The Dutch rock band Focus, with Thijs Van Leer, returns to the UK on the Diplodocus tour, playing their 70s hits including 'Hocus Pocus'.
Focus are back at The Live Rooms on Sunday 15 August, their first Chester date since they returned to the UK for the Diplodocus tour. They're a Dutch band from the 1960s and 70s that are still performing more than half a century later, and this is part of a run that follows a full year of touring in 2026.
Founder Thijs Van Leer still fronts the group, billed as rock's only yodeller. Over five decades they've collected UK top-ten chart positions, a knighthood, a stint in the orchestra pit of Victor Spinetti's musical Hair, and the inclusion of 'Hocus Pocus' in the 2017 film Baby Driver. The set leans on the 70s chart-toppers that made them, with 'Hocus Pocus' and 'Sylvia' among the songs they'll play.
On stage with Van Leer are Pierre Van Der Linden, Menno Gootjes and Udo Pannekeet. They're touring Diplodocus following the 2024 studio album Focus 12, so the set draws as much from the early records as from the newer material.
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The gig is at The Live Rooms in Homer House, 1 Station Rd, Chester, CH1 3DR, in Room L1. Doors open at 19:00 with a curfew of 23:00, and tickets are £27.50. The show is for ages 14 and over.
