Tonight was to be a big night of firsts, not one, not two but an almighty three, and I was more than a little chuffed to be here. The first time I’d travelled all of twenty minutes from home to a gig at Wembley Arena, the first time I get to see NOISETTES, who lived up to their reputation and showed us why they deserved to be on tour with stadium giants Muse. And also, tonight is the first time I get to see Muse live and be completely blown away by their fantastic show. (not counting the tv footage of them playing this year’s Reading, or seeing them years ago in a low key afternoon slot at Big Day Out in New Zealand, where my first impressions were spoiled by the the shitty sound during their set.)
Noisettes formed in 2003 and are a true example of a good old gnarly rock’n’ roll attitude. Seriously tight and rockin’ with a certain added kick from having a crazy gutsy lady fronting the act. They deliver driving, positive life affirming sounds - their drummer Jamie Morrison for example, is all a blur of sticks and bushy hair thrashing around – he’s an animal! What makes this band so refreshing though, is the fiery passionate vocals of Shingai Shoniwa. That all powerful soulful rock chick voice soars up from the biggest roars down to a delicate whisper, spiced up with Bjork-like shrieks and squawks. She’s wearing her best silver tights and a black tutu, and springs and bends all over the stage like a maniac. Guitarist Dan Smith has on possibly the loudest shirt he could find, if only to accentuate the licks he’s playing. They know how to make a good impression. Some of the highlights tonight are ‘Scratch Your Name’, the storming ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘Iwe’, and the reflective, melodic ‘Count of Monte Christo’. They’re a band with a distinctive look and an addictive sound that makes them one worth watching.
And so, it’s time for Muse to take the stage. The anticipation in the air is palpable.. and at the end of the night all I could say was that they were nothing short of spellbinding. It was amazing. They played for nearly 2 hours, and we were all in awe.
The lights, the music, the size of the circle pit at the end… I felt like I was at a festival. The first hour flew by – they started with ‘Take a Bow’ and beams of purple and green lights blast out from the stage . On the left is this thing that looks like a huge spaceship, completely covered with lights that seamlessly meld into the visuals on the giant backdrop behind them. As the first song begins, the roof of the ship lifts up, revealing their drummer Dom, inside. Now that’s what I call a stage entrance. They continue with ‘Starlight’ as stars fly in the background, and then we switch from that euphoric mood to one of the sexiest Muse songs there is ‘Supermassive Black Hole’. The show Muse put on is truly an overwhelming sight to behold. Of course, this isn’t news to anyone who’s been to one before, but if you haven’t, it’s like huge song after huge song, in an amazing setting, with the most massive sense of occasion. You have to remember there’s only three guys on this stage, and they’re completely blowing us away. If you were ever cynical about them sounding a bit over the top on record cos they’re not really your thing- you’d probably still enjoy seeing them play live.
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What followed in the second hour could be seen as a three-part encore, or, just a fittingly epic second half. They’ve saved all their older songs for this part of the night, starting with ‘Butterflies and Hurricanes’, then hitting us with ‘Plug In Baby’, which must have one of the meatiest guitar riffs in existence. They power through ‘Hysteria’ then the Nina Simone song ‘Feeling Good’ that they’ve truly made their own. One more quick trip off stage, and they’re back on – Matt sits at the piano and plays the spinetingling delicate introduction to ‘New Born’, before the song explodes into action. They ended with ‘Knights of Cydonia’ and we were all left reeling as we wandered out into the night. It was absolutely brilliant. I can tell you this – if there are a certain list of things to tick off your list before you die, experiencing a Muse concert must be one of them.
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