Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, guitars, harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, sampling, harmtar). After the release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, keyboardist and percussionist Morgan Nicholls has performed live with the band. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances (often being claimed as 'the best live band in the world')[2][3][4] and their fusion of many music genres, including space rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, classical music and electronica.[5]

Muse have released five studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), and The Resistance (2009). The band have also issued three live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), which is also a compilation of B-sides, Absolution Tour (2005), and HAARP (2008).

Black Holes and Revelations earned the band a Mercury Prize nomination and a third place finish in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006.[6] Muse have also won numerous other music awards throughout their history, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two BRIT awards, an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award. They were also nominated for three Grammy Awards,[7] of which they won Best Rock Album for their fifth studio album, The Resistance.[8] As of November 2010, Muse have sold over 10 million albums worldwide.[9] On 27 June 2011, Muse's HAARP Tour was voted as Wembley Stadium's greatest ever event by the public.