Muse kicked off their new era by debuting new songs from upcoming album ‘The Wow! Signal‘ and airing fan favourites at their return to London’s O2 Academy Brixton last night (Friday April 3). Check out photos, footage, the setlist and more below.
Fans had been queuing from the day before to get to the front row for the Devonshire space rock trio’s first performance at the iconic venue since May 2001. An intimate show for the stadium band, demand was high with tickets selling out almost immediately after they announced the gig after details of their 10th album ‘The Wow! Signal’ and shared new single ‘Be With You‘.
After keeping fans in anticipation until 9.20pm, the band arrived on stage after the PA played Chvrches‘ ‘Clearest Blue’ and Muse simmered into ‘Interlude’ before an explosive opening of the bass-driven ‘Hysteria’ from 2003’s ‘Absolution‘. They then burst into the Depeche Mode-indebted ‘Black Holes & Revelations‘ highlight ‘Map Of The Problematique’ before frontman Matt Bellamy asked the crowd, “Do you fancy a new song?” before introducing ‘Cryogen’ – a blast of classic Muse harking back to their ’00s days with wailing riff, arena-destroying chorus and painting an apocalyptic sci-fi landscape.
Other cuts from ‘The Wow! Signal’ came with last year’s metal-edged ‘Unravelling’ and the live debut of recent single ‘Be With You’, the latter landed like an old favourite and complete with a ticker tape and confetti explosion.
“Last time we played here was 25 years ago when we were little kids,” Bellamy told the crowd at one point, harking back to their 2001 Brixton gig on the eve of the release of their seminal second album ‘Origin Of Symmetry‘. “Who was here? I think we played this one”.
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A rapturously-received ‘New Born’ followed before Bellamy addressed the crowd again. “That’s from the good old days right there,” he began. “Speaking of…,” he said, teasing the howling guitar opening to the classic ‘Plug In Baby’ before a tender stripped-back rendition of debut album ‘Showbiz’ rarity ‘Unintended’.
Before teasing that they’d be “back in November” – seemingly for a full UK arena tour – Muse closed their first set with the operatic ‘United States of Eurasia’, the Prince-y sleaze of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, the fist-pumping call-to-arms of ‘Uprising’ and the maximum crowd participation of standard set closer ‘Knights of Cydonia’.
They then returned for an encore of an electro remix of ‘The 2nd Law: Isolated System’ with just drummer Dom Howard and producer/keys man Dan Lancaster on stage, before Bellamy (now in glowing LED jacket and glasses) and bassist Chris Wolstenholme returned for pop-heavy closing of ‘Undisclosed Desires’ and the clap-along hit ‘Starlight’. Check out the full setlist and photos below.
Muse’s O2 Academy Brixton setlist was:
‘Hysteria’
‘Map of the Problematique’
‘Cryogen’
‘Resistance’
‘Unravelling’
‘Psycho’
‘Kill or Be Killed’
‘Be With You’
‘New Born’
‘Plug In Baby’
‘Unintended’
‘United States of Eurasia’
‘Supermassive Black Hole’
‘Uprising’
‘Knights of Cydonia’
Encore:
‘The 2nd Law: Isolated System’
‘Undisclosed Desires’
‘Starlight’
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Described as an album exploring “cosmic mystery” and “existential hope”, ‘The Wow! Signal’ will arrive on June 26. Muse have also announced a 2026 North American arena tour with Bloc Party, The Temper Trap and Portugal. The Man.
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