Derek “Mo” Moore
Founding member Derek “Mo” Moore has always viewed the possibilities of what Nektar’s music could become from a very grand perspective.
Drawing on influences in his formative years from a variety of genres from rock, jazz, and classical music he would incorporate that grand perspective throughout the sequence of classic Nektar in the 1970s through his labor of love revival he would undertake with the band more recently.
A native of Goldthorpe, Yorkshire, Derek ‘Mo’ Moore began his musical journey there in 1964, however fate would intervene in France a few years later, where while playing in a club he would meet the enigmatic Ron Howden, a familiar face from Sheffield’s raucous underbelly, who shared a similar vision and soon what would become one of the longest enduring rhythm sections in progressive rock history was in place.
In 1969, Mo and Ron’s path crossed with Mick Brockett, setting the stage for the birth of the Nektar music and light theater. They had been playing in a group called Prophecy, and when their guitarist decided to leave, Mo didn’t hesitate. A telegram zipped across Europe to Sweden, summoning Roye Albrighton to join the ranks.
After just one electrifying performance, the Nektar name was born, one that would resonate through the records of rock history.
The band would relocate to Seehiem in Germany, a move that would allow them the freedom to flesh out their vision of a Sound and Light Theatre at the dawning of the progressive rock movement while writing a string of classic albums including “A Tab in the Ocean”, “Remember the Future” and “Recycled” before relocating to America in 1975.
Nektar would gain international fame as the live shows would become a legendary spectacle of sound and light before a changing music scene derailed what had seemingly been a juggernaut.
Mo would step away from Nektar as the 70s ended but was always there in the background for Roye and Ron, offering support, and his best guidance.
After Roye’s untimely passing a phone call from Ron would spark Mo’s interest in picking up right where he’d left off if the circumstances hadn’t dictated it back then, that grand vision of what the experience could be still remained.
After finishing off the “The Other Side,” which had largely been written in 1978, Nektar wrote an album of completely new music while embarking on several tours where their legacy was re-established.
With an all-digital lightshow, including 3-D effects, and a concept album titled, “Mission to Mars” that stretches the imagination, Mo’s original vision for Nektar is just as innovative and exciting today as it was back then.
