By DJ Astrocreep
A muggy evening and two fresh tattoos were my pre-gig build-up, with it being a lot more local than most of my post-Covid lockdown gigs. A short drive under the Mersey and it’s only the third trip to the Floral Hall that I can recall, after Marc Almond and an evening with Brian Blessed. Being a theatre-style venue, the acoustics should be superb, a fitting venue for a band such as Focus who rely on melody and winding instrumentals as their output.
There’s no support for the Dutch prog masters, who instead play two sets, with a 20 minute interval around halfway through the set. As is befitting a 50th anniversary tour, they start with their very first song, ‘Focus 1’ and the sheer love around the room from the off is clearly evident. Thijs, Pierre and co are in absolutely remarkable form and Thijs makes for an excellent compere between songs, always finding a way to delight the room.
As well as the setlist itself, we get bits of improv in different forms, all of it feeling so well rehearsed even when it maybe isn’t so. We get a very early drum solo from Pierre Van Linden, one of the earliest drummers with the band, who demonstrates mind-boggling ability behind the drum kit throughout the performance, showing both highly technical prowess and feel.
Fan favourite ‘Sylvia’ closes the first half of the set and we have a 20 minute interval to regain our breath, grab a drink and merch and head back on into the room.
The improv continues after the break as they creep into a tango – the forbidden style for a rock band, as Thijs tells us. While Thijs may be the only remaining founding member, with Pierre a long-term one, do not let this detract in any way from the skills of either Menno on guitar or Udo on bass, who both demonstrate absolutely extraordinary ability themselves, with each given plenty of chance to shine with solo spots. Added to this is their more than able sound engineer who has everything set up perfectly to keep the whole room crystal clear, sounding as pitch-perfect in the back corner of the room as it does in the middle.
As we build up towards the last couple of songs in the set, it’s time for Thijs to take centre stage for himself, playing both flute and organ at the same time for his solo and creating a haunting melody doing so. It’s refreshing to have seen four people of such apex talent levels playing seemingly without ego, giving each other the time and space to showcase their abilities. The applause for everything has been raucous, with audience participation at various points – clapping along, singing along and just generally showing a lot of love. There’s still time for Pierre to have another jaw-dropping solo before a well-deserved standing ovation regales the band after an absolutely epic version of ‘Hocus Pocus’ and a one song encore of an often requested track.
In short, not just a gig, but it feels like a genuine experience. Focus at 50 feels as relevant to the prog scene as they did when helping kickstart it all those years ago. An absolutely phenomenal show.
The tour continues:
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