Moon Safari formed in 2003 in Skellefteå, Vasterbotten, Sweden.
Johan Westerlund: “It’s just a name that appeared at the end of an MTV video back in 2000. I had no idea what the band Air was all about, and I don’t think any of us did when Petter and I decided on that name. We just liked the sound of it, it has a dreamy feel that we probably felt would go well with the style of music we were contemplating. And it still makes sense, in a way.”
The first line-up was made up of keyboardist and singer Simon Åkesson (Nightscape), guitarist and singer Petter Sandström, bassist Johan Westerlund, guitarist Anthon Johansson (Black Bonzo), and drummer Tobias Lundgren.
The band recorded a demo tape, which they emailed to Tomas Bodin, the keyboardist of fellow Swedish progressive rock band The Flower Kings.
Tomas was impressed enough to produce the band’s first album, A Doorway to Summer (2005). The album evokes themes of summer, the sun, and light in general as a comforting and hopeful concept. Featuring the epic “We Spin The World”, it made for a promising beginning to the band’s recording career. A detailed review of the album can be found here A Doorway To Summer – Metal Review
Anthon Johansson then left the band and was replaced by Pontus Åkesson, younger brother of Simon.
Buoyed by the experience of Doorway, the band took a massive step forward with their next album, the ambitious, self-produced double album Blomljud (2008), (Swedish for “Flower Sound”). Themes of flowers and nature prevail throughout, with science fiction themes also playing a key role. The album includes epic fan favourites like Methuselah’s Children, The Ghost Of Flowers Past, The Other Half Of The Sky, and starts with the song that ends every Moon Safari concert, the a capella Constant Bloom. A detailed review of the album can be found here Blomljud: “A Masterpiece” – Metal Review
The youngest Åkesson, Sebastian, joined the band on second keyboards, and added another layer to those beautiful vocal harmonies.
The band’s third album, Lover’s End (2010) juxtaposes the story of a painful breakup with themes of nascent love, illustrating and accentuating emotions commonly associated with the stages before, during, and after a romantic relationship. What the band describe as their signature song, A KId Called Panic, quickly became a crowd pleaser and has been played at every gig since its release. A detailed review of the album can be found here Lover’s End – Background Music Review
In 2012 the band released their epic one track EP Lover’s End Pt. III: Skellefteå Serenade. The song is a conclusion of the trilogy and the breakup story described in Lover’s End, with an additional emphasis on the powerful feelings associated with the decline of one’s hometown. It also develops and reprises themes from the songs Lover’s End Pt. I and Lover’s End Pt. II. At the time of release, It could be rightly seen as the culmination of the band’s musical and song writing skills, encompassing every great element of the Moon Safari sound.
Their first live album The Gettysburg Address (2012) was recorded at a Rosfest performance in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and featured songs from their first three studio albums, including a show stopping version of The Other Half Of The Sky.
Released in 2013, the band’s fourth studio album, Himlabacken Volume 1 ( Swedish for Heaven Hill), is about the band’s childhoods, growing up, and assuming the responsibilities of adulthood. It shows Moon Safari developing further maturity in song writing, musicianship, recording and producing. Including tracks like the quirky Mega Moon and the gentle self-deprecation of Sugar Band, it cemented the band’s place as one of the most loved modern, symphonic prog bands. More details about the album can be found here The story of Moon Safari and Himlabacken Volume 1
October 2014 saw the release of the band’s second live album, Live In Mexico, recorded at Baja Prog. It featured ex Black Bonzo drummer Mikael Israelsson deputising for Tobias Lundgren, who was unavailable due to family commitments.
In August 2015, after being with the group since its inception for twelve memorable years, Tobias left Moon Safari and was permanently replaced by Mikael Israelsson.
Although the band were no closer to finishing their next studio album, they continued to perform live and May 2016 saw their most memorable gig to date – supporting Yes at The Royal Albert Hall. Starting with A Kid Called Panic, and ending with Constant Bloom performed as a tribute to the late Chris Squire, the band won over new fans and received a great reception from the Yes audience.
2018 saw yet another fantastic gigging experience for Moon Safari as they supported ex Marillion frontman, Fish on two Swedish dates. However, life and all its ups and downs was getting in the way of a new album, and just when it seemed progress was being made, there was a worldwide pandemic!
Fast forward to August 2023 and it was announced that Himlabacken Volume 2 would be released on December 8 2023.
The band talked with Prog magazine about the reason for the delay in the album’s release
Himlabacken Volume 2 might have been a long time coming but it did not disappoint, receiving almost universal acclaim in the prog community. It can justifiably be seen as the band’s best album to date, with gems like Between The Devil And Me, Forever For You, and the stunning Teen Angel Meets The Apocalypse standing out amongst almost seventy minutes of flawless music.
In April 2024 Sebastian Åkesson announced he was giving up live work with the band to concentrate on his involvement with Swedish Tik Tok sensation Dad Harmony.
Current Band Members:
Petter Sandström – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica (2003–present)
Simon Åkesson – lead vocals, lead keyboards (2003–present)
Johan Westerlund – bass, backing vocals (2003–present)
Pontus Åkesson – guitars, backing vocals (2005–present)
Mikael Israelsson – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2015–present)
The Beach Boys Of Prog?
This is a title which has been erroneously given to Moon Safari. due to their vocal harmonies, which are arranged by Simon Åkesson. Pontus explains:
“A lot of people think that Simon is inspired by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, but his main influence when it comes to arranging vocal harmonies is a guy called Gene Puerling. He was also Brian Wilson’s biggest influence, so I think that’s why, when people don’t know who Gene Puerling is, the easy reference is the Beach Boys.”
Gene Puerling was a member of the Hi-Lo’s, who also featured Bob Morse, uncle of Neal. Yes that Neal Morse!
