“The flute felt like a stupid instrument. Then I saw Focus”: Bobbie Dazzle on merging glam and prog
English musician Bobbie Dazzle, the stage name of Siân Greenaway, is combining glam rock with progressive rock, genres she believes share strong similarities. Rediscovering the flute through a Focus performance helped shape her approach and encouraged her to embrace unconventional sounds.
Greenaway had abandoned flute lessons as a child because she disliked being told to play neatly. After discovering Jethro Tull and then watching Thijs van Leer perform “Hocus Pocus” on YouTube, she picked up the instrument again; she now warms up with Focus’s “House Of The King”, from their 1970 debut album.
- Bobbie Dazzle blends glam rock and progressive rock.
- A Focus video inspired her to return to the flute.
- “House Of The King” is her regular warm-up song.
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Glam rock and progressive rock both developed in Britain and elsewhere in the 1970s, though they are known for different styles. Glam often used theatrical clothes and catchy songs, while prog became associated with longer pieces, unusual arrangements and virtuosic playing.
Bobbie Dazzle is the stage name of English musician Siân Greenaway. Her interest in flute-led rock grew through listening to Jethro Tull and seeing Dutch band Focus perform “Hocus Pocus”, a song that mixes rock with flute and yodelling.
The flute has a long history in classical and folk music, but some rock musicians have used it in less expected ways. Greenaway’s story connects that instrument’s unconventional place in rock with her broader interest in bringing glam and prog together.