Many times after a show, this multiple Belgian Music Award winning band winds up in the same place: the hotel room of their lighting designer, Erwin Van Lokeren, where they have a drink, and come down from the intense experience of performing on stage. Such is the nature of the close bond that this highly regarded LD has forged with Triggerfinger. It is a bond that stems not just from strong personal connecdtions, but also from their shared creative vision.

The band and its lighting designer are both willing, no, make that eager, to push themselves in new directions. Their shows move from the fierce hard rocking sounds Triggerfinger has become famous for, to more nuanced softer and deeply reflective moments. Van Lokeren’s lighting moves with them every step of the way.

This collaboration began unexpectedly in 2018. Triggerfinger was in the middle of a tour, when their LD had to leave suddenly for family reasons. It was then that Van Lokeren jumped in. Some adjustments had to be made. He had to familiarize himself with a new floor package and the show was being run on a console that was different from his preferred ChamSys. Luckily, there was a few days before the band’s next concert, so he had time to reprogram the show. Erwin Van Lokeren and Triggefinger haven’t looked back since.

What is it about Triggerfinger’s music that attracts you as a lighting designer?
“Triggerfinger’s music is pretty versatile. You have the straight forward rock songs, but also the more complicated songs with a lot of stops or special sounds. That makes it great to create different kinds of moods and looks within the song. There’s also room for the band to freestyle a lot, so the challenge as an LD is to follow their music. This never gives you the same show every night, and for sure never a dull moment.”

Triggerfinger is indeed versatile, but they also have a hard-hitting style that runs through all their music. How does this affect your approach to designing their shows?
“For Triggerfinger creating a show is great, they want it big and straightforward. They want big looks, enough smoke, and basic colors. So, it’s always a challenge to find the right fixtures that can give me that, but at the same time a fixture that can create different looks from big to small, as well as fragile looks if needed in the right song. Sometimes I’m really suprised by the kinds of fixtures I end up with.”

We notice that you use a lot of side lighting. So, how does the band feel about front lighting?
“It’s always a challenge between having enough front lights, but not too much. The band doesn’t like to much front light, but they do care that the audience sees them. With Triggerfinger, I’m trying to use a lot of side lights and some top lights to give the band just that right amount of light so they can be seen without affecting the show lights or that desired look on stage. This happens most of the time when you’re using front lights the whole stage is washed, out and you’re missing the effect of the look on stage.”

Is there any particular kind of lighting that the band wants you to emphasize or avoid?
“Even though their music is pretty hard, they don’t like the strobes too much. When I use them, it’s about twice in the show, with the burst effect on the end of a song just before a black out. I always present my ideas to them; and I never had to change anything. The lead singer likes to have some floor lights left and right on him as an extra ,but overall they trust me on that what suits with the band and that gives me a great feeling.”

Why do you think you meshed so well with this band?
“With Triggerfinger it’s all about feeling and the connection between band and crew. Beside working for them I consider them to be real friends. This makes the communication easy and open and not having to go through management. If it’s good, I will hear it directly from the band; and if they want it different, I will hear that as well. I really love that and it makes life on the road much easier. Almost after every show we end up in my hotelroom to have a drink and talk about the show or other random things. This is really important to be one team especially when you’re often on the road.”

What was the emotional reaction to Lange Polle leaving the band?
“The last year he already had to miss some shows due health reasons, but the announcement that he was leaving was pretty hard. I only toured with him the last five years, but the other band members and crew have a long history with him. It’s never easy if someone from the family leaves, especially because the Triggerfinger family is small, but we hope to see him around on some shows for some catching up.”

Do you have a favorite Triggerfinger song to light?
“I would say it has to be ‘And There She Was, Lying In Wait.’ I think for the lyrics but also during the show it brings me in a mood and love to do lights for this song. I have to admitt
that this song has been given the most different looks over the years, because this one always gives me some new ideas if I hear it.”

How does the crowd at a Triggerfinger show compare to crowds for other bands you’ve worked for?
“The band has been around for some time, so the audience is a bit older than it would be with a new artist , but it’s a steady diehard audience that most of the time seen the band multiple times. So it’s my challenge to keep them impressed with the visual aspect and the band with their performance.”

How has working for Triggerfinger helped you grow as a designer?
“The band gave me from the beginning a really comfortable feeling and allowed to grow because with them, I had the chance to try so many different things and ideas that I had in my mind . The band has always encouraged my creativity, and I have had the chance first hand to try things and see if that worked out. From there, I could easily see what I like and don’t like when it comes to lighting the band. They’re really involved and with that it only gives me more passion and motivation to create something that suits them.”