Lightning Bolt Rips Aurora Apart

What better way to kick off your week than getting your ears blown to bits with a bunch of emphatic noise? Lightning Bolt brought that and more to Aurora in Downcity on Mon, May 18 along with electro pop act Unicorn Hard- On, metal punks Extinction Machine and noisegaze act Cottaging. The roof was about to blow off the place, people shuffled in like a bunch of addicts looking for a fix and it was absolutely electrifying. Rhythmic ground zero was at Aurora and musical destruction was taking place.

A crazy infectious band with a witty name (look at the definition), Cottaging kicked things off with the walls shaking. Loud and intense, this quartet brings the fury like few can with a hyper sense of distortion and sheer power. Imagine if Drive Like Jehu & My Bloody Valentine had a baby, then Cottaging would be its name. Fantastic riffs and screaming vocals gave the night an authoritative start; I’m very much looking forward to Cottaging’s next show and I’m sure everyone else that was at Aurora on Monday will as well.

With Olneyville Sound System’s Dan St. Jacques being a mad man on the mic, Dropdead’s Bob Otis unleashing fury on guitar, Revival Brewing’s Sean Larkin and Lolita Black’s Kaleigh Crass forming a flawless rhythm section on bass and drums, Extinction Machine annihilated everything in sight. They fused sludge metal and hardcore punk together to form an arsenal that conquered the crowd. The walls continued shaking and the music got louder and louder. By the end of the show there was a huge mosh pit right near the stage. Extinction Machine next will open for Royal Thunder at The Parlour on June 27; go get your face blown off and feel the noise.

This is when things took a unique turn and Aurora became a dance party. With one of the best names I’ve heard in years, Unicorn Hard-On brought the beats and synths to make a spectacular techno sound that had me hooked. You had people bobbin’ and weavin’, jukin’ and jivin’ and getting down with the grooves. I was astounded by Unicorn Hard-On, another local act in Providence I’m going to want to see again and again.

After a while of drinking and schmoozing, Lightning Bolt came on stage and things got instantly wild. It was a night full of crowd surfing, a gigantic mosh pit and a performance so intense that drummer Brian Chippendale had to replace his snare drum within the first 10 minutes. Whenever Brian Gibson’s bass hit a heavy note people started jumping higher and higher as if they were trying to levitate to the ceiling. It was weird seeing them on stage, but the feeling was the same as when they would play in the middle of the floor, the pandemonium was contagious. Lightning Bolt was amazing and for something more, grab their brand new album Fantasy Empire and listen to one of the best albums of 2015.

Stream Fantasy Empire here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFhe8xpYNfo

While you’re at it, check out what Aurora has happening next and stop by the place: http://www.auroraprovidence.com