Muse
at the NEC * * * *
Review by Jo Travis
After ten years of plugging away on the indie rock scene and being compared to Radiohead, Muse are finally receiving the recognition they deserve.
The recent number one album Black Holes and Revelations has propelled them into the mainstream in the UK as well as helping them dent the US market.
Huge demand for tickets for last night’s Birmingham gig prompted NEC bosses to add another date to the band’s sell-out tour.
And after rave reviews for this year’s Reading and Leeds festival performances the Devon trio are carving themselves a formidable reputation as a live act and it’s easy to see why.
Matt Bellamy’s soaring, almost operatic vocals are backed up by a multi-media display which enhances rather than distracts from the songs’ expansive lyrics.
The set is tight and seamless with no pause for breath between old school Muse and their more modern offerings.
Time is Running Out and Starlight prompted the most enthusiastic responses from the crowd, who were rewarded during Bliss by an avalanche of balloons.
My colleague described the band, rather disparagingly, as "Queen for teenage goths", but Muse just about manage to stay the right side of camp.
Despite their Barbarella-meets-the-Bard stylings there is no doubting their rock star credentials.
The band’s latest single, the impressive sci fi epic Knights of Cydonia, is one of a glut of songs which deserve the epithet, anthemic.
And they get to do it all over again tonight.
