Muse’s Supermassive O2 Arena Show Gives The Will Of The People What They Want

by | Oct 7, 2023

Muse have been writing Orwellian anthems for over 20 years. They are as tight a band live as you will ever see and put on a show like few others. The Devon-hailing trio are celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band next year and tonight was the last night of their tour off the back of their ninth studio album. Will Of The People marked the group’s seventh consecutive UK number 1 album and being able to pack out London’s O2 Arena on two consecutive nights demonstrates the longevity and quality of the band from Teignmouth.

Muse @ The O2

Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)
Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Appearing in black hoodies and wearing silver masks, Muse looked like faceless drones, kicking off with the revolution chant of Will Of The People with the initials WOTP emblazoned on a sign in fire behind them.

Bassist Chris Wolstenholme walks down the catwalk of their T-shaped stage surrounded by mesmerised fans as the instantly recognisable bass intro to Hysteria comes in. The first of many moments throughout the night to give goosebumps. Last month marked twenty years since their 3x Platinum third studio record Absolution was released, and whilst not their breakout record, it certainly catapulted them into the top tier of rock acts at the time with a heavier, progressive and more textured sound. The first single from that album, Stockholm Syndrome follows shortly after which ends by going into the riff of Township Rebellion, a song from Rage Against The Machine’s 1992 debut album.

After Syndrome, frontman Matt Bellamy smashes his guitar into the stage and throws it into the amps behind him, before gifting the defunct instrument to a fan in the front row. She has a banner saying she has seen the band over 220 times. They are certainly not a band you would get bored of seeing!

Muse @ The O2

Super Muse Fan @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)
Super Muse Fan @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

The trio’s hunger to put on an immersive sensory overload of a show is one that is unmatched. The show had lasers, confetti, streamers and fire – all within the first 30 minutes! A drill sergeant appears on screen to introduce Psycho from the 2015 GRAMMY® award-winning album Drones, shouting commands with the crowd instructed to shout back “Aye Sir!”.

The stage would regularly go dark with videos displaying on the dual screens flanking the stage, the fictional hellish future and story of an uprising against authority – but this was also a distraction tactic because when the lights came back up for the eighties synth pop influenced Compliance, a gigantic hooded figure towered on the stage. The second single from the Will Of The People record is a pop song built for stages like this. It fits their dystopian imagery which in this instance, takes the view of a villainous establishment, urging blind faith and discouraging critical thinking. This is followed by Thought Contagion from 2018’s 80’s-inspired Simulation Theory LP, which continues in that totalitarian vein.

With confetti still falling from the sky from the previous song, the groovy synth bassline of 2003 hit Time Is Running Out which, word for word, is cried out by thousands of adoring fans in a tremendous crescendo. Drummer Dominic Howard, who is a driving force all night, comes to the front of the stage with his faceless silver mask to play the hypnotic beat for The 2nd Law: Isolated System, sending the masses into a trance-like state.

In an ode to his classical influences, Bellamy sits at a grand piano and effortlessly plays Bach’s Toccata And Fugue In D Minor as a creepy intro into the camp new record tune You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween. The electronic organ-led song is an ode to classic horror films and is received well as the huge hooded figure on stage is now projected with horror characters like Scream and Jigsaw, starts to move from side to side and a massive hand to it’s right containing lights shining into the crowd moves up and down.

With one of the least subtle song titles in music recording history, We Are Fucking Fucked is the doom anthem you never knew you needed. Tongue-in-cheek in it’s frankness, but the nightmarish worlds that they create are reflective of real world issues. If we are actually at death’s door and life is a losing game as they say, then you might as well embrace every moment and at a Muse concert, every moment is celebrated to the max.

An instrumental “Alternate Reality” version of 2018’s The Dark Side is a rare moment to take a breath. They’re so focused that the 45-year-old singer doesn’t even speak to the crowd until 40 minutes into the set, moving seamlessly from song to song. The electric Plug In Baby and glam rock protest song, Uprising, see a halt to the pyrotechnics as these hits don’t need much added to enhance their sucker punch impact. Supermassive Black Hole and Starlight from the 2006’s Black Holes And Revelations are met with fantastic energy from the sell-out crowd, the latter of which see’s the frontman with his arms aloft as 20,000 belt out the chorus.

Muse @ The O2

Chris Wolstenholme of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)
Chris Wolstenholme of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

After a brief hiatus from the stage the band return, diving straight into Will of The People’s Kill Or Be Killed. It takes a moment to register but the stage itself is now in its third incarnation, this time with a 30 foot armour clad, red-eyed bull figure with arms reaching out each side of the stage. To finish what has been a blistering hour and 50 minutes is the tease of Ennio Morricone’s Man With A Harmonica (Wolstenholme stepping forward to be that man) which introduces Knights Of Cydonia, the progressive powerhouse of a song, built for the biggest of stages and loudest of audiences. After 20+ songs of raucous energy from both band and crowd, in unison all in attendance sing “No one’s going to take me alive, the time has come to make things right” before flames fill the stage in all directions. It’s a truly magnificent spectacle that tops off a tremendous evening.

Muse have nothing to prove. Entering their fourth decade as a band has not seen them slow down one bit. Another chart topping album and a tour consisting of 55 shows across 16 countries over an 18 month period is testament to their passion for music. Always evolving as writers, musicians and stage performers, they are arguably performing better than they ever have done.

  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2
  • Muse @ The O2

Review of Muse at London’s O2 Arena on 2nd October 2023 by Chris Lambert. Photography by Kalpesh Patel.

Arlo Parks Devotion Proves She’s Just Too Good At Hammersmith Apollo 

 

Sabrina Carpenter (Press)

Sabrina Carpenter Unveils Full Star-Packed Line-Up For Sold-Out BST Hyde Park 2025 Shows

American Express presents BST Hyde Park has announced the full supporting line-up for pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter’s sold-out headline debut on Saturday 5th July, as well as her follow-up performance on Sunday 6th July. The eagerly anticipated shows mark a major milestone in Carpenter’s meteoric rise, as she joins a coveted roster of BST Hyde Park headliners for 2025.

Taylor Swift @ Wembley Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Taylor Swift Triumphs: Pop Icon Buys Back Rights To Her Original Master Recordings

In a landmark move sending shockwaves through the music industry, Taylor Swift has officially bought back the rights to her original master recordings, marking a triumphant and deeply personal victory in her years-long battle for artistic ownership. The deal closes a turbulent chapter that has fuelled global conversations around creative control, artist rights, and the power dynamics of the modern music business.

Santana (Press)

Carlos Santana Teams Up With Grupo Frontera For Norteño-Rock Fusion ‘Me Retiro’ — Ahead Of UK Tour Dates

Rock legend Carlos Santana has surprised fans yet again—this time by merging his iconic guitar-driven rock sound with...
Blink-182 @ Reading Festival 2024 (Nick Allan)

Reading Festival 2025 Preview: Glitter, Guitars & Glorious Chaos Incoming

Hold on to your bucket hats – Reading Festival 2025 is about to blow the roof off Richfield Avenue from August...

Iggy Pop’s Raw Power Hits Ally Pally

There’s some shows you just can’t miss in good conscience. Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk, last hit the UK for Dog Day Afternoon with Blondie two years ago, and he’s back for a short run of dates. When other punks from the same era are slowing down, settling into nostalgic anniversary shows or stately home summer shows, Pop is sticking to what he knows best: his iconic back catalogue, spread out across a full band, tied together with hypnotic charisma.

Chesney Hawkes (Press)

Chesney Hawkes Announces 2026 ‘Smash It To Pieces’ UK Headline Tour Following A Triumphant Year

Chesney Hawkes, once dubbed the quintessential British pop prince of the early ‘90s, has proved he’s more than just The One And Only. With a creative fire that burns brighter than ever, Hawkes is celebrating a year of musical and personal triumphs as he announces his 2026 Smash It To Pieces UK headline tour — a bold new chapter in a career that continues to evolve far beyond its nostalgic beginnings.

James Morrison (Tom Oxley)

James Morrison Announces Long-Awaited New Album ‘Fight Another Day’, UK Headline Tour This September

BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter James Morrison returns this autumn with his most personal, soul-stirring work to date. His sixth studio album, Fight Another Day, lands on 3rd October 2025, marking his first full-length release in six years — and with it comes a UK headline tour this September, including dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London.

Calva Louise (Henry Calvert)

Calva Louise Walk The Edge Of The Abyss With Cinematic New Single ‘Impeccable’

If the edge of reality had a soundtrack, Calva Louise just wrote it. With new single Impeccable, the genre-fluid...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing