on stage
Lonnie Urkel (former Rolling Stone Magazine writer): They blew up fast. Music columnists used to just clock in at those bars known for discovering new artists — mostly to guarantee a story. Lots of them bet on bands that went nowhere. But I was the first to write about Aurora. Back then, my biggest readers were groupies looking for their next target. But when they went to New York, everything changed. They were making it. And I realized I had nailed it.
Curtis Shaw: They had a sound that didn’t match the time. We were deep in Nirvana’s grunge, Oasis’s indie rock… and then came this band with a psychedelic twist for the ’90s. Retro and modern at the same time. Total tribe unifier. Kids and old-timers loved them.
Van: In New York, Tai got us an apartment to stay in until our residency at the Flaming Beetle was over. She’d heard some producers would drop by scouting for talent. That was the goal: hold on to that chance, try for a studio, record some songs, hand out demos...
Tai had that plan locked in her mind, but it was still kind of abstract, y’know?
Taissa: They had potential — all they needed was a bit of luck. Networking helped, sure, but not the way people said. There were rumors that we only made it because of our connections. Did it help? Of course. But was it only that? Hell no. I busted my ass to get them into the best bars. And they practiced nonstop. No excuses.
Misty: The first rehearsal with everyone was surprisingly chill.
Travis: If you're born with a gift, you don’t realize how hard it is for others to learn a skill.
And Lottie had a gift.
If she nailed it the first time, she didn’t see a reason to repeat it. It’s wild when you meet someone like that.
Natalie: Our rehearsals were always about playing, spotting errors, refining arrangements — our thing. Everyone was nervous for that first one with her. We sent her sheet music and lyrics a week ahead so she’d be prepared. We tried the first song. She sang it perfectly. A song she’d never heard before.
Then she said, dead serious: “Next one?”
But I still wanted Van to tweak the tempo. Lottie frowned, confused, but didn’t argue. We kept going.
Van: We were used to Nat’s perfectionist vibe — she wasn’t. Lottie looked a bit lost. But we played it again. I loosened up the rhythm, Nat gave her nod of approval.
Travis: Nat gave feedback on everything. Total control freak. Like, if I changed something on bass, maybe it wasn’t wrong — maybe it was me trying to add some flavor, y’know?
Misty: Lottie picked up on our groove pretty fast. We ran through the whole set four or five times. By the end, she was clearly over it. You could see it on her face. Nat kind of became the unofficial leader. When she said it was good, rehearsal was over.
Taissa: After a week, our show season officially kicked off. Nerves were high. Even I was anxious. But the only ones who couldn’t be nervous were them.
Van: The place started filling up with familiar faces. We did our soundcheck and raised a toast to the new chapter.
Natalie: Just one beer to relax, loosen the shoulders. I spotted some familiar girls in the crowd waving at me.
Travis: And then... lights down. The buzz turned into full-blown anticipation. We looked at each other.
No turning back. It was time.
Misty: We opened with Into the Night. One of our most atmospheric songs — dreamy, melancholic. Like opening a portal straight into our world. Tons of synths, airy drums. I loved playing that one.
Then came Electric Veins — our first song ever. Pure garage band spirit. Right after, our cover of Where Did You Sleep Last Night.
Van: Spellbound was usually the highlight of the night, a fan favorite. And with Lottie... I have no words. That melody wrapped around everyone like the world was ending right after that show.
Natalie: There was nothing more badass than hearing her fill all the spaces in my songs. Holy shit. It was like the gods had merged us. And on stage? Even better than rehearsal. The energy from the crowd, the band... and her.
Spellbound was my baby. That night, I broke my own rule. I did backup vocals with her. Lottie looked at me, surprised — her eyes misty from the stage haze — but she didn’t stop. Not singing. Not looking at me. All the way to the end.
Travis: We closed with Five to One. Starts slow… builds and builds. Guitar solo, drums pushing everything forward, vocals tearing through. And at the end, Lottie screamed the last lines like she was performing some ritual. Time froze. I swear you could see the dust and smoke drifting like the air itself was holding its breath.
Then the final chord hit like lightning. Tension snapped.
And the crowd… went wild.
Taissa: That show confirmed everything I thought about them. I just kept thinking how big we were going to be.
Misty: Probably the best show we’d done up to that point. We just had to keep it going.
Natalie: I was so out of it after that show I don’t even remember when we left to celebrate. Either way, hours later we were at some friend of Lottie’s place. Van and Tai had their beers, Travis was with some girl, Misty was off in a corner. And me? In the bathroom. Everyone did a line or two back then.
I ran into Lottie. She was grinning from ear to ear, those brown eyes locked on mine. I couldn’t help but smile back. She pulled me by the hand into the living room, where everyone was, and proposed a toast.
Travis: “To the first night of the rest of our lives,” she said.
And we all raised our glasses.
Van: Tai and I weren’t prudes. We liked a joint, a beer. But we were never the last to leave a party. We liked being alone, just the two of us, enjoying ourselves. But the rest of the band... no limits.
Travis got wasted and usually ended up with some admirer. Misty popped a Xanax and cornered someone to obsess over her latest topic for hours.
And Nat… did it all. She hated being looked after. Sometimes she’d disappear and only show up the next day. I tried to soften things — mom of the group, you know? But there was no stopping it.
So, as always, Tai and I left early — to celebrate our own way.
Natalie: I was in that perfect buzz. Smoking a cigarette on the balcony of that massive apartment. Tai and Van had already left, but the party was still going strong inside. That’s when Lottie opened the sliding door, letting some of the music spill out. Looked like she had the same idea — lighting one of her menthols.
The wind in her hair, the sound of cars below, the muffled music from inside... I remember every damn detail. I think I was always trying to figure her out somehow.
That night, she complimented me. Said my voice was incredible, that I sang beautifully. Maybe it was something in my bloodstream, but my heart just went crazy. And damn... I got so flustered. Took another drag off my second cigarette and changed the subject, just trying to hide how red I’d gotten.
And that’s how I found out we could talk about anything for hours on end.
Misty: I went looking for Nat after a while ‘cause I was bored out of my mind. Found her on the balcony, all smiles with Lottie. After that night, that scene became pretty common.
That whole epic night was the beginning of things we’d carry with us for the rest of our lives in the band. I can see it clearly now. But back then, it was just pure euphoria — a voice in our heads yelling: we’re fucking awesome!