Victoria indie rock/pop band Isobel Trigger packed up the van and hit the road for their cross-Canada tour in April and have been driving and jamming ever since. Vocalist/synth player Felicia Harding says that she learned some important things while on their previous tour, like the importance of getting lots of rest, not indulging too much, and writing things down in the calendar; now they have utilized these seemingly obvious tricks of the trade and are ecstatic about being on the road again.
“We are loving touring and just want to play our music in as many cities as possible,” says Harding. “This is our first national tour and we’re so excited to be going all the way to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City… We’ve achieved so many goals up to this point.”
Harding says she has no shortage of inspiration for her lyrics. She especially likes to slip in messages of determination and dedication where she can. When it comes to the songs, she says she is inspired by “all kinds of things. Life, different things that I’m going through, different things that friends are going through, and things I read about and current events. There’s a lot about perseverance in there, there’s a lot of trial and error.”
Harding says that writing is an integral part of her life and always has been; she says that nothing can get her emotions out the way that songwriting can. Even when she was younger she used it as a tool for self-expression and communication.
“When I was younger I was really shy,” she says. “I had a hard time expressing myself and talking to people, so it was kinda my way of getting it out if I had any problems or if I had anything I wanted to express.”
The same feeling of release and expression is mirrored by the others in the band. If someone creates a cool lick, everyone works off it to transform it into something more, adding in their own personal flair. Harding writes most of the lyrics to the songs, but words are not the only way to express feelings and thoughts.
“It’s definitely really cathartic for all of us in different ways, and, definitely, playing live is one of the things that gets us all really tuned in and gives you that cleansing kind of experience,” says Harding. “Afterwards, we all feel really elevated.”
Isobel Trigger
7 pm Saturday, May 23
$10, Lucky Bar
isobeltrigger.com