Showbiz Tour

Lore & Background

The only live performance milestones mentioned for this early period are their gigs supporting Skunk Anansie in late 1999 and the release of the Muse EP on 11 May 1998, followed by the Muscle Museum EP in January 1999. After winning a local battle of the bands in 1994, they quit their jobs to pursue music seriously, but it does not outline a specific touring strategy or narrative for the Showbiz era. Their very first gigs were in Teignmouth in 1994, not the Skunk Anansie support shows.

Reader's Guide

The first detailed tour description in the text relates to the year-long international support of Absolution (2003), which included Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, and France, but no such details exist for a Showbiz-era tour.

Did You Know?

• The band's name Muse was chosen because they thought it looked good on a poster.
• Muse signed with Maverick Records on 24 December 1998 after a showcase in New York.
• Origin of Symmetry was not released in the US until September 2005 because Maverick Records did not consider Bellamy's vocals 'radio-friendly'.

Origins and Early Formation

The members of Muse played in separate school bands at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s. Matt Bellamy joined Dominic Howard's band, Carnage Mayhem, which was renamed Gothic Plague. Chris Wolstenholme joined as bassist after being asked to leave Fixed Penalty, and the band became Rocket Baby Dolls with a goth-glam image. They received a £150 grant from the Prince's Trust. In 1994, they won a local battle of the bands by smashing their equipment, an act Bellamy described as a protest that shocked them into taking themselves seriously. They quit their jobs, changed their name to Muse, and moved away from Teignmouth.

Debut Era and Artistic Development

After building a fanbase, Muse supported Skunk Anansie in London and Manchester. They met Dennis Smith at Sawmills Studio, leading to the release of the Muse EP on 11 May 1998 and the Muscle Museum EP on 11 January 1999. The latter reached number 3 in the indie singles chart. In December 1998, they signed with Maverick Records after a showcase in New York. Their debut album, Showbiz, was released in 1999, produced by John Leckie and Paul Reeve. It showcased an aggressive yet melancholic style with lyrics about relationships and establishing themselves.

Symmetry and Musical Expansion

Origin of Symmetry (2001) incorporated wider instrumentation including church organs, Mellotrons, animal bones, and expanded drum kits. The album featured Bellamy's falsetto and influences from Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello. It included a cover of 'Feeling Good' released as a double A-side with 'Hyper Music'. Maverick Records refused to release it in the US due to vocal concerns, leading Muse to leave the label; it was not released there until September 2005.

Legacy and Global Achievements

Muse has won two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, five MTV Europe Music Awards, and eight NME Awards. In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. As of 2022, they had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Their career progression from Showbiz (1999) to The Wow! Signal (2026) includes seven consecutive UK number-one albums starting with Absolution.