"I play these songs because my soul and heart are in there..." Former Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman will release a new live album in December

Former Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman (2025) — (Image credit: Bas van Gelder)

https://www.loudersound.com/features/top-of-the-progs-focus-hocus-pocusFormer Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman has announced that he will release his latest solo album, My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow, through Artone/Music Theories Recordings on December 12.

A live album, My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow was recorded during Akkemran's Feburayr tour which saw him and his band playing Bush Hall (London), The Fire Station (Sunderland), Philharmonic Hall (Liverpool), Oran Mor (Glasgow), The Met (Bury), The Stables (Wavendon) and The Apex (Bury St. Edmunds), and features some of Focus' classic tunes such as Hocus Pocus and Sylvia.

Akkeman has shared a new visualiser video for Answers Questions - Questions Answers, which you can watch below.

"Live audiences give you the tension and responsibility to be creative, for me, that's the challenge I like," he says. "It's my love to play for people all around the world. I play these songs because my soul and heart are in there. It's a God given talent I have, which makes me feel proud of myself!"

Akkeman has also announced live dates for his native Netherlands for December as well as three Norwegian dates for next June. You can see the full list of dates and tickets detials below.

My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow will be released on on blue transparent vinyl, CD, and digitally.

Pre-order My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow.

Jan Akkerman - Answers Questions - Questions Answers (Official visualizer) - YouTube

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Jan Akkerman Netherlands/Norway live dates

Nov 8: NED Deurne Cultureel Centrum
Dec 19: NED Bergen op ZoomPoppodium Gebouw
Dec 20: NED Tilburg Heyhoef Backstage
Dec 24: NED Heemskerk Podium Laurentz
Jun 26: NOR Skien Parkbiografen
Jun 27: NOR Olso Cosmopolite Scene
Jun 28: NOR Fredrikstad Bblå Grotte

Get tickets.

Jan Akkerman My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow album cover — (Image credit: Artone/Music Theories Recordings)

Jan Akkerman: My Focus - Live Under The Rainbow
1. Spiritual Privacy
2. Answers Questions - Questions Answers
3. Focus 2
4. Focus 1
5. Palace of the King
6. Anonymous
7. Big Sur.
8. Tommy's Anniversary
9. Piétons
10. Hocus Pocus
11. Sylvia

Artists

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.

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