Focus is a Dutch progressive rock band, founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, most famous for the instrumental “Hocus Pocus”. The band broke up in 1978, but reformed in 2002 and has been recording and touring since. They have received renewed fame as “Hocus Pocus” was used as the theme for the Nike 2010 World Cup commercial, Write The Future, directed by the Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. The song was also featured in the 2014 film RoboCop. (More from Wikipedia)
As I have mentioned many times before, I am a major fan of Dutch rock music from both the 1960’s and 1970’s. Some of the bands have non-English names, like Ekseption (which is not the Dutch word for “exception” as I had always assumed), Groep 1850 (also known as Group 1850) and Bintangs (which means “stars” in Arabic, I’m told) – the latter band being a future UARB (as it turns out, I waited too long; Bintangs have a nice Wikipedia article now) – but most have English names (or just initials) and perform in English also, with some of the biggest being Golden Earring, Shocking Blue, Focus, Q65, and the Outsiders.
(April 2013)
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After the Klubs broke up, John Reid joined another local band called Strife in about 1972 that released two albums in the mid-1970’s. Fittingly, Strife was on stage for the final show at the Cavern Club when it was closed in March 1973 (though another source says that Jan Akkerman, formerly of the Dutch band Focus was the final performer there in May 1973).
(July 2013)
