Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Class is permanent, as they rightly say, and technical mastery of an instrument lives long into legendary status, as Dutch supremo Jan Akkerman, the guitarist who successfully challenged the notion of dominance of British/American virtuosity that had had arisen, returns to the ears of the listener in a brand new live recording, My Focus – Live Under The Rainbow
It is freedom of imagination allowed to explore that creates such a vibe of consistency when the listener is gifted a live album to sink their minds into, especially when it is one consisting of almost purely instrumental effect, the voice restrained, kept silent, the work of the musician purely focused on the voice of their chosen means of expression; and in My Focus – Live Under The Rainbow,Jan Akkerman plays with that responsibility of open inventiveness, an unrestricted conformity to the genius and iconic pleasure of each track unfolds before the people.
Recorded across the February 2025 tour, which took in venues such as The Fire Station in Sunderland, Bury’s The Met and Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall, and with the intensity of the band at full pelt, Marijn van den Berg, David de Morez Oyens, and Coen Molenaar, the sense of prestige, of respected status amongst the fraternity is not just palpable, it is wonderfully overpowering, encouraging the listener engage and yet see the nobility of the occasion for what it is, insight into a world of audible spectacle.
The founding member of Focus skilfully delivers a live set captured for posterity, and in time when audiences are finding the live experience fiscally daunting, to have an appreciation of the music of a hero on stage in a ready format is a pleasure unbowed; and as tracks such as Spiritual Privacy, Focus 1 and 2, Palace Of The King, Anonymous, the tension release signature of Hocus Pocus, and the final beauty of Sylvia soar with passion and timing, so the recognition of genius becomes boundless, driven by unrelenting enthusiasm, both on and off stage.
Class is permanent, and occasionally we are allowed to peak behind the audio veil to understand why. A physically intense drama of music pushed to its natural crescendo, Jan Akkerman’s My Focus – Live Under The Rainbow is a stunning reminder of the potential behind every velvet curtain, behind every secretive smile of a master regaling in performance.
Ian D. Hall