Switchfoot at The Forum
Switchfoot – HMV Forum – 1 June 2010
Words and photo’s by Sean Gibson
“I enjoy what I do for a living…”
It’s the end of the gig and this is what lead singer/guitarist Jon Foreman is telling the crowd as the band finish playing their new single Hello Hurricane.
“…for you guys to be singing along to a record that was only released here two weeks ago is amazing for us.” He goes on to thank everyone for their love and support, and a well deserved thanks it is because the crowd have been singing their hearts out to every song thrown at them from the start, including all the new ones, and show no sign of letting up. Pity it’s about to finish, but let’s go back to the start.
Due to some London travel issues I only catch the last two songs of the opening act, who’s name I couldn’t discover, but they’re damn good. A big bass-heavy sound and some old-school guitar shreddery on a Flying V gets my head nodding for what was left of their set. They say their thank you’s and are followed by Scottish rockers Flood Of Red who are also pretty good. A very lively performance book-ended by an awesome, and very professional, entrance and exit. This is something I feel not enough bands put effort into. We’re here to be entertained so entertain us. These cats bounce around the stage and bang their heads like they’re competing for something and at one point the singer ends up in the crowd, which always get ‘em riled up. An entertaining and energetic set but the music gets a little flat for me after a while. I think they’d benefit from a couple of distinctive melodies, some bigger hooks and more defined changes in time signatures, but maybe that’ll come with time. They leave the stage in a deluge of noise and light (I’ll say it again, great exit) and the crowd cheer and gear up for the main attraction.
When I make my way back into the photo pit at the front of the stage I scan the faces squashed against the security barrier and am pleasantly surprised to see a young crowd. I don’t know why I thought Switchfoot’s style of music is geared towards older people but shows how much I know. I sit down on the inside of the barrier and immediately the girl behind me (who looks of all 5’4 and 18 yrs old) says to her mate “If this guy stands up in front of me I’m going to reach over and kill him”. This freaks me out a little (not least because, like most of the crowd, she looks so clean-cut) and I make a mental note to remain just out of reach while shooting. I don’t particularly want my hair yanked out by a midget adolescent in the throes of a close-to-my-blonde-rock-star-love fit. When I hear her and her friends flipping out five minutes later over what’s on the set list as it gets taped to the stage floor I grin to myself. Ha ha, I can go have a look at that. And I do, taking a photo while I’m there, which I deliberately don’t show them (ah, the ways we pass the time).
When I was asked to cover this gig I initially didn’t know who the band were, but after a little deft interwebbery I found out that they’re the guys who did that “meant to live for so much more” track which was big on the radio a couple of years ago. They’re a pretty big deal in the states, having gone double platinum on at least one album and their Myspace site has had almost 13 million views. That’s a considerable amount of fans. Despite this my first instinct was no thanks as I don’t really feel the music, but I’m glad I changed my mind. Anyway, back to the gig. The lights go down, the crowd erupts and Switchfoot explode onto stage…minus a singer. Interesting. I can hear him but where is he? Wait, hold the phone, he’s on the fucking staircase on the side of Forum, hanging over the crowd and making the security people very nervous. Nice. He jumps down, panties hit the floor all round and a second later he’s onstage. Jeez, this dude is like Nightcrawler, popping up all over the place. I’m impressed even further (and also much happier he’s on stage now as I the lens I have on at the moment is no good for shooting showmen hanging over the crowd at the other side of the hall). This guy really knows how to work the people in front of him.
What happens over the next hour and a half changes my mind about this band. They’re nothing short of awesome on stage. I still don’t feel the music but they’re some of the best performers I’ve seen. They’re sweating two minutes into the first track and the crowd is bouncing up and down like they’re watching Iron Maiden. Jon Foreman runs around like Axl Rose, leans out over the crowd and reaches for his fans, talks to individuals and dons and discards guitars so smoothly mid-song that he must practise it at home in front of the mirror. The other members are the same, charging around the stage like eight year olds at a birthday party where there’s too much sugar on offer and hammering on their guitars like they hate them. And the crowd gives it right back, singing along to every single song they play, hands straining for the roof. There’s a big feel-good factor in their music, full of clever hooks, subtle harmonies and memorable melodies, that envelopes the whole evening and is punctuated by Foreman breaking into little love-your-neighbour, love-the-world, love-life type speeches. But the thing is these speeches never get tiring and he never overdoes it. This is one smart and talented performer. I know Switchfoot are pegged with the “Christian band” epithet but at no point tonight does that ever come up. There’s no preaching and no undue mentions of religion that may marginalise them, although they do interact subtly with the Christian fraternity in the crowd at times and thus everyone’s happy.
The first two thirds of the set are all upbeat energetic songs and the crowd is kept busy the entire time. And whoa, hold on, what’s this? My foot’s tapping and my head’s got a little bob going. The music is catchy (but it could be the beers) and the way they deliver it is hard not to appreciate. It’s only near the end of the set that they delve into their big bag of slow songs and everyone gets a chance to relax a little and do the gentle side-to-side sway thing. This part of the gig drags on a little for me as there’re only so many ballads one can listen to, but the crowd lap it up and I see a lot of couples swaying together in the classic girl in front, guy behind (not like that) with his arms around her dance pose which makes me miss my girlfriend a little. Dammit, these guys ARE good. It makes me smile when I see two muscle bound dudes with bad tattoos who look like cage fighters standing with their arms over each other’s shoulders, beers held aloft, belting out an emotional chorus with massive smiles on their faces. It’s always a cool thing to see people feeling the music they love.
The band do a couple more of these tracks and then get charged up again with one or two more upbeat numbers ending with Foreman lying on the crowd as he sings, which winds everything up beautifully, but the people here aren’t fooled because as their heroes leave the stage they start chanting the intro melody to their new single Hello Hurricane. Sure enough they come straight back on and break into what the crowd2 have been crying for, but you can’t hear the music initially because everyone’s singing too loud. Rad. They finish that track and Foreman has one last speech to make before their final number. Everything he’s said and sang has been eagerly devoured and the thank you speech is no different. Switchfoot’s message of love and brotherhood resonates clearly with their fans in the Forum tonight and everywhere I look I see ear-to-ear grins. You say you enjoy what you do Jon? Well so does everyone here.
