Muse

Frequently feted for boldly going where most bands refuse to go, Devon trio Muse have never been a band likely to settle for the easy option. Showcasing frontman Matt Bellamy’s acrobatic falsetto and his band’s grasp of moody, melancholic alt-rock soundscapes, they immediately set out their stall with 1999’s Showbiz, and their music has continued to take on ever more epic qualities in the years since.

With its romantic classical influences, 2001’s Origin Of Symmetry hinted at Muse’s ambition, with its successor, Absolution, giving the group the first of seven consecutive UK No.1 albums. Yet even that album’s success was usurped by 2006’s Black Holes And Revelations, which threw electronica and huge pop hooks into the mix and catapulted the band onto the international stage.

They could have coasted from thereon in, but Bellamy and co have taken their audience with them, with albums such as The Resistance and The 2nd Law positioning them among the world’s biggest stadium-filling acts. To their credit, Muse continue to break new ground, with recent titles such as the synth-heavy Simulation Theory and 2022’s eclectic Will Of The People flaunting sonic innovation while earning the group further silverware for their trophy cabinet.