MB1 Posted April 25, 2009 Posted April 25, 2009 MB1. Saw them in Manchester at the Academy 3!. Friday night!......Just Stunning!...If you get the opportunity to broaden your horizons?and you like a bit of Rock.......GO!....Amazingly Talented Musicians!...The bass player co writes a lot of the new Material! Pure Mustard!......Doubt you'll be Dissapointed! Quote
YouMa Posted April 26, 2009 Posted April 26, 2009 with you mate,awesome,in the house of the king is used on saxondale +10000000! Quote
MB1 Posted April 26, 2009 Author Posted April 26, 2009 [quote name='YouMa' post='472512' date='Apr 26 2009, 02:40 AM']with you mate,awesome,in the house of the king is used on saxondale +10000000![/quote] MB1. Yellow Mach One Mustang Optional?... Quote
Stingray5 Posted April 26, 2009 Posted April 26, 2009 I've supported Focus a couple of times and would just say a big [b]+1[/b] Keyboardist/vocalist Thijs van Leer allegedly saw a Dutch Focus tribute band a few years ago and was suitably impressed enough to invite them to 'be Focus'! Result, or what!? Since then, he's been (re-)joined by original Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden, who himself is no slouch. Worth a punt if you're into this stuff (...or not!). Cheers, Steve Quote
Stingray5 Posted April 26, 2009 Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' post='472694' date='Apr 26 2009, 02:35 PM']So where's Jan Akkerman?[/quote] He's been running the Jan Akkerman Band for a few years now. As I understand it, there was a bit of a falling out!!! Edited April 28, 2009 by Stingray5 Quote
Hutton Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Focus was the first ever gig I went to back in the 70s. They were playing in Clouds Disco in Glasgow (no longer there). I was totally blown away and saw them several times during the following years. I'm glad that there is something up and running once again even although it is without Jan Akkerman. Thanks to the OP for the thread. Quote
Matt_UK Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Too right, Focus are awesome Absolute mentalists! I loved watching Thijs (old and overweight) suddenly stand up and bust out the most awesome flute solo Genius! Quote
Paul S Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Hocus Pocus - does it for me big time. Does the new guitarist hack it? Jan would be a hard act to follow! Quote
MB1 Posted April 27, 2009 Author Posted April 27, 2009 [quote name='Paul S' post='473438' date='Apr 27 2009, 03:51 PM']Hocus Pocus - does it for me big time. Does the new guitarist hack it? Jan would be a hard act to follow![/quote] MB1. ....Does the New Guitarist Hack it??... I actually think he's as good!.. if not better!...Thijs seems to think so too! Quote
jonsmith Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Saw them at the Boom Boom weekend before last. The second time I've seen them in the past year. Both times they've been incredible. Last week's show was the more unpredictable of the two. I'm not so keen on how they do Hocus Pocus now. Perhaps they're truly bored with it and need to approach it differently, but it's really too fast and frantic. Everything else is superb though. Quote
leschirons Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 (edited) Awsome band, saw them first time round. We used to do Sylvia when I was back in the UK. Great bassline construction. And, that intro to Hocus Pocus, better than any Smoke or Stairway for the "expectation" factor. Bought Jan Akkerman's solo album. Puccini's Cafe' worth checking out. Very cool and laid back. Edited April 27, 2009 by leschirons Quote
dmz Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Love the band to bits - Live at the Rainbow is one of my fave live albums of all time. Apparently they are recording the Bilston gig tomorrow (28/04/09) for a live DVD Quote
thepurpleblob Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Saw Jan Akkerman at the Edinburgh festival last year. It was bloody awful but, to be fair, it was mostly because the sound man obviously was in need of a damn good kicking Other than that... Focus - great band. Used to listen to them a lot back in my student days (which was not yesterday) Quote
Stingray5 Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 I still remember their first appearance here on TV on BBC2's Old Grey Whistle Test (around 1972 I think?). They played 'Eruption' from the album 'Moving Waves'. My brother and I sat gob-smacked with our chins on the floor! I've been a fan ever since and later saw them at The Rainbow little knowing I was in the audience for what would be one of my fave live albums. Steve Quote
YouMa Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 I cant believe how high the guy with the combover can get his voice,pretty impressive they are on the whistle test dvds.I think jan akkerman endorsed trace elliott for a while. Quote
Stingray5 Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 [quote name='YouMa' post='473908' date='Apr 28 2009, 02:12 AM']I cant believe how high the guy with the combover can get his voice,pretty impressive they are on the whistle test dvds.I think jan akkerman endorsed trace elliott for a while.[/quote] Yeh that's Thijs van Leer. Does an amazing yodel solo too! Quote
R,5,R,5... Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 My favourite Focus clip, including yodelling, flute solo, brilliant musicianship, general lunacy: Quote
Kiwi Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 so THATS where the song came from. I haven't heard it in years but I remember it being played often on TV when I was younger...that and Sky's Toccata in Dm. Quote
Ou7shined Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 Who remembers Don't Ask Me? The show that had school playgrounds across the country full of kids all doing Magnus Pyke and David Bellamy impersonations and also responsible for bringing House Of The King into the nations living room once a week. Quote
KevB Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 Yes I'm old enough to remember Don't Ask Me with MP's flailing arms (isn't he on Thomas Dolby's 'She Blinded me With Science'?) Anyway, back to Focus. I've seen them twice since the reformation, last time I noticed they had changed guitarist, the original 'comeback' lineup had a bloke called Jan Dumas in the band but the new younger lad is probably even closer to Akkerman's tone/style. As has been mentioned Akkerman hasn't been involved for years, I think he left the original band in the 70's at least once after disagreements with Van Leer. The current bass player is actually Van Leer's stepson! Quote
bassace Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 But you can't get them on Spotify. Wake up you guys! Quote
Stingray5 Posted April 28, 2009 Posted April 28, 2009 [quote name='bassace' post='474560' date='Apr 28 2009, 08:29 PM']But you can't get them on Spotify. Wake up you guys![/quote] Hah - Spotify, Shmotify!! But you can get 'em on Last.fm! Quote
machinehead Posted May 5, 2009 Posted May 5, 2009 Saw them in Belfast a few months ago. They did a stunning set. The young guitarist is well up to the Jan Akkerman guitar parts. Well worth a look. Frank Quote
jezzaboy Posted May 6, 2009 Posted May 6, 2009 [quote name='Stingray5' post='472696' date='Apr 26 2009, 02:38 PM']He's been running the Jan Akkerman Band for a few years now. As I understand it, there was a bit of a falling out!!![/quote] Great band. Jan left in 76 on the eve of a british tour as him and Thjis fell out about the direction of the band. Jan liked to change the way things were played most nights and felt that the band was becoming stale. Saw Jan at the Renfrew Ferry round about 2002 and the guy was fantastic. Jez Quote
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