
Focus + Saiichi Sugiyama Band
Sunday 10th November 2024
Bush Hall, London
At the forefront of the Progressive Rock music movement since 1969, delivering engaging, innovative and skilfully crafted music, and following the release this July via Spirit Of Unicorn Music of their latest album, 'Focus 12', Dutch masters Focus stopped off at London's Bush Hall on Sunday, including support from Saiichi Sugiyama Band, as part of their current UK tour that ends tomorrow at Bury's The Met. Indeed, upon our arrival, it was great to see such a very large crowd snaking around the side streets in eager anticipation for this unusual matinee performance!
The last time we saw Saiichi's band was on St. Patrick's Day eight years ago at a British Blues Exhibition gig alongside The Laura Holland Band and the late great Pete Brown at the much missed Proud Camden. Coincidentally, just four days later after that gig, we were back down the road at The Underworld to see Focus! In contrast to Sugiyama's classic British Blues Rock set that night, this afternoon's fayre was very much unplugged, featuring the diminutive Saiichi on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Basia Bartz on violin, Si Hutchenson on backing vocals and Ben Reed on bass.
Kicking off their 45 minute set with 'A Song Of Joy' at the unearthly time of 3.30pm, Sugiyama displayed both that Japanese heart on his sleeve, as well as a nice vocal, on 'Them Two Hearts', all about Lake Nakamura. Rightly praising his fellow musicians as he introduced 'Ophelia', based on a ghost of lost love in the world of Shakespearian times, this would have no doubt had that very same bard of Hamlet nodding in approval at its content and climactic ending. Written by the British based songwriter on the subject of getting away from someone, Bartz's stylish Caravan vibe violin solo on 'Take Flight', was followed by the very apt 'Heaven', that amusingly saw a guy sitting in front of me, deservedly poking someone with his walking stick to tell them to stop talking!
Sugimaya's collaboration with James Raymond of Crosby, Pevar and Raymond fame, shone through loud and clear on the delightful 'Trade Winds', before Saiichi went the whole hog, when he introduced Crosby (Raymond's dad), Stills and Nash's 'Guennevere' as a "difficult song", although he needn't have worried given the worthy vocal harmonies of both the check-shirted Hutchenson plus the suited and booted Sugiyama. 'Mother's Child' was then followed by a "Christmas Song", the delightful 'Aurora Borealis'. The penultimate, upbeat and happy 'The Gift', gave way to the slower set closer, 'On The Boat', that ended with Sugiyama fittingly introducing his accomplished quartet to deserved applause. Arigato gozaimasu Saiichi!
As well as 21 live dates across the USA and Canada this year, as part of the Heat Of The Moment Tour alongside other Progressive greats, Asia, Curved Air and Martin Turner - ex Wishbone Ash, Focus legend Thijs van Leer had also written the majority of their new ten-track album, 'Focus 12', which also boasted some of the equally legendary Pierre van der Linden's greatest and most energetic drum sequences to date, as well as allowing the younger guard to take the audio reins for the first time, produced by guitarist Menno Gootjes and bass guitarist Udo Pannekeet, who also contributed two compositions on the album.
With yet another bi-annual pilgrimage to witness this iconic band again this afternoon, what further superlatives could we add on a day that had a much wider significance, given it was Remembrance Day, when we remember those that gave their lives for our freedom. To be be fair, the quartet kicked off with something completely different, that saw the amazingly talented van Leer amusingly playing a plastic cup, before thankfully swapping over to his magical flute on the superb, and very apt, 'Focus 1/Anonymous', the opening track from their 1970 debut album 'In And Out Of Focus'.
It was then straight into another from their debut album, the more popular 'House Of The King', given it was the band's very first single, in those original days of bassist Martijn Dresden, drummer Hans Cleuver and guitarist Jan Akkerman, with original member van Leer, amusingly reminding those that were not aware that the single was "number one in the Flemish part of Belgium". The epic 'Eruption', from their second album, 'Moving Waves' was indeed a microcosm of what this band is all about. It really had everything, a to die for solo from Gootjes, amazing keys, an atmospheric vocal and a singalong from van Leer, an extended jam between Gootjes and the outstanding Pannekeet, as well as a vintage drum solo from the ever young van der Linden. Magnificent.
From the old to the relatively new. Well 2010 to be precise and 'Focus 9/A New Skin's' 'Focus 7' (are you still with me?), with Thijs introducing its inclusion "because we like the way Menno plays it!" Unsurprisingly, this additional pressure on Gootjes (who we spotted earlier, popping into the Defectors Weld for a swift Amstel) did not phase the guitarist one jot, on this beautiful track that stands proudly alongside their earlier classics. Next up was the very first song that got me into Focus when I saw it on Top Of The Pops back in January 1973. Cue delirious hand clapping from the packed, mostly seated audience, on 'Sylvia', arguably their second most famous song with the general worldwide music public, that still sounds as fresh as it did when it was released on 'Focus 3' 52 years ago. Oh dear!
Back to 'Moving Waves' and the delightful short (for them) instrumental 'Focus 2', before two from 1974's wonderful and very much underrated 'Hamburger Concerto', the beguiling 'La Cathedrale de Strasbourg' and the romping 'Harem Scarem', of which the former saw Gootjes' own tremendous interpretation of Akkerman's classic album solo as well as the latter single receiving new improvised extended solos from Menno and Udo, as Thijs left the stage. Van Leer finally returned with his trusty flute in hand for the intro to their most famous song, 'Moving Waves' 'Hocus Pocus', that understandably saw a sea of mobile phones filming this iconic song, along with the expected singalong from the delighted crowd. Cue those iconic lyrics .... "on bass guitar ..." that saw van Leer also deservedly include merch man Barry plus of course the band's fifth member on sound, Geraldo!
Not to be outdone, the mercurial Pierre, 78 years young, completed this classic with a mesmeric and effortless drum solo, that ended with a standing ovation from the ecstatic audience. Thankfully there was still time for one more epic guitar solo from Menno on 'Focus 3 Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!' that ended with Thijs going all Bruce Forsyth, although with all seriousness, thanking the audience for totally making them feel at home in this lovely venue. Cue another standing ovation. Thankfully, no rush for the last train home, and plenty of time to get my 'Focus 12' CD signed by this friendly band, despite none of the tracks being aired tonight. Finally, as we left, we were also handed flyers for next year's Bush Hall pilgrimage on Sunday 2nd November 2025 at 3pm. It's a date!
AJ