Lightning Bolt is an American noise rock duo from Providence, RI, United States, composed of Brian Chippendale on drums and vocals and Brian Gibson on bass guitar.

The band met and formed in 1994, when the members of the then-trio attended the Rhode Island School of Design. Hisham Bharoocha left the band in 1996 for another band founded at the same school, Black Dice.

Lightning Bolt are known for their so-called “guerrilla gigs”, preferring to play on the floor of the venue rather than the stage. They abandoned the “guerrilla gig” formula in 2014 because only a small part of the audience can see and hear the band well. During live shows, drummer/singer Brian Chippendale wears a hand-made mask covering most of his head and face.

For the first few years, Lightning Bolt was primarily an improvisational band, touring the United States for months at a time. They were approached by Ben McOsker, founder of Load Records, in 1997. Their eponymous debut album was released in 1998 on vinyl with a CD re-release in 1999.