NME 2004-09-08 – Its a new category of epicness
This transcription may be inaccurate as we have not seen an original copy.
Matt Bellamy reveals all about the Devon rocker's new songs – and they're inspired by The Strokes!
Muse have spoken to NME about their amazing new direction, describing how a summer of tragedy has brought them closer together than ever before. In the past four months, three hugely acclaimed festival slots at Glastonbury, T in the Park and V Festival have seen Muse become undisputed kings of UK rock music, and last week you voted them Band of the Summer in the NME Great Festival Poll 2004 to prove it.
Shortly before jetting off to Australia for yet more dates, Matt Bellamy took time to tell NME about their future plans – and revealed that their new songs have taken unlikely inspiration form The Strokes.
He said: "They sound like a heavier version of The Strokes, I suppose. They're not necessarily tracks that would make it on to the next album. We're working on a number of different tracks, but usually the stuff we play live early doesn't make it on to the album, but I think we need to start moving forward and start playing some new stuff, whatever it is."
Bellamy explained the unlikely link between Muse and his favourite New Yorkers. He said: "I really like the fast tempo and really melodic stuff. I don't think people would ever hear that within our songs because we're a different style, but I think there's some really strong melodies and some of that has stuck with me."
But fans of the big music can rest assured that the UK's premier space-rockers aren't about to turn into a garage band.
"I've got one song that has definitely gone further," said Bellamy, "a fair bit further! I'm not sure how it's going to be recorded. I think it's a new category of epicness! But a lot of the stuff is a bit more stripped down, a bit more minimal and a bit more exposed as a three-piece band. I think it's something we always try to do, but something happens and we just get carried away and it all goes kind of overboard. I think there's just this built-in thing in us that is always likely to take something to its furthest extreme. And I think we're always trying to taper that with pulling back and being more minimal in our arrangements. With what we do there'll always be that contradiction within songs and within albums between minimal straightforward stuff and ridiculously complex stuff."
Muse are touring Australia and the US until the end of the year, after which time they plan to start recording.
"I think (after Christmas) we'll definitely start working on songs in a serious way and then maybe start recording in the summer," Bellamy revealed. "It'll be the first time we've ever recorded an album in the summer, we've always recorded albums at the beginning of the year, January, or the end of November – all our albums have been recorded in that period, so it'd be nice to record an album in the summer. And if we did that we could maybe do something for the end of the year, but at the latest it'd be early 2006."
Stand-in bass player Morgan Nicholls has travelled to Australia with the band while injured Chris Wolstenholme eases back into playing, and Bellamy didn't rule out the possibility of The Streets/Senseless Things man becoming a permanent fixture. "We might try to get Morgan to play some keyboard stuff," he revealed. "Whether or not that becomes a permanent thing I suppose depends on: one whether it works, and two, whether he wants to do that. We've always talked about trying out some kind of four-piece thing, so this is maybe a chance to give that a go. But one of the things that has come out of all this is that it's made us realise that we do like being a three-piece a lot, because in a way we were forced to extend into a four-piece, and I do think we're maybe better as a three-piece, but as Morgan's with us on the road we'll definitely experiment."
"This means everything to me"
Muse ended the summer as the biggest band in the country. While the UK's other big rock act, The Darkness, floundered, Muse became – through a combination of jaw-dropping musicianship and grit in the face of adversity – the nation's favourite. Last week, NME readers voted them band of the summer in the Great NME Festival Poll.
However, the death of drummer Dominic Howard's father straight after their Glastonbury set, together with Chris Wolstenholme breaking his wrist in the middle of the Curiosa Tour, made this summer Muse's hardest ever. Here, in their own words, is the story of summer 2004.
Glastonbury Triumph
Muse headline the Sunday at Glastonbury.
"Glastonbury was the first time we did a big gig where we really relaxed. About half an hour before the gig we really knew that it was going to be great, and I've never had that feeling before. So onstage I had a great feeling. That was definitely the peak of where we felt we'd ever been."
Glastonbury Tragedy
Dominic's father Bill collapses and dies on-site, minutes after the set finishes.
"It's just beyond belief. It had gone from the peak to the absolute opposite in a matter of minutes. Dom's Dad collapsed on the site. Dom was out there with his Dad, it was unbelievable. Chris' Dad died when he was 18, and so Chris really broke down as well. The band has been together since we were 16 and I remember when it happened to Chris, it was a very tragic point in the band's life. The whole thing was very surreal, very sad, and just complete shock and panic. It's such a difficult thing to comprehend, really."
The Aftermath
With the support of his family, Dominic decides to continue playing with Muse
"We did cancel one gig in Italy which was about four days later and Dom went home with his Mum. It was actually Dom's mum who said she didn't want us to cancel any more gigs – she encouraged Dom to carry on. He wasn't sure, but once we got out there and he played I think it was something that helped him through."
T in the Park
The summer's second headlining performance
"T in the Park stands out because that was one of the first gigs we played in the UK after the tragedy, so in some way there was a feeling that we were fighting through something, and I think we all remember that."
Curiosa
While playing football with The Cooper Temple Clause, Chris breaks his wrist
"We supported The Cure in America and there were a few football games going on. Then Chris broke his wrist. So we had to cancel a load of gigs, then Chris put forward the idea of sticking Morgan in – he used to be in a band that we liked when he was young called the Senseless Things."
Emergency Surgery
Morgan Nicholls has four days to learn the set before V.
"It was intensive. We were doing ten-hour rehearsals. I think he did a good job. We just about got away with Chelmsford, and then Stafford was really, really good."
Triumph at V
Band of the year, anyone?
"V Festival stands out because it was a weird experience."