Muse biography

Muse is a British rock/alternative trio, formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994.
Members are Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitars and keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (basses and backing vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums and percussion). According to them, their music was influenced by the "alternative" environment they used to live in... as they often say, Teignmouth wasn't a really interesting place.

"The only time the town came to life was during the summer when it turned into a vacation spot for visiting Londoners. When the summer ended they left and took all the life with them. I felt so trapped there. My friends were either getting into drugs or music, but I gravitated towards the latter and eventually learned how to play. That became my escape. If it weren't for the band, I would probably have turned to drugs myself."  (Matthew Bellamy)

1994-1998

Before naming themselves Muse, the band changes name many times... Gothic Plague, Fixed Penalty, Rocket Baby Dolls...
A few weeks after their reharsal, they play at a local battle of the bands, and win. So they decide to forego university and pursue a career in music. In 1995-1996, they play several gigs in London and Manchester. During one of those gigs, they have a very important meeting with Dennis Smith, Sawmills studios owner, in 1995. This leads to their first recording, the "Muse EP", released on May 8th, 1998 on Sawmills' Dangerous label. A second EP, "Muscle Museum", follows. Several journalists start paying attention to Muse.
Dennis Smith co-founds the Taste Media music publishing company... this is a fortune for Muse (they are still staying with this company), because this allows'em to preserve their ideas and their sound. Muse also sign with other record labels, such as Maverick, Motor, Naive, East West. After obtaining record deals in Europe, USA, Australia, and after playing gigs in the USA, Muse finally release their first album: "Showbiz" on October 4th, 1998. The album is produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, The Verve).
Muse support famous rock-bands (like Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers) during a series of gigs in the United States.

2000-2001

During the recording of their second album, Muse experiment new sounds, instruments and improve their songwriting... the result is a more complex, darker rock, with Matthew's high-pitched vocals supported by distorted guitars and basses. They also use piano and keyboards more than they did in the first album. Dominic experiments an expanded drum kit. Their style is influenced by Queen, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rage Against The Machine, and some 70's prog-rock groups. Their recording company Maverick didn't like Matt's style and asked him to change some songs, making them more "radio-friendly". Muse didn't agree, and left the company. Due to this separation, Origin Of Symmetry (their 2nd album) wasn't released in the USA... American fans had to wait for a very long time (more than 4 years!!) for the release of this CD.
Anyway, in the rest of the world Origin Of Symmetry was released (18 June 2001). It was a definite success, the album brought everyone's attention on the band, selling 1,300,000 copies.
The first single, "Plug In Baby", reached #11 in the UK charts (only Time Is Running Out #8 did better). Their second single, "New Born", reached #12.
After their world tour, Muse release "Hullabaloo", 2 DVDs featuring two live gigs in Paris, plus footage and photogallery. "Hullabaloo Soundtrack" is a 2-CD boxset, containing b-sides and live recordings.

2003-2005

After a long period, Muse release a new studio album, Absolution, in 2003. This record was produced by Rich Costey (some tracks are produced by John Leckie too), and was acclaimed by critics. The album shows more experimentations, with classical influences and dramatic tones. With the third album Muse destroy any comparison to other groups and place themselves in the mainstream. They start their epic "Absolution Tour", demonstrating their attitude for live performances... the tour lasted more than one year, and ended in April 2005 (they played a few gigs in the USA after, and participated in the Live8 in July).
They win several prizes, such as MTV Awards (best alt. act and best british group), Q award (best live act), Brit Awards (best live act, again). They release 5 singles (Stockholm Syndrome, Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, Sing For Absolution,  Butterflies And Hurricanes). Absolution charted #1 for the first time in Muse's career.

2006?

Muse have started recording their new album... according to the RockMag interview with Chris, it will be released in March/April 2006. Their current set contains 22 songs, but the band plan to include 12 songs in the new album. The band has released the "Absolution Tour" DVD, featuring live performances taken during the tour... it contains also some extras!

"It’s not just a case of personal pleasure - that makes it seem like it’s a pleasing activity which releases endorphins. It's not like that. Making music affects the way I perceive everything and it gives me balance in my own reality. It's something that I can't really explain very well."  (Matthew Bellamy)