Muse gave live debuts to two new tracks from new album ‘Drones’ at Belfast venue Ulster Hall last night (March 15). See fan shot footage of new song ‘Reapers’ below, now.
Arriving onstage to Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’, the band opened their set with new song ‘Psycho’, much to the delight of the sell-out crowd who are familiar with a riff that has been floating around Muse live sets in various guises since 1999.
Whilst the ‘Drones’ album artwork draped behind the band onstage suggested that the gig would be about showcasing the band’s seventh studio album, the audience were treated mainly to a wide array of old favourites with just two new songs in the set.
Muse’s new album ‘Drones’: Everything we know so far
‘Plug In Baby’ was met with a mass singalong from the crowd, whilst ‘Uno’, from the 1999 album ‘Showbiz’, received its first live performance since 2003. Frontman Matt Bellamy pondered the latter, saying: “We think we last played this song nearly fifteen years ago.”
Later on in the set Bellamy thanked the audience and revealed a family connection with the city, “We’re glad to be back in Belfast guys. My mum was born right here in Belfast. I’d like to dedicate this song to my mum – it is mother’s day of course”, Bellamy declared, before launching into ‘Fury’. Later, Bellamy dedicated ‘Uprising’ to his late Uncle: “He was killed here in 1979 in the Troubles”.
Bellamy also seemed impressed with the crowd’s raucousness when a mosh pit which broke out during ‘Knights of Cydonia’ and ‘Hysteria’. “You guys have been fucking awesome, thanks for coming”. The ensuing rendition of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ did little to calm the atmosphere.
The set ended with new song ‘Reapers’, the only other track from ‘Drones’ to receive an airing. Relatively stripped back and riff-heavy, it’s a new track that the 1,800 strong Belfast crowd got behind as they stamped and clapped their way throughout. Described by one audience member as “Fantastic – very ’80s sounding”, another went even further in their endorsement, stating “They didn’t even need to end on an old number, it [Reapers] was so good.”
Muse Played:
‘Psycho’
‘Plug In Baby’
‘Fury’
‘Uno’
‘Hysteria’
‘Stockholm Syndrome’
‘Hyper Music’
‘Agitated’
‘Supermassive Black Hole’
‘Unnatural Selection’
‘Uprising’
‘Knights of Cydonia’
‘Animals’
‘Time Is Running Out’
‘Reapers’
Muse’s seventh studio album is due for release on June 8. The album’s first official single, ‘Dead Inside’, will premiere on March 23. The 12-track LP will be released on June 8 and is the follow up to 2012’s ‘The 2nd Law’.
The band’s series of live dates continue in Glasgow tonight (March 16). The band will also play gigs in Newport, Exeter, Manchester and Brighton.
Muse will play:
Belfast Ulster Hall (March 15)
Glasgow Barrowlands (16)
Newport Centre (19)
Exeter Great Hall (20)
Manchester Academy (22)
Brighton Dome (23)