Just to let you know, I'm no longer updating this page. Please refer to the Edited Entry.

Best, you've got to be the best

You've got to change the world

And use this chance to be heard

- 'Butterflies & Hurricanes', 2003

In 1995, Dennis Smith, record agent and owner of Sawmills recording studio, discovered a more or less unknown band playing covers in a small Cornish village¹. At the time of writing, Muse have already released four albums and gained several top 20 hits in the UK charts. Though at first thought to be copying the well-known style of Radiohead, Muse have shown that they have a talent for producing unique pieces. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Matt Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard.

The Early Days

The band was originally formed under the name of 'Rocket Baby Dolls' for a local 'battle of the bands' competition². The three were in fact the only ones playing what they described as 'real rock', and so Matt, Chris and Dominic went on stage expecting to lose. They played aggressively and then broke everything on the stage, but to their amazement won the competition. Looking back, Matt thinks that this experience changed the way they thought about music:

'And we had just realized at this time that we could replace lots of things. We realized that emotion, the vibrations that you create, are as important as your technical skills. We had just discovered something: music is a matter of emotion.'

For this reason, the band was renamed Muse, and started to play gigs in various small venues. However, they did not enjoy playing covers of other people's songs, and the number of gigs available started to decline. Luckily enough, Muse were discovered in 1995 by Dennis Smith, and in 1997 he started to offer them free time in a recording studio.

Showbiz

Muse were taken on by Taste Media and recorded the 'Muse' EP³ in 1998. The EP consisted of four tracks and only a thousand copies were made, being released on the 'Dangerous' label. Shortly afterwards the band performed in several locations in the USA, and gained enough interest to be signed by Maverick⁴ on Christmas Eve that year. Another limited edition EP was released, this one featuring six tracks, including 'Muscle Museum', 'Sober', 'Unintended' and 'Uno', the last of which was then released as a single in October 1999.

Uno made it into the top 75 in the UK charts, and the next single, Cave, was equally successful. Encouraged by these results, Muse released their first album, Showbiz, which was produced by John Leckie, the man responsible for Radiohead's The Bends album. The album was hugely successful, selling over 700,000 copies, despite the band being described as Radiohead copycats. The band released several more singles in 2000, with Unintended being the first to reach the top 40 in the UK charts. They also decided to become more international, with releases in France, Japan and the USA. The year ended with Muse being nominated for Best New Act at the Brit Awards, but didn't win.

Origin of Symmetry and Hullabaloo

In 2001 Muse produced their next album, Origin of Symmetry, with the help of John Leckie and Dave Botril, another record producer. The first single to be released from the album, 'Plug In Baby', reached number 11 in the UK charts, and 'New Born' also reached the top 20. The album was released soon afterwards, and although it was met with some criticism, the band were heading increasingly upwards. Muse were nominated for three 'Q awards' - Best Album, Best Live Act and Best Producer. Once again they didn't actually win anything, but the year had generally been a success.

In 2002, Muse went on a large promotion tour around the world, with the concert at the French state-owned concert hall Le Zénith in Paris being recorded for the production of a music video, and also a CD/DVD collection, called Hullabaloo. The year ended with Muse winning the Kerrang 'Best Live Band' award, having played over sixty gigs that year, and selling 1.3 million copies⁵.

Absolution

Soon after recording began for Muse's next album, Absolution, war broke out in the Gulf; with the USA and UK invading Iraq. Matt Bellamy had been trying to create an uplifting sound with the help of an orchestra and almost a hundred backing parts. The war began after a couple of tracks had been recorded, and the feelings evoked by the effects of the war prompted Matt to re-record the tracks, giving them a much harder sound. The album was greatly influenced by the war, and is based on mistrusting people with power and influence, and also the fear of an apocalypse.

The album was released in 2003, after a series of singles, with 'Stockholm Syndrome' being available for download only. The single 'Time is Running Out' came inside the top 10 in the UK singles charts, but then when Absolution was released after a large European tour, it managed to successfully top the album chart. The year ended with Muse winning the Q Innovation Award, and also 'Best British Rock/Indie Band' at the Interactive Music Awards.

After Absolution

In 2004, Muse went on another world tour, visiting France, Japan, Australia, Canada and the USA. While playing at a concert in Atlanta, Matt somehow managed to cut his mouth, and ended up requiring stitches. Later on that year, Chris (the bassist) damaged his wrist, but once again the tour continued, with Morgan Nicholls from the UK hip-hop band 'The Streets' standing in. Their many performances on stage have now become an important part of who the band are, and their sets at festivals including Glastonbury have proven to the world just how well their unique style works.

Having played another year of gigs, the band intend to spend 2005 recording their next album, touring the USA, and also finding the time to lead normal lives.

Further Information

• For more information about the band, see the Microcuts website.

• Also, have a look at the Official Muse website.