Fading West is the film documentary made by Switchfoot and can
pretty much be summed up in three words; music, surf and travel. It's about
the band (my favourite band at that) travelling around the world, touring,
surfing and writing a record simultaneously. Having never seen a surf or a band
related film, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew as I sat down to watch
it on my train from Manchester to London was that I was really excited (and had
been since news of the documentary was released) to see what these guys had
come out with this time.
One part of Fading West that stood out for me, aside from Drew's Joker impression (never again please), was the part about heavy metal festivals and 'uncomfortable' places where their music wouldn't necessarily fit in and people have no idea who the band is. Jon described it as "bringing songs we believe in to uncomfortable places because we feel like that's where they need to be heard" which struck me, and is just one of the many reasons I appreciate this band. Music can reach out to people a lot quicker and can hold more meaning than say a sermon can. It is those songs which stick in our heads, that get sung throughout the week and which are memorable.
I really liked and appreciated the family
aspect to this film, between the guys as well as with each of their families
being involved. There were some heartbreaking moments in Fading West which were
sad to watch but these were outnumbered by the joyful family moments; of family
in rehearsals, their children in the recording studio and father-son surfing
times. It made me realise how much family time the band miss out on when
touring, but as is mentioned time and time over, they do it because they
believe in what they are singing and what they do, which I admire very much.
Fading West has opened my eyes to a whole world of surfing and I
have subsequently found that watching videos of people surfing is quite therapeutic.
Though I can’t imagine what it feels like to be on the waves, it looks
incredible. The score to Fading West is also incredible and it’s such a great
preview to the album which is released later this month. Some deep-life-questions
were posed in the documentary, especially the matter of faith in tough times
and these were accompanied with music that I am so looking forward to hearing
the full song of. Finally, the whole documentary was epically shot and the
cinematographers did an amazing job. Also a quick shout out to Chad chasing
animals. And him being the producer! Awesome. Thoroughly recommend Fading West,
the documentary and am looking forward to Fading West, the album insane amounts!
