Muse

Glastonbury Festival 2000

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th June 2000
Worthy Farm, Pilton, nr Glastonbury, Somerset, England
£89 including booking fee and postage

Daily capacity: 80,000

Muse
Other Stage
19:30 24th June 2000

This years short trek from Devon to Glastonbury saw the Muse trio playing a serious slot on the Other Stage after last years festival baptism in the new bands tent (accompanied by a tour bus this time) underlying the success of their 'showbiz' album.

Fittingly there was a great turn out for them, many people intrigued by the anthemic tunes that are on the album and which have led to Radiohead comparisons. Surprise then when Matt Belamey and crew arrived on stage shouting "check out these riffs" and then launched into an energetic guitar fest for the first 2 tracks, which included Dark Skies, dismissing any preconceptions that the first time viewer may have had.

The audience rose to Bellamey's rock showmanship and energy that typifies Muse live as opposed to the composed and melodic sound that dominates the album. They followed this introduction with a run through many of the album tracks including Showbiz, Sunrise and the latest single Unintended which had the crowd singing along.

Bellamey's immense vocal range and the continual series of melodic tracks won over any doubters in the audience and Muse can consider this important outing a success. Have they hit the big time? An busy festival schedule will ensure exposure and whilst their set isn't exactly polished, the energy, enthusiasm and talent wins the day. The final act was some onstage tomfoolery that resulted in the drum kit being destroyed. How very rock and roll….didn't seem corny though.

review by: Stuart McCandlish