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By NME

Posted on 10/30/09 at 05:20:27 pm

If you've recently formed a band, and are worried you kind of suck, you can probably take heart from this footage of Muse, taken from a Battle Of The Bands at a deserted English Riviera Centre, Torquay, in November 1994 - because they sound awful.

This was not their debut gig - that was in Teignmouth, in February of the same year. But it's certainly one of their first. Matt Bellamy was 16. And it's interesting to note, from the compere's introduction, that they'd changed their name from Rocket Baby Dolls to Muse by this point.

As you might imagine, they sound pretty terrible, clearly influenced by Nirvana's sludgier moments, and there's not much evidence of the mighty musical profiency which they later developed. In fact, it all looks pretty desolate - as local Battle Of The Bands tend to be.

These four clips (there are more after the jump) were posted by Miky Dunn, whose band also played that night.

continued...

19 comments

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katie [Visitor] //October 30 2009 at 18:15
this is what makes me proud to be a muse fan!! great gig boys haha
john [Visitor] //October 30 2009 at 19:01
aaaaaaahahahah i cant belive it
Sean McG [Visitor] //October 30 2009 at 19:47
Ride surely...
Just a Yankee who got here via Google search [Visitor] //October 30 2009 at 20:08
Dude, it's not breaking news AT ALL. These videos have been around for a few months. Although, I must admit when I saw them, I was shocked at how bad they were. Especially Matt's voice, I can't believe he was a bad singer! He's come such long way since then, hard to believe someone's who currently being compared to Freddie Mercury was once actually a worse singer than Kurt Cobain! But even though they were awful, one thing that always remained a constant was that they were always a great live band. You could see the potential. These videos should be shown to every struggling new band who's on the brink of giving up. If Muse could go from that to what they are now, then so can any band that works hard and has ambition and has at least a certain amount of talent, even if it's not a lot, it may evolve into something bigger. This gives me hope for Paramore.
Littlehead [Visitor] //October 31 2009 at 14:21
Well.. that is cerainly awful. :) Turns out good things do take time
President of the United States of Eurasia [Visitor] //November 1 2009 at 02:39
Catch the fuck up, NME. These first caused a stir in Muse World much earlier in the year. Cheeky twats, acting like you just made this massive discovery yourselves. Anyway, what pains me most as a hardcore Muse fan about these videos is not the general shitness of baby Muse's performance (because they must have been cruelly sabotaged somehow - there's just NO way they were ever really this crap), but Matt's Pantene-girl curtain of shiny hair. I mean, WTF?! It's been a long road from there to Sexiest Male 2007 and 2009, hasn't it, Bellamy?
Jack [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 13:58
I disagree with the President. I think once upon a time Muse really were actually this crap.
n00bs [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 15:06
Yes, Muse fans will have seen these but I highly doubt non Muse fans will have, muppets. Great job putting these up NME! I'd love to go back in time and tell them that in just over a decade later they would be selling out Wembley Stadium.
wesley [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 16:02
I dont actually think its that bad.... some decent harmonys/riffs for a bunch of 16 year olds.
gazhat [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 16:46
......wow, a Nirvana covers band that mutated into a Radiohead covers band.....i actually prefer what i've heard here to the god awful Thom Yorke impression he does nowerdays...
Come again? [Visitor] //November 2 2009 at 19:53
gazhat - correct me if I'm wrong but how are they a covers band when they don't actually play any covers of the bands you mentioned? Radiohead make me want to slit my wrists, Muse make me want to rock the fuck out, moron.
jim [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 03:02
i like the cut of your gib gazhat.
Andrew [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 08:02
I agree gazhat. I don't like Muse at all.
Vyache [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 08:04
Yes, Its not so bad! for everyoe who 16 years old.
Sonic Oldie [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 18:58
Sounds like Ride to me. Love those two fans letting it all out. Lol.
The President of the United States of Eurasia [Visitor] //November 3 2009 at 21:04
gazhat and Andrew, the President thinks you are both tasteless twats. Come again?, I think we have much to discuss.
CockRock [Visitor] //November 4 2009 at 11:23
Did they win?
Mackem [Visitor] //November 4 2009 at 17:55
Aaaahhhh bless are the oasis finding it hard to take that Muse are Britains biggest export now Oasis have made thier money and given it up?
luke [Visitor] //November 4 2009 at 22:41
mackem your post is full of win.

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