt’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.
Lightning Bolt is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 3 concerts across 1 country in 2024-2025. View all concerts.
Next 3 concerts:
Next concert:
Concerts played in 2024:
Touring history
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 |
Most played:
Appears most with:
Distance travelled:
Log in to your account
