You may be available to vote for what they play...
Andrew Trendell

15:12 5th July 2016

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The time has come for you to have your says, Muse fans - as frontman Matt Bellamy suggests that the next tour setlist could be decided by you 'by demand' and a petition has been launched. 

This comes after Muse played an epic opening headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury last month - before some days later, headlining Montreux Jazz Festival with a setlist that included deep cuts, fan favourites, rarities and now seldom played tracks such as 'Agitated', 'Hyper Music', 'Fury', 'The Groove', 'Butterflies & Hurricanes', 'Futurism' and 'Micro Cuts'.

However, one fan Tweeted Bellamy to say that they'd been disappointed with recent setlists in comparison, and how they didn't play on enough of the band's back catalogue.

Now, just as they did on the blisteringly intimate Psycho Tour last year, Bellamy has responded to fans to suggest that the band are open to playing club shows where the setlist is decided 'by request':

Now in true fanatical Muser style, the very same fans behind the petition for the band to play a 20th anniversary tour, have launched a new one calling for them to play a 'by request club tour'. 

"On July 2nd 2016, Muse performed at Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland that got a lot of chatter from the fans who were not in attendance," reads the petition. "Why? Because they played a lot of older, rarer songs that fans have been hoping to hear throughout the Drones World Tour.

"Matt Bellamy responded to several Tweets following the gig and has talked about the possibility of a "rarities tour" or "by request type thing" as he put it.

"This has received a lot of positive feedback from the fan community and is something everyone would love to be a part of.

"Suggestions have been made to allow those only in attendance have the ability to select from a list of songs they would like to be played, or have access to a poll created by the band before the gig.

"Something like this wouldn't be a easy task for the band to administer but it is certainly achievable (and being a web developer I am happy to put my hand up to help with this!)

"In 2015 Muse did a similar tour in the UK where they performed rarities and this had a great response from the fans. The locations were intimate and gave a great boost for club venues across the UK."

They added: "Muse are to stop touring end of August 2016 for a well deserved rest. A "By Request" tour would be great to see in 2017 and I would suggest expanding it from the UK to include Europe as well. There have been talks of Muse performing at some US festivals next year so that would open up the opportunity to do some club shows in the US as well. It has also been well noticed that Australia has been missed during the Drones World Tour, so the possibility of having some shows down under would go a long way too!"

- Read and sign the petition here

  • 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.

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Photo: Shirlaine Forrest