Muse lights a fuse on stage

Devon, England, the home of young R&B diva Joss Stone and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, yields yet another unique and likable sound in the form of rock trio Muse.

Led by guitarist, pianist, singer, songwriter Matt Bellamy, Muse made major splashes overseas in 1999 with their first album Showbiz, which sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide. Touring off of the one-year critical and popular success of Absolution, Muse is making an appearance in Raleigh as part of the MTVU tour at Disco Rodeo April 13.

For 15 bucks, you can see one of the best live acts touring, and that is no understatement. Muse has won the Brit Award and NME award for best British live act beating out Franz Ferdinand and joining the ranks of other electric performers such as The Darkness and Coldplay. Muse is playing with the support of Razorlight, another breakout band, which has the same classic, simplistic rock quality of The Strokes, Libertines, The Stranglers, The Cure and so on.

Muse has been called by many an updated version of Radiohead. It’s no surprise that their longtime producer was John Leicke, the brains behind Radiohead’s breakthrough album The Bends. While Muse relies mostly on similar-sounding eerie vocals and a dynamic mix of guitar, piano and electronic noise, they have a sound that distinctly separated them from Radiohead. Muse has a heavier, more classic rock-leaning sound that distinguishes them from the often guitar-sparse, electronic-heavy Radiohead. Their powerful three-part electronic guitar melodies are much more comparable to metal rock than alternative rock at times and provide for emotionally gripping, semi-epic operatic songs. Muse’s lyrics have a sense of desperate longing and searching that feel alternately religious or sexual depending on the listener’s mood.

While Muse uses heavy guitars on the album, nothing compares to their raw energy and sound during their live act. Bellamy has swaggering attitude and wild emotion that is reminiscent of the ‘70s rock gods as he belts out lyrics while hysterically banging the piano or thrashing his electric guitar. Chris Wolstenholme provides driving bass that glues the live act together through steady, melodic riffs, creating a foundation for each song in the set. Dom Howard's technically amazing and awe-inspiring drumming adds the final touch that has earned Muse the moniker of “best live act” by several magazines. While separately each member of the trio is talented, together their ability to play off each other and energize each other creates an unforgettable performance.