Psychedelic Lunch

Welcome to our “Psychedelic Lunch” series, where we find out how deep the rabbit hole really goes and explore music from the 60’s to today. Weekdays At Noon EST. Enjoy the trip!

Aftermath By Muse, Album: Drones (2015)

They formed whilst at school in Teignmouth, Devon. Their early gigs were performed in a boxing ring at their school.

Their first two albums, Showbiz and Origin Of Symmetry, were produced by John Leckie. He also produced Radiohead’s The Bends. Muse have been compared to Radiohead on numerous occasions.

Bellamy’s dad was guitarist in ’60s band The Tornados, who were the first UK band to have a US #1.

Before Muse, they were known as Gothic Plague, Fixed Penalty and Rocket Baby Dolls. The name Rocket Baby Dolls was based on a Japanese porn film Matt and Dom saw.

They grew up when Britpop (Oasis, Blur, Suede, etc.) was popular but they were never fans of this kind of music. Instead, they listened to Grunge bands such as Nirvana, Primus and Smashing Pumpkins. These American influences led to them being signed by Maverick Records on Christmas Eve, 1998.

They played at the ill-fated Woodstock ’99 festival.

Bellamy’s parents divorced when he was 14, at which point he went to live with his grandmother.

None of them are originally from Devon. Matt’s from Cambridge and moved when he was 10. Chris is from Yorkshire and moved when he was 11. Dom is from Stockport, near Manchester, and moved when he was 8.

Bellamy didn’t want to be a rock star when he was younger. “My dream was always to be in music, but I didn’t have any dream to be a rock star, he told The Sun. ” I wanted to be in a classical band or a jazz band. So when I started, I wanted to learn the jazz piano, or maybe the clarinet.”

The group were supported by a grant from Prince Charles’ charity, The Prince’s Trust, when they first formed in 1994. “We bought our first PA system with the money and still have it now, it comes out for family weddings,” Dom Howard revealed to Digital Spy. “I guess you could say we owe Prince Charles £250.”

Matt Bellamy holds the world record for most guitars smashed on a tour. He demolished 140 guitars during Muse’s 2004 Absolution tour.

Bellamy revealed in 2013 that he had named his pet cats Kim and Kanye (after Kim Kardishan and Kanye West) despite not really listening to the rapper’s music.

The Drones album tells the story of a man losing all hope for humanity after facing the truth that the world is bereft of love. The dark forces brainwash him into becoming a ruthless killer and merciless drone. The “Defector,” “Revolt” and “Aftermath” tracks sees the man escaping from the hands of elites. “This is where the person tries to inspire others to think for themselves and think freely and independently,” frontman Matt Bellamy explained to Rolling Stone. “Then this narrative ends on ‘Aftermath’ where the person is ready to re-engage. He recognizes the importance of human love.”

The word “aftermath,” meaning “that which follows,” implies in most contexts a preceding catastrophe. Other artists that have recorded songs with “aftermath” in the title include R.E.M., Adam Lambert, Tricky, Jennifer Batten and Iron Maiden.

The word originally referred to the crop of new grass that springs up after a field has been mown in early summer. (“Math” was an Old English word meaning “a mowing.”) The modern meaning of aftermath developed in the nineteenth century.

The animated video was directed by Tekken and follows a soldier experiencing the horrors of war. Japanese director Tekken previously collaborated with Muse on the visuals for “Exogenesis Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)” and an alternative music clip for “Follow Me.”