9.45 AM, 15 minutes before The Virgin opens and before the dozens of
people who had been standing there for a while will rush to get tickets
for the free concert with the band that is said to be "the new Radiohead".
I just could not believe that a band, whose first album had not been
released, could attract so many people. Yet how could we resist to have
a look at the people who, according to the French radio station Oui
FM were going to be England's most talented band's successor? Thankfully,
all the Brett Anderson, Neil Hannon or Richard Ashcroft clones you can
meet at any pop or rock concert in Paris were away at the Eurockennes
festival. Thanks to the festivals for creating diversion! Indeed, all
I knew about MUSE was that they were from England, and this was enough
to attract the whole circle of pop rock fans... and especially the Brit
pop fans who are the most superficial people I have ever met.
9 PM. I was happy to reach the front row, a task that was not too hard
to carry out in the New Morning, with a capacity of 500.
As the lights dimmed, the audience started greeting Matthew Bellamy,
Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme with cheers. I just could not
wait to see what they looked like, if the first thing I would see would
be a bleached-haired puny silhouette; in short, a simple impostor...
and three young faces that did not particularly remind me of anyone
I had seen before appeared to us and took place on stage. Was it possible
that MUSE, whose members seemed to be barely twenty, could be compared
to Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke?
I really did not expect the band to perform their latest single, 'UNO',
first, and thought they would rather play it in the middle of the concert
to boost the audience's enthusiasm... but when the chords of this tango
made in England opened the show and echoed all over the place, my skepticism
faded away. The guitar's purring told the audience that they were the
successor of nobody, because they are already a great band. I was properly
stunned by the confidence that the prodigious musicians showed during
the first concert they played as headliners. For the first time, French
people were not late! For the first time, I was not late in the least.
I got to know a band that will become very big in the months to come.
Indeed, though the first album will not be released until early September,
if you haven't heard of MUSE
yet, you're already lagging behind!
MUSE is the kind of band in which each musician can prove himself, a
perfect balance for which all the instruments are indispensable. The
guitar part is not only meant to accompany the singing, but also plays
on the rhythm variation; notes played out of time, transition notes,
arpeggio unfurled in turn while the bass gave a second melody to the
songs and, when needed, fierce energy. The bass has a primary role in
many songs, notably in the very catchy 'Uno', where it sets the tango
rhythm, and in 'Muscle Museum', where it brings to mind the incessant
ticking of a clock.
Not only the instruments are important - the sound effects, which immersed
the audience in a strange world, are as well; sometimes imitating the
sound of sheet metal crashing against the wall, sometimes spreading
a Vangelis-like keyboard sound.
The front man barely gave the audience time for a breather. He swiftly
said a modest "thanks very much" at the end of each song before starting
another one. And as time flied, I grew more amazed by Matthew's voice
- his talented singing only equals his talent with the guitar. He is
obviously one of those singers who, no matter if they are growling or
gently whispering (as in the very bluesy 'Falling Down') can make you
forget who and where you are with their crystal-clear falsetto.
For 'Unintended', a song Matthew wrote and recorded in one day, Chris
left the bass and played the keyboards. Listening to this song, rapturous
with the tragic streak of the melody, you could easily imagine yourself
floating in the air on the way to heaven, guided by an angel's voice...
a voice that sounded familiar to me, I cannot deny it.
Juggling with the bass, the double bass, the keyboard and singing the
chorus, Chris is apparently the odd-job man. Not surprising to see him
concentrate so on his part... and imperturbable even when becoming half
blind because of a stupid girl taking pictures just in front of him
(that is to say me).
Matthew announced 'Show Biz', which is also the title of the forthcoming
album. This song, whose sound effects inexplicably makes me think of
a science-fiction film that would relate the world's downfall, was supposed
to end the show, but if the band believed that we were going to let
them go that way, they were completely wrong. The curtain call presented
us with two more titles. Two more titles that made me wonder whether
Matthew Bellamy was Farinelli's reincarnation, and made some other people
wonder whether all this was not an excuse for the singer to show his
voice range. But when you have one of the most bewitching voices on
Earth, why not take advantage of it?
Finally the roadies disconnected the cables. But I knew this was not
the end, rather the beginning for three fully fledged musicians whose
performance leaves you breathless, and who obviously are going to get
talked about. Indeed, they are exceptional musicians; they have a marvelous
singer, some brilliant sound effects and very catchy melodies... and,
sooner than they could have thought, loads of fans after them! What
more can they ask for?
10.30 PM: After half an hour's fight with another fan, I finally got
a drum stick and left. I regret that I could not talk to MUSE, just
in case talent could be imparted through conversation. Furthermore,
who knows where in Paris they will play next? Maybe in a 6000 capacity
place surrounded by barbed wire and hundreds of watchmen constantly
on the lookout to prevent hysterical fans from getting too close to
their idols. Besides, my new heroes might be very talented, but, as
opposed to public transport, they were not going to get me home, so
I left, telling myself that angels are imaginary creatures anyway.
This report doesn't sound very professional, does it? That is probably
because of me trying to avoid the barren comparisons. Nevertheless,
to save something from the wreck, I am going to make one of those comparisons
that the press worships so much: If you're going to a concert with MUSE
expecting to see Thom Yorke playing some Jeff Buckley songs emulating
Nirvana, remixed by Les Rythmes Digitales with a Boyzone choreography,
I'm afraid you've got the wrong band.
