The Focal Points

Line up
   
Rob Young Vocals
Les Brazil Lead
John Edwards Bass
Stuart (Macca) Mc? Drums

Four-piece pop group from Rusholme, who were a Drifters-type soul/pop group. 

I can remember seeing singer Rob Young "faint" on stage at The Pop Inn - not sure whether it was to "pull the chicks" or if they were short of numbers.

I can also remember their great paisley satin waistcoats - which I found out some years later had been ripped from the inside of someone's mum's jackets!

After Focal Points, members played in Pink Engine.
Focal Points

Mac, John, Les and Rob
   

I was bass guitarist with Focal Points when we started as school boys pushing our gear to gigs on maccas (drummer) mums pram  - till my brother Roy was talked into management (he had a transit van thro work).

Roy did us proud - we got better work, did most of the Manc clubs, inc. New Century Hall, Belle Vue, Pop-inn. and all five Mos sBros clubs. I loved the Princess in Chorlton.

Roy gave up through work commitments and we bought a old Bedford van; we used to get gigs in Stoke.

We used to borrow petrol from other cars.  One night we didn't know trucks used diesel and the van never went agian.

I think Rob left first. I went next got a better offer off a girl, that good I married her later. But still great days  - great mates.

John Edwards

   

Where are they now?

Bass player Les Brazil emigrated to Perth, Australia with band CHALICE and played in STEALERS, a top level cover-band in Melbourne, Australia, until a few years ago.  Now manages a music shop in Melbourne.  Jim Reno re-incarnated?

Singer Rob Young is a bank manager somewhere in Manchester area. 

Drummer Mac went over to Australia with Chalice for a time as road manager but is back in Manchester.

re Paul Mlyarz (hoenix City Smash) and Les Brazil (Focal Points).  
Rusholme boys a long, long way from home!
Paul Mlynarz (Phoenix City Smash)
and Les Brazil (Focal Points)
in Australia 1994

 
Chalice  
LES BRAZIL (ex Focal Points) vcls, bs
GEORGE BUNEA gtr, keyb'ds
GEORGE HEATHCOTE vcls
IAN LONGFORD drms
JOHN RIMMER drms
NEIL SCOTT vcls, gtr
RAY BURGESS vcls (1979)

Discography
In My World (Clarion K 5478) 1974
Ebenezer (Clarion K 5626) 1974
Nine To Five Girl (Clarion K 5740) 1974
Writings On The Wall (Polydor 2079 061) 1975
Sail On Sailor/ (Polydor 2079 064) 1975
Shutdown In Denver (Polydor 2079 078) 1975

Originally from the U.K. this band emigrated to Perth, Australia in 1973. They must have been homesick for they specialised in covering songs by British bands! They spent a couple of weeks in the Top 100 in 1975 with their cover of Free's Sail On Sailor .

They continued to play, releasing an album Overflow on Polydor in 1976 and a couple more singles before calling it a day in 1977.

There was a brief reformation in 1979, when they were fronted by Ray Burgess on vocals, but this particular line-up had no vinyl output.

 


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