Beautiful barnacles

Billericay Gazette
16th August 2001

Muse have to be one of the biggest things to crashland on planet rock in recent years. 
 They clinched the Best New Band award in the 2000 NME Carling Premier Awards, toured with fellow V heroes Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Foo Fighters and generally made themselves very well known.
 Make no mistake the Teignmouth trio had no intention of being one album wonders, such is the way they have adhered themselves to their fans like beautiful barnacles. 
 From their humble beginnings in a sleepy Devon town as Rocket Baby Dolls, an accidentally won Battle of the Bands fired the band up for the bigtime. 
 Releasing their first EP, Muse, in May 1998, the band were soon astonishing those at gigs with their dynamic, if a little crazy, live shows. 
 And then they bombed the brains of the rest of us who hadn't been lucky enough to stumble upon them yet with a deluge of singles. 
 Almost operatically, singer Matt Bellamy wailed and snarled his way through Uno, Cave, Muscle Museum and Sunburn constantly accompanied by soaring, unrelenting guitars that held even the most cynical captive. 
 Album Showbiz followed and has since sold more than half a million copies in the UK. 
 And just as British music recovered from their first sonic assault, Muse came back this March with a second album Origin of Symmetry, preceded by single Plug In Baby.
 Slightly kookier this time round, the pathos, pain and power of Muse has never been more prominent. 
Finest hour: Muscle Museum - So good they released it three times. 
Essential listening: Showbiz
Surf's up: www.muse-official.com

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