Muse

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Muse is an English rock band from Teignmouth in Devon, founded in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Chris Wolstenholme on bass and Dominic Howard on drums. The three played in separate school bands at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s. Bellamy joined Howard's band, Carnage Mayhem, as singer and songwriter, after which they renamed themselves.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album Showbiz was released in 1999, with Bellamy's falsetto and a melancholy alternative rock style. Origin of Symmetry from 2001 used more instruments and romantic classical influences, and earned the band a name as an energetic live act. Absolution from 2003 added strings, as in Butterflies and Hurricanes, and was the first of seven consecutive number 1 albums in the United Kingdom. Black Holes and Revelations from 2006 contained electronic and pop elements, as in Supermassive Black Hole, and brought international success. The Resistance and The 2nd Law dealt with government oppression and popular uprising and made Muse a stadium band. Drones from 2015 was a concept album about drone warfare and reached the top of the American Billboard 200. Simulation Theory, Will of the People and The Wow! Signal followed.

Influence

Muse has won, among other awards, two Grammys and two Brit Awards, and in 2012 the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. The band shows how rock could blend with classical music, electronics and big themes, and thereby fill stadiums in the twenty-first century too.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1999Showbiz
• 2001Origin of Symmetry
• 2003Absolution
• 2006Black Holes and Revelations
• 2009The Resistance
• 2012The 2nd Law
• 2015Drones
• 2018Simulation Theory
• 2022Will of the People
• 2026The Wow! Signal

See also

• Plug In Baby