Muse, Birmingham NEC
Anyone order a totalitarian cityscape of the future?
When reports circulated a few months back that the stage set for Muse’s forthcoming tour would be comprised of a ‘multi-platform totalitarian world’, the mind boggled. This is the same band whose historic inaugural shows for Wembley Stadium two years ago included mid-air contortionists, giant satellites signalling the skies, and flaming jets... and that was just for starters. What on earth were they going to do this time?
Well, performing atop of three split-level skyscrapers that can lower to the stage was the next logical step (obviously). Draped in massive fabric covers, the ominous mood is established as soon as the arena goes dark, each window on the buildings lighting up one by one, followed by sinister black silhouettes marching down the stairs – an Orwellian nightmare made flesh – then the covers drop: The Resistance has arrived.
‘Uprising’ lives up to all its sinuous call-to-arms glory with severe black and red flashing across the podiums, that double up as clever video screens, getting everyone in the mood for a little civil disobedience. But Matt Bellamy’s vocals sound a touch squeakier than normal (presumably a sound equipment issue), and in next song ‘Resistance’, the jolly disco-funk of “It could be wrong, could be wrong…” gets devoured in the maw of far-too-loud instrumentation, ruining the best part. Both problems get sorted by third number ‘New Born’, impassioned and neurotic as ever, that dazzles with hundreds of green criss-crossed lasers stretching across the venue. Tonight is as much about the stunning visuals as it is about the impressive tunes. Compared to bandmates Dom Howard and Chris Wolstenholme, who look effortlessly casual, frontman Bellamy opts for ‘glam eccentric’ in a black jacket with sequinned shoulder pads, ruffles, and arresting turquoise jeans. You can’t tear your eyes away.
Of the new tracks, ‘Unnatural Selection’ makes for a fun and spirited foray, with heavier prog elements woven in and out, whilst ‘Undisclosed Desires’ gives Bellamy the chance the break out the keytar (surely that’s not seen the light of day since the mid-80s) for a moody and atmospheric rendition. But it’s the epic, audacious ‘United States of Eurasia [+ Collateral Damage]’ that really stuns, incredible beyond belief. Up to this point everything has sounded fantastic, but this takes it further and feels like surround sound on a grand scale, with an ever-shifting map of the Eurasian landmass delineated on the screens. Another standing ovation moment comes with second song of the encore, ‘Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1’, whose eerie, powerful beauty leaves everyone watching in silent awe, whilst haunting blue images of the cosmos swirl before our eyes.
As for the best of the rest, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ is a sexy, grinding beast of a song, with Bellamy flexing his best rockstar moves and pout, but puzzlingly, doesn’t elicit more than an appreciative response (as with ‘Hysteria’). Yet ‘Plug In Baby’ incites a mini-riot and has the crowd going mental, during which several huge confetti-filled balloons are released, much to everyone’s delight. It’s last song of the night though, the brilliant but bonkers ‘Knights of Cydonia’ that turns the standing area into a moshpit frenzy, to the extent the solid floor actually bounces back.
Muse can do little wrong but the lack of attention to early material was a pity, and the Rage Against The Machine-style breakdowns that followed practically every other song got a bit much. Otherwise, wait for next years Q Awards and if there’s a new category of ‘The Greatest Live Show on Earth’, you’ll know just who it’s been made for.
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