8 things we learned from Muse's UK Psycho tour

We went along to the epic final night of the tour at Brighton Dome

Andrew Trendell
10:09 24th March 2015

"We lived in Brighton for most of 2002," Matt Bellamy declares to a howling south coast crowd. "It's like a cooler Teignmouth," he chuckles, with a nod to Muse's hometown. "We lived in Winston Churchill's house and wrote most of Absolution here - it got a bit weird."

Now we've gone full circle, as Muse get back in the same insane spirit of their earlier days, we went along to the final night of their intimate UK Pyscho tour at Brighton Dome. Here are eight things we learned.

1. 'Dead Inside' is a great choice for single
Many have bemoaned the unrocky elements of Drones' lead single - the opening track of an album that's said to return Muse to their heavier roots. Well, they're wrong. The fact of the matter is that the track is pure Muse to its core, and the proof comes in the very reason the band exist: playing live.

Most fans here tonight have been too busy queuing on the streets of Brighton to be able to hear the new track on radio, but the reaction saved for its live premiere is one of automatic, unconditional love. In a similar pop vein to 'Madness' and 'Undisclosed Desires', the track bubbles along with a sweet and infectious yearning, while live the rockier elements, soaring crescendo and piercing, punctuating arena drums leave us in no doubt that this is will soon be a favourite in their set, let alone an epic album opener.

2. The new material sounds amazing
It actually works as quite a genius move that 'Psycho' is based on a riff that's about 16-years-old. There's no such thing as a 'casual' Muse fan, so all are more than familiar with this bone-crunching piece of guitar menace, so 'Psycho' doesn't feel like a new track at all - in fact, the guitar riff alone is sung back at a similar volume to that of 'Plug In Baby', let alone the throat-searing howl of "I'M GUNNA MAKE YOU...A FUCKING PSYCHO". 'Reapers' too is no less than the sound of a band picking up the thread of all that makes them great, and firing it into the stratosphere.

3. When Muse said 'back to basics', they meant it
No bells, no whistles, no spaceships, no tricks - hell, there's not even a piano on stage. The only real arena vanity that the band have brought with them tonight is some huge black balloons for 'Bliss'. The truth is that Muse have made a conscious effort to strip away the pomp and indulgences of their stadium spectacle to draw your attention to what lies at the heart of Muse's reason for being: three childhood friends losing their minds in the name of rock. They've always been able to make the most vast arena feel vast, but the truth is that fans have never felt closer to Muse - long may this continue.

4. Muse fans are only ever seconds away from a circle pit
Seriously, we lost count of the amount of times a feral whirlwind erupted. They can tell what's coming just by the pitch of Bellamy's guitar squeal. The world 'cult' is thrown around a lot, but the mutual waves of undying devotion between band and fans is like no other. We'd be as bold to use the word 'religious'.

5. With Muse, there is no such thing as a 'rarity'
Throughout the tour, Muse have been dropping b-sides and lesser played tracks such as 'Agitated', 'Fury' and 'The Groove' - but now, after seeing it in the flesh, we're loathed to use the word 'rarity'. "This is a cheap b-side," smiles Bellamy, introducing 'The Groove', but we fail to see what's 'rare' about a track that inspires such a unified and familiar reaction. All Muse fans know Muse inside out.

6. Their earlier material has been such a long time coming
With many bands, early material falls by the wayside for the newer tracks to appease the newcoming casual fans. But as we've discussed, there's no such thing as a 'casual' Muser, so when debut album Showbiz's first single 'Uno' drops in the encore, it's as fresh an explosion as it ever was, and is a startling reminder of how the band arrived on the scene as a musical vision fully formed.

7. Whether an intimate hall or an arena, all that matters is Muse
When they kick in to 'Starlight' and the Dome is unified in the syncopated handclaps, or when you're bellowing back "I WANT YOU NOW" during 'Hysteria', you lose all sight that we're in a venue with a capacity of less than 2,000. We could be at Wembley, we could be at the Exeter Cavern, we could be at Glastonbury, we could be in a band rehearsal - the truth is that no one seizes the moment quite like Muse.

8. They are going to smash Download Festival
What doubt could possibly exist in your mind? If the hard and heavy sounds of 'Psycho' and 'Reapers' weren't enough to quash the cynics, rest assured that what we witnessed tonight is enough to bring Download to its muddy knees. They've more mosh-pit-friendly moments than most Download regulars, and have a canon so loaded with modern rock classics, that they're more than worthy to follow in the footsteps of AC/DC, Metallica and Black Sabbath in treading on the hallowed soil of Donington. Having already dominated headline slots at Reading and Glastonbury multiple times, Download appears to be their final challenge - but they'll crush it, oh so effortlessly. Ask yourself - if they don't, then who will? Their time is now.

Your next chance to see Muse in the UK will be when they headline Download Festival. See below for tickets and details.

17. 'Endlessly': A sorely overlooked gem from Absolution, showcasing the band's rarely seen subtle side as Bellamy mournfully pines over trip-hop beats and haunting electronica.
16. 'Supremacy': The name's Bellamy, Matt Bellamy. A lot has been written about how this is the best Bond tune that never was - and how. With stadium rock anthemics, shrieking histrionics, call-to-arms lyrics and one helluva riff, this is all that Muse do best in one fierce and epic beast.
15. 'Agitated': Muse's first three records came with a plethora of incredible b-sides - surprising early fans by showing their more unhinged side. From the dark art-rock of 'Spiral Static' to the twisted madness of 'Yes Please', their b-sides are a treasure trove of awesomeness for fans to discover - but it's 'Agitated' above all others that has a special place in the hearts of Musers.
14. 'Microcuts': By far one of the most challenging and astounding tracks they've ever recorded, it lies at the centre of what makes Origin Of Symmetry such a masterpiece: darkness, paranoia, fearless ambition, and it's heavy as hell. That outro riff sounds bloody brilliant live too.
13. 'Map Of The Problematique': It's essentially their take on Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence', which was only ever going to be wonderful.
12. 'Resistance': The sound of Matt, Dom and Chris travelling back to the 1980s for some Ultravox meets Depeche Mode stadium cheese. Come on, Wembley: "Love is our resiiiiiiiiistaaaaaaaaaaance"
11. 'Dead Star': The closest Muse have come to metal, this stand-alone single was a double A-side with the magnificent 'In Your World' in 2002 and really does deserve to be played live. There's so much to enjoy: that riff, that chorus, those drums, that bassline, that scream: "FIIIGHTING YOURSEEEEELF"...
10. 'Hyper Music': Few bands could get away with releasing a track this delightfully demonic as a single.
9: 'Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist': Matt Bellamy channelling The Smiths, with surprisingly brilliant results.
8. 'Hysteria': One of the most iconic basslines of the last 20 years, let alone one of the finest and most anthemic rock singles of the millennium.
7. 'Knights Of Cydonia': One of those rare incredible tracks that's perfect for both giving a show an explosive opening, or ending on an almighty high. This space-rock magnum opus where Ennio Morricone meets Queen and Star Wars is probably the best song about war on Mars that you'll ever hear.
6. 'Newborn': The incredible opener to the seminal Origin Of Symmetry, this was the first track to really crystallise the epic melodrama and balls-out madness that Muse would come to do so well. From the haunting lullaby-esque intro to that monolithic riff, guitar solo, the desperate gasps in between vocals and absolutely MEGA chorus, it's far more worthy of the classic status that 'Plug In Baby' overshadows it with.
5. 'Muscle Museum': Their first track to really get people's attention, it sounds as essential today as it did back in 1999. The arresting combination of syncopated drums, that chugging robotic bassline and Greek guitar (not to mention one of Bellamy's highest-pitched howls) have left fans gagging for its return to their live set.
4. 'Supermassive Black Hole': It may totally ape the sound of underrated Belgian stoner-rockers Millionaire (something the band themselves admit) but that menacing combo of Marilyn Manson and Prince makes for Muse's sexiest moment, most accessible and awesome single.
3. 'Space Dementia': This thundering piano epic is an entire opera, packed into six minutes.
2. 'Madness': Beautiful stuff. Why? It simply boils down the elements of Muse's most interesting latter day experiments into a pure and simple form. It picks up the ambient and minimal electronica that they last covered on Absolution's 'Endlessly' and lifts it with the groove of 'Sign O' The Times' by Prince and drives it along with the slow but bright-burning fire of U2' Achtung Baby and the life-affirming 'A Kind Of Magic' by Queen. All the bombast is laid to rest in a bright and elegant bubble of pop.
1. 'Citizen Erased': The jewel in the glittering crown of Origin Of Symmetry, fan favourite 'Citizen Erased' sees Muse set the bar for ambitious stadium rock. At a time when everyone was stripping their sound down to meet the ascent of Converse-wearing garage rock, Muse were storming the world with their freakshow live tour as three mad scientists showed that rock wasn't stale - the focal point of those gigs being this 7 minute, multi-layered, modern rock existential odyssey. It's their 'Paranoid Android' - albeit infinitely better.