About this concert
The band, are Thijs van Leer (Hammond organ, flute and vocals) and Pierre van der Linden (drums), who are delighted to still be performing 50 years on, together with Menno Gootjes (guitar) and Udo Pannekeet (bass) who are among the cream of Dutch musicians and grew up with the genius of Focus. They are still excited to be getting back to their fans and returning to the stage to play the music they love with the energy and passion of a teenage band!!!!.
The band has toured extensively in the UK and Europe and have the following re-scheduled and new UK dates confirmed for 2023:
Show More
Find a place to stay
Easily follow all your favorite artists by syncing your music
Sync Music
Share Event
Focus Biography
Focus is a Dutch progressive rock band founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, along with guitarist Jan Akkerman.
They are one of the most well-known and influential rock bands from the Netherlands. They successfully fuse inspired jazz, rock, and blues improvisation, classical musical structures, and accessible pop melodies into a powerful and instantly recognizable sound.
Akkerman's technical mastery of the guitar and the often unpredictable brilliance of his improvisations were the perfect counterpoint to Van Leer's extensive knowledge of musical styles and disciplined approach to composition. Van Leer's tongue-in-cheek musical references include the reworking of motifs from an early Monteverdi opera in the extended piece "Eruption" on the Moving Waves album, the contrapuntal passage in the middle section of "Carnival Fugue" on the Focus 3 album, the Renaissance-era harmonic progressions in "Anonymous II" (also on Focus 3), and the quote from the first chorale of J.S. Bach's oratorio St. Matthew's Passion in the track "Father Bach" on "Mother Focus".
Focus are possibly best known for their "Hocus Pocus", a top 40 hit from the Moving Waves LP, which included inspired bits of yodeling (believe it) and explosive guitar work.
The works of both composers display an impeccable melodic sense more often found in pop songs and Broadway showtunes than in progressive rock compositions. It is to the regret of many rock fans that Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman were unable to continue their collaboration, as together they were more than the sum of their formidable parts.
Akkerman's "House of the King" (from the "In and Out of Focus" album) is the title theme of 'Don't Ask Me', a science-based British TV show of the 1970s that made household names of Dr. Magnus Pyke and Professor David Bellamy. It is also the title theme of Steve Coogan's BBC2 sitcom Saxondale. It is often mistaken for a Jethro Tull song.
*********************************************************************************************************
2. There is also a hip hop producer called Focus. He is an up and comming producer and has produced tracks for The Game, Tony Yayo, Stat Quo and Bishop Lamont among others. His solo record is set to be released in the future.
*********************************************************************************************************
3. Bígbítová kapela z Valašska
*********************************************************************************************************
4. Focus is also the name of an up and coming Hip-Hop artist from the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Check out www.myspace.com/trimmerakafocus for more.
Read MoreThey are one of the most well-known and influential rock bands from the Netherlands. They successfully fuse inspired jazz, rock, and blues improvisation, classical musical structures, and accessible pop melodies into a powerful and instantly recognizable sound.
Akkerman's technical mastery of the guitar and the often unpredictable brilliance of his improvisations were the perfect counterpoint to Van Leer's extensive knowledge of musical styles and disciplined approach to composition. Van Leer's tongue-in-cheek musical references include the reworking of motifs from an early Monteverdi opera in the extended piece "Eruption" on the Moving Waves album, the contrapuntal passage in the middle section of "Carnival Fugue" on the Focus 3 album, the Renaissance-era harmonic progressions in "Anonymous II" (also on Focus 3), and the quote from the first chorale of J.S. Bach's oratorio St. Matthew's Passion in the track "Father Bach" on "Mother Focus".
Focus are possibly best known for their "Hocus Pocus", a top 40 hit from the Moving Waves LP, which included inspired bits of yodeling (believe it) and explosive guitar work.
The works of both composers display an impeccable melodic sense more often found in pop songs and Broadway showtunes than in progressive rock compositions. It is to the regret of many rock fans that Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman were unable to continue their collaboration, as together they were more than the sum of their formidable parts.
Akkerman's "House of the King" (from the "In and Out of Focus" album) is the title theme of 'Don't Ask Me', a science-based British TV show of the 1970s that made household names of Dr. Magnus Pyke and Professor David Bellamy. It is also the title theme of Steve Coogan's BBC2 sitcom Saxondale. It is often mistaken for a Jethro Tull song.
*********************************************************************************************************
2. There is also a hip hop producer called Focus. He is an up and comming producer and has produced tracks for The Game, Tony Yayo, Stat Quo and Bishop Lamont among others. His solo record is set to be released in the future.
*********************************************************************************************************
3. Bígbítová kapela z Valašska
*********************************************************************************************************
4. Focus is also the name of an up and coming Hip-Hop artist from the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Check out www.myspace.com/trimmerakafocus for more.
Rock
Progressive Rock
Hip Hop
Follow artist