After the American rock renaissance of the past few years, with bands from New York to Detroit to Omaha breaking into the spotlight, our British cousins have finally struck back. For years they were content to find the best American music and import them onto their island, making them cool before we even had a chance to listen. But this year, the tables have turned. Bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Darkness have infiltrated our pop charts, while others like The Futureheads and Kasabian eagerly await their turn. However, no two bands have had more surprising and impressive years back home than Muse and The Zutons, and this past month, these two UK exports teamed up for a galvanizing stateside tour.
Playing to an energetic capacity crowd at Pittsburgh’s Mr. Small’s Funhouse, a 700 person rock club converted from an old church, both bands proved that the best new music is truly being made across the Atlantic. But it was Muse’s 75-minute set that eclipsed everyone’s expectations, creating an arena rock atmosphere in a cavernous cathedral sanctuary.
Tearing through 14 songs from their three album catalog, Muse seamlessly moved from metal and math rock to psychedelic ballads, sometimes in the same song, while channeling the energy of Metallica, Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age. Although only a trio, led by the enigmatic Matt Bellamy on vocals, guitar and keyboards, with Chris Wolstenhoime on bass and vocals and Dominic Howard on drums, Muse was not only able to reproduce their album’s songs, but make them more compelling. “Sing for Absolution,” “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” and “Citizen Erased” all connected with the crowd as if this was the last gig the band would ever play, enveloping the room with thunderous feedback and dizzying lights and strobes. And Bellamy fed off the crowd’s overt energy, jumping from guitar to piano, playing his guitar behind his head, and hollering vocals with such force that they seemed unnatural.
Even as the set progressed, Muse did not relent, and the last third of the show was arguably the strongest. “Time is Running Out,” turned into an ethereal sing-a-long, and segued straight into “Plug in Baby,” the set’s closer. But it wasn’t enough, and the band returned for a never ending encore featuring a “Stockholm Syndrome” that refused to quit, as the band toyed with different effectual elements and feedbacks for nearly ten minutes before finally leaving the stage.
Liverpool’s The Zutons opened with a solid, 45 minute set featuring songs from their recently released debut Who Killed . . . The Zutons. Although a bit of a puzzling pairing for most Muse fans, The Zutons’ five members have had a successful year in Britain, fusing funk with jazz, and soul with country, delivering a fresh sound that made their debut a Mercury Prize finalist and summer festival favorite. Led by David McCabe on vocals and Abi Harding on saxophone, The Zutons raced through dancehall boogies like “Pressure Point,” “Zuton Fever,” and “Don’t Ever Think,” winning over some of the fidgety audience. But unfortunately, their goofy, funhouse style didn’t quite seem appropriate as the opener for the evening, and inevitably, much of the crowd walked away with an unfair assessment of a truly original band.
