Photo: Wenn

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has claimed the band have had to pay bribes to be allowed to use their extravagant stage effects in the past.

Speaking to The Sun, the frontman said the band’s representatives have had to argue and barter with local councils, police and promoters so they can put on their impressive stage performances.

“In Rome, we had to bribe people with thousands of euros just to be allowed to blast our fire effects. We had to phone the British Embassy in Rome and argue with some official. If you want to do things like this on the move, it’s quite a big deal.

“It’s pretty bloody expensive, though,” he added. “It’s pretty mind-boggling how much, actually.”

When Muse played Coventry earlier this year residents thought their local stadium had caught fire thanks to the band rehearsing with their special effects.

Muse have become known for their impressive stage shows

Flames rising about the Ricoh Arena led to fans taking to Twitter and Facebook to fret that the stadium had caught fire, forcing Muse to take to their own Twitter account to clarify what was going on.

Last month Muse played a free show to 15,000 people in London to celebrate the premier of Word War Z, which they provided music for.

Below: Top 10 Instagram pictures of Muse in Coventry