muse

An English rock band formed in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Dominic Howard (drums)

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“Most bands are scared of ridicule – we embrace it”

– Matthew Bellamy, Muse frontman

Muse are an English alternative rock trio. They began in Teignmouth in 1994. They are sub-classified as mainly progressive rock, and play music with melody and fast tempo. However, they also play a great number of other styles of music, especially on their older albums like Showbiz.

Muse are an English alternative rock trio. They began in Teignmouth in 1994. They are sub-classified as mainly progressive rock, and play music with melody and fast tempo. However, they also play a great number of other styles of music, especially on their older albums like Showbiz.

Early

Matthew, Christopher, and Dominic are childhood friends who hailed from Teignmouth, Devon. All three members of the band are not originally from Teignmouth, but from other English towns.

The members of Muse played in separate school bands during their time at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s. Guitarist Matt Bellamy successfully auditioned for drummer Dominic Howard's band, Carnage Mayhem, becoming its singer and songwriter.

years

1994–1997

They renamed the band Gothic Plague. They asked Chris Wolstenholme – at that time the drummer for Fixed Penalty – to join as bassist; he agreed and took up bass lessons. The band was renamed Rocket Baby Dolls and adopted a goth-glam image.

origin of “muse”

According to Matt, Dom, and Chris, they chose the name ‘Muse’ because it was short and it looked good on a poster.

The first they heard of the word was when someone in Teignmouth suggested that the reason for a lot of the populace becoming members of bands was due to a muse hovering over the town.

First EPs and Showbiz

After a few years building a fanbase, Muse played their first gigs in London and Manchester supporting Skunk Anansie on tour. They had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio.

1998–2000

The meeting led to their first serious recordings and the release of the Muse EP on 11 May 1998 on Sawmills' in-house Dangerous label, produced by Paul Reeve.

the first album

Muse's first album, Showbiz, came out in 1999. Muse were already popular in the UK, and NME said they were “the first great British guitar band of the 21st century”.

First EPs
and Show-biz

Origin of

The band's second album, Origin of Symmetry, was released in June 2001 in the UK. However, it was only released in North America in 2005.

Symmetry

2000–2002

Maverick, Muse's American label, did not consider Bellamy's vocals "radio-friendly" and asked Muse to rerecord the song for the US release.

The album did not do well on charts, but was popular with critics. NME praised the album for the songs on it being very loud and angry.

The band refused and left Maverick; the album was not released in the US until September 2005, after Muse signed to Warner Bros.

OF Sym-metry

Origin

Muse's third album, Absolution was released on 15 September 2003. It debuted at number one in the UK and produced Muse's first top-ten hit, "Time Is Running Out", and three top-twenty hits: "Hysteria", "Sing for Absolution" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes".

Absolution

2003–2005

In June 2004, Muse headlined the Glastonbury Festival, which they later described as "the best gig of our lives". Muse won two MTV Europe awards and received an award for "Best British Live Act" at the Brit Awards.

Absolu-tion

Black Holes

In 2006, Muse released their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations, co-produced once again with Rich Costey. The album's title and themes reflect the band's interest in science fiction.

Revelations

2006–2008

The single “Supermassive Black Hole” was used nine times in media projects such as films and games.

The album charted at number one in the UK, much of Europe, and Australia. In the US, it reached number nine on the Billboard 200.

&

Revela-
tions

the Resistance

2009–2011

By February 2 2009, Muse had started recording songs for their new album. In an interview, Bellamy said that the album is “all very orchestral”. He said it would sound like classical music.The band's fifth studio album The Resistance was released in September 2009.

When it was released, it went to the top of the album charts in 19 countries. The album became the band's third number one album in the UK. It reached number 3 on the Billboard 200. Critics praised the album.

The Resistance Tour

The Resistance Tour started with in Teignmouth, Devon in September 2009. There were two performances in the Wembley Stadium in September 2010, then Europe, Australia, Asia and the US.

For their live performances, Muse received the O2 Silver Clef Award in London on 2 July 2010, presented by Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen; Taylor described the trio as “probably the greatest live act in the world today”.

the
Resis-tance

The 2nd

On 7 June, Muse announced a European Arena tour, the first leg of The 2nd Law Tour. The leg included dates in France, Spain and the UK. Muse revealed the 2nd Law tracklist on 13 July 2012.

Law

2012–2013

The band performed the album's opening song, "Supremacy", with an orchestra at the 2013 Brit Awards on 20 February 2013.

2012 Summer Olympics

The first single from the album, "Survival", was the official song of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and Muse performed it at the Olympics closing ceremony.

The album was a nominee for Best Rock Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

Drones was released on 8 June 2015. A concept album about the dehumanisation of modern warfare, it returned to a simpler rock sound with less elaborate production and genre experimentation.

2014–2016

Muse announced their seventh album, Drones, on 11 March 2015. The following day, they released a lyric video for "Psycho" on their YouTube channel. Another single, "Dead Inside", was released on 23 March.

drones world tour

The Drones World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the English rock band Muse. Staged in support of the band's 2015 album Drones, the tour visited arenas and festivals throughout 2015 and is the tenth concert tour the band has carried out.

It began on 23 May 2015 in Norwich, England at the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The tour has grossed $23M from 34 shows in 2015, plus $65.5M from 64 shows in 2016.

Drones

Simulation Theory

2017–2021

On 18 May, Muse released “Dig Down”, the first single from their eighth album. “Thought Contagion”, the second single, was released on 15 February 2018, accompanied by an 1980s-styled music video.

On 30 August 2018, they announced their eighth studio album, Simulation Theory, to be released on 9 November. The announcement was accompanied by another single and video, "The Dark Side"

The Simulation Theory World Tour

The Simulation Theory World Tour began in Houston on 3 February 2019 and concluded on 15 October in Lima. A film based on the album and tour, Muse – Simulation Theory, combining concert footage and narrative scenes, was released in August 2020.

Numerous acts appeared as the opening act, including Tom Morello, Walk the Moon, Nothing But Thieves and SWMRS.

Simula-
tion
Theory

Will of

On 13 January 2022, Muse released the single “Won't Stand Down”, which marked a return to the band's heavier early sound. On 9 March 2022, Muse posted a 35-second clip across various social media platforms depicting large busts of the band members being torn down.

the People

2012–2013

Is the ninth studio album, released on 26 August 2022. Self-produced by the band, it is a genre-hopping album described by Muse as "a greatest hits album – of new songs".

The Will of the People World Tour

On 17 March 2022, Muse announced their ninth album, Will of the People, and four more singles with a release date of 26 August 2022. The Will of the People World Tour began in April 2022.

“the first great British guitar band of the 21st century”

– NME. October 1999

Matthew

Bellamy is fascinated with conspiracy theories. A lot of songs of Muse are about conspiracies. He is also interested in the space and conspiracy theories about extraterrestrial life or aliens.

Matthew Bellamy was born on 9 June 1978 in Cambridge. His father was also a guitarist and played in a band called "The Tornados". The talent of his father was part of what inspired Matthew to play guitar.

James Bellamy

born 9 June 1978

vocal

Bellamy has a tenor vocal range. Many Muse songs are recognizable by Bellamy's use of vibrato, falsetto, and melismatic phrasing, influenced by Jeff Buckley.

guitar

As a guitarist, Bellamy often uses the arpeggiator and pitch-shift effects to create a more “electronic” sound, citing Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences.

piano

As a pianist, Bellamy often uses arpeggios. Bellamy's compositions often suggest or quote late classical and romantic era composers such as Sergei Rachmaninov, Camille Saint-Saëns, Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.

Matt-
hew

Dominic

Howard is a huge fan of British cheesecake, and has his own secret recipe. He often wears brightly coloured trousers.

Howard was born in Stockport, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with his family to Teignmouth, a small town in Devon. He began playing drums at about the age of 12, when he was inspired by a jazz band performing at school.

James Howard

born 7 December 1977

drums

Howard is left-handed and drums on a left-handed drum kit. He also played drums in Vicky Cryer with Jason Hill from Louis XIV.

backing vocals

Songs that Dom sings as backing vocal in live performance: “Can't Take My Eyes Off You”, “Supermassive Black Hole”, “The Globalist”, “Uprising”. “Break it To Me” is the first track where Dom made the backing vocals in-studio.

Christopher

Wolstenholme has struggled with alcoholism. His bandmates did not notice his problem for several years.

Christopher Tony Wolstenholme was born on 2 December 1978 in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. Chris Wolstenholme grew up in the English town of Rotherham before moving to Teignmouth, Devon, where he played drums for a post-punk band.

Tony Wolstenholme

born 2 December 1978

bass guitar

Wolstenholme's basslines are a central motif of many Muse songs; the band combines bass guitar with effects and synthesisers to create overdriven fuzz bass tones.

vocal

Wolstenholme wrote and sang lead vocals on two Muse songs, “Liquid State” and “Save Me”, from their sixth album, The 2nd Law (2012).

“one of the best bands in the world”

2022

Christo-pher

Chris-
topher