Gig review: Focus/Arthur Brown - The Caves, Edinburgh

AT FIRST we couldn’t see the connection between these two. But a couple of songs into Focus’ set, it was obvious. Thijs van Leer, with his magnificent white whiskers, was Colin Pillinger, the space boffin, and Brown was his capture from his greatest mission – thrilling proof of life on planet Zog.

Two great rock eccentrics on the same bill – one from Dutch prog, the other the outer reaches of psychedelia – what a bargain. Brown has lost “The Crazy World of… ” from his name but little of his essential craziness. His band featured three willowy young women from Poland, the Czech Republic and Ireland with the latter supplying “fluid movement” – freaky dancing that was popular when you could announce yourself on Top of the Pops as “the god of hellfire” in a flaming crown and not be shut down by Health & Safety. No pyrotechnics here, but lots of face paint and dramatic silent-movie expressions which would only be outdone by the leering van Leer.

Like Brown, van Leer and fabulous drummer Pierre van der Linden have recruited youthful players to help them stay in the game, though their standards House of the King (theme to TV’s Saxondale), Hocus Pocus (soundtrack to ITV’s 2010 World Cup coverage) and Sylvia (still Partick Thistle’s run-on song) have no problem enduring. Lovely to hear them played live again – and to bear witness to a couple of hundred balding men in glasses yodelling.

Rating: ****