Who is Muse?

Muse is a British alternative rock band that made its way into the music scene in the early 1990's and hasn't left since. Muse only consists of three members, each talented in their own right. The band has delved into different sound experimentations over the years, dabbling in the sounds of space rock, progressive metal, electronic music, art rock, and rock opera, among others. Accompanied by lyrics largely of a dystopian nature, the band has found great success, winning numerous awards (including 4 Grammy Awards) and selling millions of albums across the board.

A band of many names

This is Muse!

Before it was known as Muse, the band's name changed several times. Dominic Howard created Carnage Mayhem, and after Matt Bellamy auditioned for them and became their songwriter and lead singer in 1992, the band's name was changed to Gothic Plague.

Shortly after, Chris Wolstenholme joined as the band's bassist, and Gothic Plague became Rocket Baby Dolls. They adopted a "goth-glam" image and received a £150 grant from the Prince's Trust for equipment.

In 1994, Rocket Baby Dolls participated in a local battle of the bands. They smashed their equipment during their performance as a statement and protest. Thinking that had certainly disqualified them, they were surprised to find that not only were they not disqualified, but they had won the whole thing. This was the event that made the three of them take the band seriously. They quit their jobs, moved away, and renamed the band one last time, deciding to call it Muse.

Promising beginnings

From 1998 to 2000, Muse built their fanbase and played their first gigs in London and Manchester, supporting another British rock band, Skunk Anansie, on tour. This resulted in a successful meeting with Sawmills Studio owner Dennis Smith, who had known the boys' parents and had seen them grow up. This meeting led to the band's first serious recordings, and in May, 1998, they released their first EP, the self-titled Muse EP.

January 11, 1999 saw the release of their second EP, Muscle Museum. During this time, British labels were reluctant to sign the band despite the success of Muscle Museum, which reached #3 on the Indie Singles chart. The director of A&R at Columbia Records flew them out to the US to meet with the senior VP of Columbia Records, Tim Divine, and with Rick Rubin from American Recordings. On December 24, 1998, they signed a deal with Maverick records.

After returning from the US, Taste Media arranged various deals for Muse with several record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them more control over their career in individual countries. Later that year, Muse played the Emerging Artist's stage at Woodstock '99, and, before the year was over, they had signed with Dennis Smith and his partner (and Muse's future manager), Safta Jeffery.

...and the rest was history!

Their first album, Showbiz, was released October of 1999. In 2001, their second album, Origin of Symmetry, contained a lot of experimentation with other sounds (such as a church organ, Mellotron, animal bones, and an expanded drum kit) and was well-received by critics. Maverick, however, disagreed and asked Muse to rerecord Origin of Symmetry's title song, telling them that they felt that Matt's voice wasn't "radio-friendly". Muse refused and left the label, and the album wasn't released in the US until 2005, after Muse signed with Warner Bros.

Origin of Symmetry ended up being Muse's first big hit. The album received positive reviews by critics; NME gave the album 9/10 and wrote: "It's amazing for such a young band to load up with a heritage that includes the darker visions of Cobain and Kafka, Mahler and The Tiger Lillies, Cronenberg and Schoenberg, and make a sexy, populist album."

Origin of Symmetry has made appearances on lists of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s, both poll-based and on publication lists. In 2006, it placed at number 74 on Q magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of All-Time, while in February 2008, the album placed at number 28 on a list of the Best British Albums of All Time determined by the magazine's readers. Kerrang! placed the album at number 20 in its 100 Best British Rock Albums Ever! List and at number 13 on its 50 Best Albums of the 21st Century list. Acclaimed Music ranks Origin of Symmetry as the 1,247th greatest album of all time.

Since the release of Origin of Symmetry, Muse has released success after success (see Discography below), cementing themselves as one of the greatest influences in Alternative Rock History.

Facts and Figures

Year established: 1994
Members: Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard
Labels: Helium 3, Warner, Mushroom, Taste, East West, Dangerous, Maverick
Albums created: 8
Albums sold: 20 million

Timeline

1992 - The band forms
Mar 1, 1998 - Muse releases their first EP, Muse EP
Dec 24, 1998 - Muse signs a deal with Maverick Records
Jan 11, 1999 - Muscle Museum EP released
Oct 4, 1999 - First album, Showbiz, released
Jun 23, 2000 - Muse plays Glastonbury Festival 2000, the members' favorite show of all time
Jun 17, 2001 - Second album, Origin of Symmetry, is released
Jun 30, 2002 - Muse releases Hullabaloo, their first documentary, and Hullabaloo Soundtrack
2003 - Muse sues Nestle for using their music
Sept 22, 2003 - Muse releases fourth album, Absolution
Jun 25, 2004 - Muse plays Glastonbury Festival 2004
Jul 3, 2006 - Fifth album, Black Holes and Revelations, released
Jun 16, 2007 - Muse becomes first band to sell out the newly-built Wembley Stadium in London
Mar 17, 2008 - Muse releases HAARP, their first live album
Sep 14, 2009 - Muse releases sixth album, The Resistance
2012 - The band receives the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors

Band Members

Matt Bellamy

Personal Information

Full name: Matthew James Bellamy
Birthday: June 9, 1978
Age:
Birthplace: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England

Music Career

Position(s): Singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, keyboardist
Years active: 1991 - present
Labels: Helium 3
Associated acts: Muse, The Jaded Hearts Club

Chris Wolstenholme

Personal Information

Full name: Christopher Tony Wolstenholme
Birthday: December 2, 1978
Age:
Birthplace: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

Music Career

Position(s): Bassist, vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist
Years active: 1991 - present
Labels: Warner Bros., East West, Atlantic, Helium 3
Associated acts: Muse, The Jaded Hearts Club

Dominic Howard

Personal Information

Full name: Dominic James Howard
Birthday: December 7, 1977
Age:
Birthplace: Stockport, Greater Manchester, England

Music Career

Position(s): Drummer, percussionist
Years active: 1994 - present
Labels: Warner Bros., Mushroom, East West, Helium 3, Taste
Associated acts: Muse, Vicky Cryer, Dr. Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club, Frank Turner