Positive Aggression

Lightning Bolt have crafted a truly unique trajectory into the world of noise rock. The duo, made up of Brian Chippendale (drums, vocals) and Brian Gibson (bass), have evolved in their own inimitable way, crafting five albums in the process. Lightning Bolt started as an art project, and certain features of their shows - playing in amongst the crowd, Chippendale's crudely crafted mask, and the staccato anything-goes delivery of both instrumentation and vocals - are alluring aspects of this enigmatic act. “The process has made them, or reinforced the themes and steered the ship in that direction, for sure,” Chippendale agrees. “That is one thing that I am grateful for from playing on the floor for so long is that it's made me become a much more physical drummer than I was... There are many shortcuts for a drummer, but if you are on the floor, not willing to use a PA and really need to go for it to properly fill out a room, there's not a lot of shortcuts left.”

It's the catharsis of getting behind the kit that really drives Chippendale. “For the last two years the elevator in the building where Brian and I practice has been broken, so after I play, say, a solo show, I've got 700 pounds of really awkward equipment to carry up these three really long flight of stairs. When I take it down it takes a day, it's like 23 trips or something up and down these stairs. But I noticed recently after a solo show I was lazy, so it took me two days to get it all upstairs, then set the shit up on the third day, and I felt kind of depressed for those couple of days. Then as soon as I got it all and set it up and sat down to drum, I felt good again... It's a great exercise routine for me, and it's important - it's survival, like my daily dose of mental stability.”

The incremental shifts in aesthetic have been from something garish and larger-than-life to an outfit willing to embrace their darker side. Chippendale admits that such a shift is indicative of life: as much as things change, things remain the same.“At the very beginning I think we were very cartoonish, and I think over time we lost a little of that. Definitely not as people, but for some reason the music has lost a little of that sense of humour, I sometimes think. Maybe even my vocal stylings have gotten a little more serious whereas before it was a little chirpier... It's this strange balance; some of our shows can be quite aggressive, which then turns the set into something pretty dark. But at the same time it feels weird, I mean, c'mon! This is Lightning Bolt! We're not Slayer or anything. For the most part people are there to have a good time.”