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Muse is a British rock trio, consisting of Matthew Bellamy, guitarist and singer, Chris Wolstenhome, bassist, and Dominic Howard, drummer. The band's music derives from early Radiohead and 90s alternative rock, but also is influenced by baroque music.
The band formed in 1993 (see 1993 in music) in Teignmouth, Devon, originally under the name Gothic Plague, when all band members were 13. In spite of their constant performing throughout the area, Muse was unable to gain a reputation outside Devon.
However, in Teignmouth during 1996, a contest called "Battle Of The Bands" was held. Most bands taking part played pop or funk, typical of the musical scene in the region. The only execption was Muse.
According to Bellamy, "We came on stage with make-up all over our face, we were very aggressive, we played very violently and then we broke everything on stage. All that to say that the will, the attitude meant a lot to us. So we won." After playing their first "real" concert, Muse became more focused and serious. They released a self-titled EP in 1997 on Dangerous Records.
In 1998 (see 1998 in music), they began working with the record company TasteMedia and soon gained the interest of several major labels. They signed to Maverick Records in the US, Motor Records in Germany, Mushroom Records in the UK and Naîve Records in France. Their debut album, Showbiz (1999), was produced by John Leckie (who had worked with Radiohead on The Bends).
Their second album, Origin of Symmetry, included the singles "Feeling Good", "Newborn" and "Plug in Baby". In 2002 (see 2002 in music), they released a live DVD called Hullabaloo, which was a concert recorded in Paris. These releases saw Muse's singles and albums slowly climbing to the upper reaches of the British charts.
On 30 September 2003 Muse released their most recent work, Absolution. The album included a web-released single "Stockholm Syndrome", as well as a 'real', commerically available single, "Time is Running Out". The latter reached #8 in the UK, becoming Muse's first top ten hit and propelling the album to the top of the charts. Follow-up releases included "Hysteria" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes". Muse has gained a worldwide following, and are focused on trying to break into the US.History
